One Sunday years ago as we were leaving mass with our sons, my husband said “Where are the men?” This started a discussion that has haunted me for years, and led me along a wandering path of thought about why so many people are not attending a church. His observation was specifically about how many women and children were attending mass without a husband and father every week. Not every woman there with children was a single parent, and yet he was correct, the pews were filled with women and children, and most of the men present were seniors.
This morning I read a great article by Matt Walsh at The Blaze. He supposes Christianity is dying from boredom. Here he discusses a recent service he attended in a  church he visited.
The pastor began with another round of jokes. They weren’t very funny but they succeeded in being unserious, which I guess is close enough. The sermon was jam packed with youth slang and pop culture. He mentioned a couple of TV shows and Netflix. He made sports metaphors. He didn’t do anything with the references, he just hung them out there like we were supposed to be impressed that he knows about these things.
I think he even said something about Angry Birds. Dated, sure, but it did the job of letting us know that the guy speaking also used a smart phone at some point in the last five years. OMG! He totally gets us!
The word “Gospel” made maybe one appearance in his message. The words “truth,” “sacred,” “reverence,” “sin,” “hell,” “virtue,” “obedience,” and “duty” were conspicuously absent, just as they’re absent from most sermons delivered in most churches, everywhere in the country. Of course he did throw in a friendly helping of “friend” and “helping.” And “tolerance.” Obviously tolerance. It’s important to only preach the sort of principles we can practice from our couches, you know.
Reading this reminded me of the conversation with my husband, and discussions I have had lately with friends. Back when we were raising our family, I think most of the kids our children attended school with went to mass, with or without their fathers. Recently I read an article by a priest who said most of the children preparing for First Holy Communion and Penance would never receive those sacraments again because their parents do not attend mass. This just stunned me. Why even bother to have them go through the preparation classes and receive the Sacraments? I suppose so that they can attend parochial schools at the Catholic tuition rate.
Meandering right along in my thought processes (stay with me here, I do like to wander), I have been intrigued the last several years over new churches names. The Bridge, The Rock, The Community, Rock Bridge, The Source, Encounter Church, Venture Church. Whatever happened to the venerable First Baptist Church or {insert City Name} Methodist? Not to be outdone, I have seen established churches change their name to one of these newfangled descriptor words. I actually had a church member tell me that they didn’t really want potential visitors to know the denomination of the church before they attended the service. What? Really? Is there some chance here that you might need to rethink your theology if you need to disguise it?
Until our parish was blessed with a very back to basics young priest over a year ago, I had wondered if I would ever hear the word sin mentioned in a sermon again. In a Catholic church I don’t believe I had heard a sermon condemning abortion since the seventies. We were never exhorted to examine our consciences, go to confession, or to even question what might be sin, let alone be given food for the journey, so to speak.
It seems in a time when we need guidance and strength from our church communities the most, we are being given watered down generic messages that won’t offend anyone or endanger the tax exempt status. Many Christians feel distant and detached from their church community. Perhaps some, testing the waters, find the services boring and uninspiring, as Matt Walsh pointed out.
In his article Matt comments: I wonder what a secular person might think if he was looking to give Christianity a try and that was the first service he ever attended? Yeah, he wouldn’t leave offended (or impacted, or moved, or energized), but would he even be awake?
It seems to me that the message of Christ is considered no longer palatable in His churches today. Instead of preaching the Word we are given talking points and feel good exhortations. How many churches are doing mission work or community service?
What are your thoughts? Do you see Christianity being preached and lived in your churches and communities? Are the men missing, or in the minority in your church? Any thoughts on the new crop of names for churches? Will our young people restore the traditions and Tradition that our generation has forgotten? In the Catholic Church there is a movement toward increased participation in the Tridentine Mass, and restoration of the sacred in liturgy and music, led by young priests and families not influenced by Vatican II, where we lost so much of our heritage steeped in beauty.