A Tale of Two Churches: Living Life in the Temple of Mithras

By David Ryser

Religion is the shell that is left after the real thing has disappeared.  (Doug Bannister)

If I were to write a novel about my recent church experiences, it might begin with the words:  “It was the best of churches.  And it was the worst of churches.”  I’ve been in both kinds of traditional church services over the past few weeks.  And I’m struck more by their similarities than by their differences.

I should probably begin by explaining what I mean when I use the term “traditional church service.”

I define a traditional church service as any church meeting where the congregants sit in rows staring at the back of the head of the person in front of them.  They focus their attention on a raised platform/stage where the main event takes place, officiated by professional clergy.  Typically this consists of a ritualized program or a Christian concert/sing-along followed by a Christian motivational speech.

And when I use the term “traditional” to describe a modern church service, I am not referring to the biblical tradition.

Because the traditional church service bears no resemblance whatsoever to the meetings of the early Christian church.  It does not originate in the teachings of the Bible, the teachings of the apostles, or the practice of the earliest believers.

As best as I can tell, our church service in the modern traditional North American church--including how we lay out our buildings and arrange the so-called “sanctuary”--has its origins in the Cult of Mithras and the Roman Imperial Court.

I cannot help but conclude that our traditional church service is non-biblical, unbiblical, and…worse…anti-biblical.

And we need to ask ourselves just how it is that we expect to have a biblical experience with God in a corporate setting when our methodology for doing church meetings is (at best) secular and (at worst) pagan.

So for some time I have avoided traditional church meetings in favor of smaller gatherings in more intimate settings where each believer is encouraged to participate actively in the corporate worship experience.  Until now.

The last few weeks I have felt led by God to attend traditional church services.  The two churches I have visited appear to be polar opposites.  At first glance, they appear to have nothing in common.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered they are twins.

The first church is a small old-fashioned classical revivalist church located in a rural community.  Walking into this service is like being caught up in a time-warp.  The song service consists of singing the old revival songs written in the 1930’s (the newer songs, at least) from a hymn book.  The singing is lackluster and passionless.  No doubt God breathed on these songs once…but it was a very long time ago.  The preaching is shallow and contains the standard revivalist platitudes and allusions to the usual scriptures typical of the movement.  Both the preacher and the congregants want very much to be stirred by the whole thing, but their hearts just aren’t in it.

In defense of this church, the majority of the members are in their 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.  Their church is dead.  Within a few years, the people will be dead, too.  They are in trouble as a church, and they know it.

But they don’t know what to do about it.

The second church is a high-powered non-denominational church located in the city.  The congregation numbers in the hundreds.  The median age of the members is probably in the early-to-mid 30’s.  The worship service is upbeat, loud, and animated.  The platform/stage is a professional set made for television.  The lighting and acoustics are of the highest quality.  They may even have a smoke-generating machine.

How cool!

Who needs the Shekinah glory of God when you have a smoke machine?

And herein lays the irony.  This church, like the first, was rebirthed/renewed by a genuine and powerful move of God.  Similarly, both became caught up in what God was doing to the point that they continued to do what they had done while God was present long after He had moved on to something else.

Aren’t you grateful we have religion to pick up when God leaves?

And yet, God is touching people’s lives in both churches.  Especially in the city church, those who have experienced God’s touch give glowing testimonies of what God has done in their lives.  I have noticed, however, that their testimonies are about what God has done rather than about who He is.  And I also noticed that those testifying tend to measure God’s blessing in dollars and cents.

I’m always a bit saddened when people settle for just the touch of God’s hands when they could also behold His face.

And suddenly I realized that these churches are the same church, but at different points in their lifespan.  Both were powerfully touched by God.  Both were passionate for God.  Both have experienced His life-changing miraculous power.  And both have people who want very much to connect with God in a more personal and intimate way.  But they don’t know how.

And if, at the end of it all, both churches end up in the same place…does it really matter how they got there?

Both have put God’s new wine/move into an old religious wineskin/system.  They thought God’s blessing was the same as His approval.  They forgot that God blessed the Israelite monarchy when it was ruled by righteous kings, but He never approved of it.  The monarchial system eventually destroyed the nation (just as God had predicted).

And the traditional religious system will always eventually kill a move of God.

So I’m looking at two churches whose congregants and leadership are good people caught up in a bad system.  They very much want to experience God, serve God, and advance His kingdom.  Instead, they end up serving a religious system that ultimately…and always…chokes out the spiritual life of a church.

Ironically, there’s more hope for the little church than for the big one.  This small congregation knows something must change or they will close the church soon.  The big “successful” church doesn’t see what’s coming.

Can anyone say Laodicea?

I don’t know why God wants me to watch this drama unfold.  But I will.  Because I’ve learned He always has a purpose behind what He asks of me.  So I’ll watch.

Even though I would really rather not.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com