"Lights! Camera! Action!": When a Church goes Hollywood

By David Ryser

“Missed it by that much!” (Don Adams as secret agent Maxwell Smart in the television show Get Smart)

It was a well-known laugh line on a popular television program.  A villain would narrowly fail in a nefarious plot with comically disastrous results.  The lead character, a bumbling secret agent, would hold up his hand with thumb and forefinger about an inch apart and say, “Missed it by that much!”  The line always drew big laughs.

But sometimes the results of a near miss (Or, more accurately, a near hit.  A near miss would be a collision.) are not so funny.

I recently returned from a brief out-of-town trip.  A major reason for taking the trip was to hang out with a precious group of believers who meet every Saturday evening for a time of worship.  They meet on Saturday evenings because people from a variety of churches come together, and this allows them to continue to be active in their home churches and still take advantage of the gatherings.  God shows up in the meetings, and these lovers of Jesus bask in His presence as they pour out their passionate love on Him in song and praise.

Although I’ve very much enjoyed worshiping with them, it is unlikely that I will return.  And I fear for the future of their meetings.

You see, when people have a pleasurable experience, they typically want to share that experience with others.  When God shows up in a place, it is natural to desire to tell as many people as possible so that they can come and experience Him for themselves. Technology allows us to spread the word widely…and quickly.

Enter the internet.

Out of a genuine desire to include as many people as possible in the experience of what God is doing among them, this group of believers is considering live-streaming their worship services.  The plan is to mount a webcam in their meeting place and broadcast the worship and the preaching (if any) over the internet.  Then people can see and hear what is going on (without being there) and experience it for themselves…sort of.

So what’s wrong with that?

The two times I’ve been to these meetings, I’ve noticed that the lighting in the building is dimmed just prior to the start of the worship.  The lights are kept low until the worship time is concluded.  When I asked about this, I was told that the lighting is dimmed to facilitate intimacy in worship.  That makes sense to me.  Low lighting is utilized in this manner in restaurants and other locations where privacy and intimacy are desired.  The effect in a worship service is to create a spiritual “bedroom” where a person can enter into intimacy with God without self-consciousness.  Having bright lighting on during the worship time would be like turning a floodlight on in your bedroom during your most intimate moments.

Which begs the question:  If you wouldn’t put a floodlight in your bedroom, then why would you put a camera in there?

Cameras and worship don’t mix well.  I’ve seen it for myself.  Typically one of two things happens when cameras are brought into the spiritual bedroom.  Either a person will perform for the camera (with the attendant loss of genuineness in worship), or they will be intimidated by the camera (with the predictable loss of intimacy in worship).

Neither is a good thing.

A friend of mine was watching a worship service that was being shown on television.  The church featured in the broadcast was one he had attended in the past.  He was curious to see what was happening in the service, and he looked for people he had known and cared about.  He was able to find some, but scarcely recognized them.  The men had cleaned up, shaped up, and dressed up.  The ladies had lost weight, highlighted their hair, and were dressed to kill.

What’s next?  Implants?

Now, I’m in favor of people looking good.  I place no premium on ugliness.  But do you really think these people have made these improvements for God’s sake?  Or do you suppose that the presence of a camera might have something to do with it?

And is it a coincidence that the so-called worship service is quite animated, but not particularly powerful?

Please understand, it is not my intent to impugn the sincerity of either group of believers.  I suspect both are made up of genuine lovers of Jesus who very much desire to do what is right.  They believe that broadcasting their intimate moments with God is a good idea.

But good isn’t always the same as God.  Sometimes the worst enemy of best is good.  And many times the difference between good and God is only one “o”.  While not wanting to cause Christians to be nervous wrecks over their relationship with (and service to) God, it needs to be pointed out that we can end up having “missed it by that much” with devastating unintended consequences.

This is my concern for the people who are considering live-streaming their Saturday evening worship.  Having begun in the Spirit, they may take a wrong turn and go somewhere they don’t want to be…and where God isn’t.

To their credit, they are aware of the dangers.  They desire to remain passionate lovers of God.  They want their worship services to be as powerful and intimate as before.  They don’t want the presence of a camera to change them or their worship experience into something that does not honor God.  I wish them all the best in this endeavor.

If they succeed, they will be the first (I know of) to pull it off.

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

"Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!" (Part 3): Frivolous in Oz

By David Ryser & Ken Hornsby

Munchkin Land is a nice place to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live there.  Oz is where the action is!  Yes, Dorothy, the Emerald City is the place where a person can experience the power of God and receive an answer to prayer.  It’s Ozsome to be in Oz!

Is it?

It certainly is beautiful.  When Dorothy and her friends first lay eyes on the city from afar, they are dazzled.  They are Ozstruck.  Oz is a great city!  It’s huge!  And the architecture is breathtaking.  From all outward appearances, the city is bustling and prosperous and Ozimous.  All this, and a wizard, too!  Oh my!

Then they go inside.

Not only is the city impressive on the outside, it’s also quite a sight to behold from within the gates.  The splendor and pageantry of the place is striking.  So many people going here and there.  So much activity.  So much happiness.  So much wiz-dom.

When does so much become too much?

If you want an education, and don’t mind having your religious fantasies smashed to atoms, we recommend you attend a conference at a church that is “in revival” (or “in a move of God” or “in the river” or whatever else it’s called).  Go early and get in the line of people waiting to be admitted into the meeting.  Listen in on their conversations.

Until you can’t stand it anymore.  (Rest assured; you will come to that point.)

As it turns out, there are people who collect attendance at “Spirit-filled” conferences and revival meetings the way Boy Scouts collect merit badges.  They will tell you grand tales about where they were (what “troop” they are from and what “camp” they went to), who (what “leader” from what “troop”) was speaking and what happened (who prayed for them, what anointing or impartation they received, and what religious trinket or tape series they purchased).  But if you ask how their lives were transformed and how their relationship with God became more intimate…they will fall so silent, and so quickly, that you will fear you’ve suddenly gone deaf.

And when you look into their eyes (once they’ve stopped blinking like a lemming in an ice storm), you will swear that you can see the back of their head.

Welcome to Oz.

The people of Oz are shallow.  Their lives are frivolous.  They “laugh the day away in the merry old Land of Oz” where there is no work day.  They live a life of leisure in an opulent city, blessed and protected and highly favored (so they believe) by the wizard.  They don’t have a care in the world.

And they don’t matter.  And they don’t realize that they don’t matter.

They don’t affect or influence anyone outside of the city.  They live in blissful chaos, playing in the river of God instead of taking the life-giving water from the river and giving it to people who are dying of thirst.  They only associate with other “Ozites.”  You either have “it” or you need “it” and you’ll never fit in until you get “it.”  (“I earned mine; you’ll have to earn yours.”)  That’s the way it is in Oz.  Just ask the wizard.

They are irrelevant.  And although they claim to “keep you young and fair, and in repair,” they do nothing of the sort.  And they deal typically with their own irrelevance by keeping you irrelevant.  You are reminded of the “troop” tales, lest you falter.  Ah, frivolity and irrelevance; now there’s a life-purpose.  But this is Oz, after all.

And then they have the nerve to look down on the Munchkins.  (That’s not in the movie.  You have to experience it for yourself.  We have.)

After all, Munchkins don’t believe in the power of God.  They don’t believe in the manifestations of the Spirit (miracles, healings, prophecies, and the like).  Theological inbreeding has stunted their spiritual growth.  Just look at them!

And they don’t even have a wizard.  (Not everyone has a wizard, after all.)

The people in Oz believe in all of God’s stuff.  They don’t flow in any of it, but they believe in it.  And because they believe in it, they are superior to the Munchkins.  (And after all, they are in Oz, and they have a wizard.  The Wizard of Oz, no less.)

But when a bad witch shows up, they are no better off than Munchkins.

Because one day the Wicked Witch of the West did some skywriting over Oz.  Unlike the Munchkins, the people of Oz were not frightened by the appearance of the witch.  But they were no more able than the Munchkins to deal with the witch. And their wizard was so busy doing whatever it is that wizards do, that the people were unprepared to do whatever it was that the wizard should have taught them to do.  They just stared up at the sky like cows looking at a new gate.  But they have a wizard.

What should they do?  Then someone got the bright idea to consult the wizard.

Only the wizard wouldn’t see them.  (But how wonderful it was for them that he was even in town that day.  Being a wizard is a big deal.  A very big deal.  And how lucky for them that he is their wizard.)

Have you ever tried to see the pastor of a big-time pentecostal or charismatic church…without an appointment?  Getting an audience with the pope is probably easier.

First you have to get past an attack-receptionist who makes a rabid Rottweiler look like one of Bo-Peep’s lambs.  You submit to a screening that would make a TSA officer blush.  After getting cleaned up with “a snip, snip here and a snip, snip there” you are on your way to being presentable for a meeting with the great and powerful wizard.  Then you submit to New Oz Member’s Training Class where you learn how to approach, listen to, speak to (if allowed), and respond to the wizard and his wiz-dom.

Then you are escorted through a door that reads:  AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY (You feel neither authorized, nor like a personnel by now.), and into a maze of offices full of important people who are doing important things…or so it seems.

Jesus bled and died…for this?

Your pastor (the nurturer, protector, and equipper of your soul and gifting) doesn’t even know your name!  He has a sermon to prepare, a chapter in his upcoming book to write, and a TV show to tape.  How much can one person be expected to do? (He’s only a wizard, after all.)

Give him a break!  He has an empire to run!  He’s only a mere wizard!

And the dirty little secret is that he doesn’t have any more of an idea about what to do concerning the witches in your life as you do.  If he did, he wouldn’t have so many of them in his own life.  So you get some scriptures to read, some tapes to listen to, and some glib platitudes thrown in for no extra charge.  (And the memory of a lifetime…a moment with the wizard.)

Thanks, wizard.  Really.  Thanks.  A lot.

So you discover that living in Oz isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.  You either adapt to that reality and get back to helping make the city a happy place, or you eventually leave the city.  But if you do decide to leave, don’t worry about the welfare of the City of Oz.  There is always someone waiting to take your place.  (Probably several will take your place). The city of Oz got along just fine before you were there, and it will get along just fine after you are gone.

And, chances are, no one will even notice you are gone…especially the wizard.

After all, in Oz, it’s never been about you…it’s always been about the wizard.

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

"Pay No Attention to that Man Behind the Curtain!" (Part 2): Clueless in Munchkin Land

By David Ryser & Ken Hornsby

The whole thing began innocently enough.  (Those who know us can attest to our wide-eyed innocence.  We are the poster children for innocence.)  We are former professional pastors whose unquenchable thirst for God’s presence and passion has taken us on a journey that ultimately lead us out of the conventional church.  Our love for God’s Church has increased, but we abhor the religious system and its dead traditions.  We connect often by phone to encourage one another and talk about what God is doing in us and showing to us.

During one such phone conversation, we began to consider how the movie, The Wizard of Oz, reminded us of the Christian faith journey and the modern American church.  (For those of you who are concerned that you will “get a demon” from reading something that connects Oz with church, we have good news.  If you get a demon, at least you will have more at the end of this article than you probably have now.)

Consider the Munchkins, for example.

When Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz, she finds herself in Munchkin Land.   (The movie has now shifted from black-and-white to Technicolor.  This makes Munchkin Land appear non-traditional, but it is an illusion.  Beware of churches that advertise themselves as “a different kind of church.”)

Munchkins are cute and cuddly…and clueless.  (They remind us of the churches and Christians depicted on a Norman Rockwell calendar.)

So shy are the Munchkins that they do not come out of hiding to meet Dorothy until after the arrival of Glenda (who reminds us of the Holy Spirit).

Yes, we know, Glenda is a witch.  Relax.  In the movie, witches represent the spiritual forces of good and evil.  In the spirit realm there are beings that are good (God and His holy angels) and beings that are evil (the devil, along with the unholy angels and the demons--the flying monkeys).

It sounds basic, doesn’t it?  But just try and explain to the typical Pentecostal or charismatic Christian that not everything that is spiritual is God.  And then try to explain to the typical traditional Christian that not everything that has spiritual power is the devil.  (Throw religion and tradition into the mix, and the delineation between good and evil becomes even less clear.)

The whole thing can give you a headache.  (A brain-bursting, stress-induced headache caused by religious over-analyzing)

Anyhow, the Munchkins remind us of the traditional church that does not experience the very real power and presence of God.  Not only do they not experience God’s power (or Him), they have no desire to do so.  At best it is nothing more than an abstract doctrine only experienced by the early church.  They have gone beyond the “primitive” church (easy enough to do since the original apostles are dead, and thus cannot defend their idea of church).

For one thing, they are very organized.  They have a mayor (pastor), a town council (elders), an army (church staff and workers), the Lullaby League (women’s’ group), and the Lollipop Guild (men’s fellowship).  And it is quite obvious from their civic pride parade that they feel they have it all together.

They even have a coroner (just about any seminarian will do).  Every dead church should have a coroner, don’t you think?

The Munchkins are comfortable around Glenda.  And she is obviously very fond of them.  They hear her words and rejoice when she proclaims that “the wicked old witch is dead!” (speaking of the Wicked Witch of the East who perished in a home accident). But being comfortable around Glenda and rejoicing at her words also exposes an inconvenient and very apparent truth.

The Munchkins are familiar with Glenda, but they don’t really know Glenda.

Because when the Wicked Witch of the West (the devil) shows up, the Munchkins fall to the ground… paralyzed with terror.  And Glenda is standing right there among them!  They remain in this state of hiding in fear until Glenda shoos the bad witch away.  Then they get back up on their feet, but they are still badly shaken.

When are some people going to learn that God is a lot bigger than the devil?

Having heard Dorothy’s story, Glenda concludes that Dorothy should go to the Emerald City of Oz and consult the wizard who lives there.  (Yes, Glenda knows that the wizard is a fraud.  She has her own agenda for sending Dorothy, as we will see later.)   She describes the wizard as great and wonderful (although she never describes him as all-powerful, as he later claims to be), and as mysterious but good (sort of like how God speaks so highly of us even though we know we are pond scum).

The Munchkins’ reaction to the name of the Wizard of Oz is instructive and revealing.  At the mention of the wizard, the Munchkins bow their heads in respect.  They obviously have heard of him.  (Perhaps they have read his books or seem him on TV.)  They don’t really know him.  They know where he lives.  They even know how to get to the city of Oz.

“Follow the yellow brick road!” (The Romans Road?).  So why has no Munchkin ever been to Oz?

Perhaps Munchkins don’t go to Oz for the same reason that many Christians don’t experience the things of God the way that the people in the Bible did.  They’ve heard of God’s power.  They’ve even read His book.  They respect His power, but don’t experience it.  They do experience God’s Spirit at some level, but are fearful and oppressed whenever the devil shows up.

Except when he shows up at church business meetings.

They seem content to live their spiritual lives within an organized religious structure and accompanying programs.  And as long as the Holy Spirit comforts them and “shoos away” the devil, life is good.

“Tra-la-la-la-la, La-la-la-la-la-la, Tra-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaa…” (Munchkin song service…first, second, and last verses only.  Please refer to the bulletin for important information and announcements).

Or perhaps a Munchkin has had the misfortune of having met someone who lives in Oz.  And has decided that the people in Oz are loony-toons.  Whatever else Munchkins may be, they are not crazy.  Perhaps one reason why some Christians are uncomfortable with the power of God is that the person who is telling them about it does not appear to be quite sane. (In fairness, a passionate lover of Jesus sometimes appears to be deranged to the typical religious person.  Whatever the reason, a Munchkin rarely encounters the person, or power, of God.)

If you appear deranged, people not only do not want what you are selling, they also hope that what you have is not contagious.

Munchkin Land is safe.  It is a nice place, filled with nice people.  They spend their time operating their town and creating more Munchkins.  (They call the latter “evangelism,” a Greek term that roughly translates into the Munchkin language as “hunting spiritual scalps.”)  Except for the occasional visit from a wicked witch, it’s not a bad life.  And, after all, they always have Glenda to chase the bad witch away.

But Dorothy’s adventure does not end in Munchkin Land.  It begins there.  She must leave this place to start on her journey.

“We’re off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!”

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

"Where's the Beef?": Looking Between the Buns of the Religious System

By David Ryser

The Church is buried under 1700 years of institutional sediment. (Owen Allen)

It’s the tag line from one of my all-time favorite TV commercials.  A woman is standing in line at an unnamed mega-burger joint.  When she receives her burger, she discovers that nestled between the buns is a dinky little meat patty.  She looks up at the server and asks a simple, but profound, question.

“Where’s the beef?”

That’s a good question.  As I look between the buns of the American religious system, I often ask the same thing.  Only it sounds more like, “Where’s Jesus?”

Someone recently suggested that my criticisms of the religious system tend to throw out the baby with the bathwater.  I’m open to constructive input, and I just adore babies (People are so cute when they’re little.), so I decided to examine the religious “bathwater” to see if I could find a “baby” inside.

It’s a dirty job.

Mucking through the brackish, toxic waters of the spiritual cesspool of man-made religion is disgusting work.  It is not a task for someone with a sensitive gag-reflex.  Fortunately, I did not find a baby in the bathwater (though I did discover enough spiritual poison to kill every infant on the planet).

What I found in the bathwater was three kinds of spiritual sludge that are worth remarking upon.

The first is the dead traditional church.  This is the church that proclaims and practices a form of godliness, but denies the power (and by extension, the practical existence) of God.  God’s presence and power are experienced neither in the church services, nor in the daily lives of the church members.

You might get a little salvation message once in awhile.  Usually you are offered a very expensive self-improvement pep talk.  I say expensive because they do preach tithing.

I think that 10% of your income is a steep price to pay for the drivel you are subjected to on a weekly basis.  Don’t you?

The second form of religious slime I discovered is the typical “Spirit-filled” church (also known as the “all blow and no go” church).  This church believes it is superior to the traditional church because it preaches about the presence, power, and blessings of God (although it experiences none of these).  In some places there is a heavy emphasis on God’s blessings.

As it turns out, the favor of God can be bought.  God’s blessings are purchased by offerings (in addition to your tithe) that you pour down the black hole of the religious machine.  You pay.  God blesses.

It’s a tidy business arrangement.  It’s not much of a relationship.

Now, I’m all in favor of proclaiming the presence, power, and blessings of God.  But proclamation without demonstration is worthless.  Simply believing in God’s presence and power is not enough.  We must experience them.

The one who believes in the presence and power of God, but does not experience Him…or operate in it…is no better off than someone who does not believe in either.

The third kind of glop I found floating in the religious bathwater might be the most insidious of all.  For lack of a better term, I call it the “revival” church.  The toxins in this church can be hard to detect because the church seems so alive.  The “worship service” is animated and exuberant.  The preaching is passionate.  In many cases, the after-service ministry is powerful.

And, typically, God did actually show up…at least in the beginning of the revival.

The problem is that the wrong thing usually gets revived in the end.  In a genuine move of God, the people of God are revived.  They come back to fullness of life and are transformed into the image of Jesus.  They are equipped to pour out the life of Christ that is within them onto a world full of people who desperately need Him.

And they meet God…really meet Him.  And fall in love with Him.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t often turn out that way.  In the end, it is usually the poisonous religious system that is revived.  The people of God are not transformed.  Excited, yes; transformed, not so much.  And the leaders of the “revival” remain motivated by what the Bible calls selfish ambition, pursuing the fame and fortune of success in the religion business.  (More “floaters” in the religious bathwater.)

By the way, you can usually spot these religious hucksters because they will promote the “revival” and what it will do for you.  It’s not about Jesus. It’s not about a transformed life.  It is not about the death of self leading to a resurrected life.  It’s about you!  Or, more often, it’s about them.   (The whole thing makes me want to gag.)  There’s just too much leaven in this “loaf” to be palatable to lovers of Jesus.

And especially beware of so-called “moves of God” that take Visa and MasterCard!  (Don’t laugh.  I’ve seen it more than once.)

Let’s have the courage to face the truth.  All we’ve done is found a new way to do an old thing.  If God is in this stupidity, then I’m the reigning monarch of England.

To add insult to injury, the average non-Christian won’t go anywhere near the religious bathwater…no matter which flavor it is.  They see the death-producing religious system for what it is.  And they won’t have anything to do with it.  While we believers splash happily in the toxic ooze of the bathwater, the unbelievers display a remarkable level of spiritual discernment and run as fast as they can in the other direction.

They don’t even get into, much less drink, the putrid bathwater of religion.

I have had the privilege of talking about the things of God with unbelieving friends and acquaintances.  (It’s easy to do if you’re not a sanctimonious jerk.)  I find that they usually do not hate God…or even dislike Him.  They do, however, have a visceral disdain for religion.

So do I.

They abhor sanctimony.  They detest hypocrisy.  And they can spot a phony a mile away.  They know filthy bathwater when they see it…and they don’t want any part of it.  Don’t even try to introduce your non-Christian friend to religion.  They're too smart for that.

Instead, try introducing them to Jesus.  (This assumes, of course that you know both parties.)

As for the religious bathwater, go ahead and throw it out.  Without fear.  There’s nothing alive in that goo.

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