Pew Warming is Equal to Getting Hammered

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what the church criticizes. You know all those things that are typically looked down on in the church as sinful or borderline (which is lukewarm so we should just stay away from them). One thing that has been criticized greatly is parties. Growing up I definitely got in many arguments with my peers saying that it was against God’s will to go to parties. I would say that we shouldn’t put ourselves in tempting situations. I would say that we need to separate ourselves from all evil. I would say that nothing good comes out of those places so we shouldn’t go there. I was usually good at what I said, and I was always convincing. Most of the time that I talked like that, I never hung out with anyone that went to the parties, so it was easy to point my finger at them and say that it was wrong, and it was wrong especially if any Christian went.

As I got older and started to expand my relationships, a lot of my friends did start going to these parties. Eventually (around Gr. eleven or so) I went to a few of them. Let me tell you, it was culture shock. Everyone was hammered, girls were hanging off of anyone and you too if you wanted, the garage would be hotbox and there was loud (usually rap) music playing in five different rooms with five different songs. No one really had a purpose at being at these parties, besides the fact they wanted to have a thrill with friends. I don’t really want to argue to say its right or wrong for someone to go to parties (that’s a whole other entry, which will come, one day). I think it’s a grey issue. Kind of like how Paul talked about eating meat. For some it’s a sin, for other’s its not. We can’t judge to whose it is or not, all you can do is follow your own current convictions. Mine sure changed.

So these parties were wild, especially the prom parties where the numbers and craziness multiplied by ten outside on a farm somewhere. There were lots of things I noticed about these parties. Everyone is always seeking for the next big thrill. You see guys doing stuff stupider and stupider as they got older and as one courageous person would step up to the challenge. I’ve seen virgin popping competitions, drinking games, accidents where people have been freakily close to death and people overdose on their drug of choice. It just keeps escalating and getting worse and worse.

There is a recurring pattern here that amazed me when I first saw it; if I can accurately present this I think that it may give you a whole new perspective on everything. For the most part it is quite understandable why the church would want people (especially the younger ones) to stay away from these parties. Would it surprise you if I said that the same things that I see at these parties, I see every Sunday at church?

When I go to church, this is what I see. The same people over and over again attend and look forward to a once a week event. Everything that happens with the staff essentially all boils down to what’s happening the upcoming Sunday. Secretaries work on bulletins and PowerPoint’s, pastors work on their sermons, worship leaders prepare the new songs, everyone else is doing their best to invite their friends out to the event. Finally the Sunday morning comes around and everyone shows up at church. Now we have everyone in the same building, sitting in pews, facing the same direction, and listening to some guy go off about the gospel. Church ends, and typically you’ll hear things like “worship list sucked this week” or “that preacher was so dull” or “who was on PowerPoint and sound, they weren’t paying attention” or “I don’t even know why I come here anymore.” You’ll also hear the hip-hips and the hoorays while people compliment the preaching and the worship. They’ll say that what they saw met their expectations.

This entire first group of people are sick of the lack of entertaining ability of the church. They are BORED of church, so they want something more exciting, they want something to fulfill them when they spend their weekend at the church. If it doesn’t do their job, they will complain and bicker at the church. Those that walk away from church are at the point in life where everything isn’t boring and the church is able to keep them entertained for the time being. Those that are bored of the church, will either move on and find a better church or sit around and mope. This sounds awfully familiar.

People at parties and people at church are both looking for the same thing: a place to be entertained. Those at church want to be entertained spiritually and those at parties want to be entertained physically. What’s the difference? Why is going to church for that reason on a Sunday any better than going to a party on a Friday? Who are those in the church to point out the problem of the ‘party-goers’ and completely be oblivious of the plank in their own eye.

Maybe this is hard to comprehend, maybe this is making no sense at all. I try to make these comparisons to help those in the church realize that we need to get off our man-made pedestal and realize that those at the bars, strip clubs, parties, casinos and street-corners are just as in need of God’s grace as those that are in the pews. What makes us think that God’s grace can’t be found on the corner, why do we limit it to the pew? So really, us in the church have it all backwards too, we’re just as messed up, we’re just in need of grace because there is NO DIFFERENCE!