Gotta Love Seattle Megachurches...

I have to weigh in on Casey Treat.

The main reason is that my partner came from Casey Treat's church. He ADORES Casey Treat. He calls Casey the biggest impact on his faith. I've actually been to the Christian Faith Center. I didn't respond to the invitation to the altar call.

I tend to agree with your assessment. People feel like they are a part of a community, but the community has boundaries. At some point, my partner felt a part of that community. I think he still does. When I went there, I certainly felt like an outsider. I wasn't invested in the community like the others were...because I knew I didn't fit in. I was the "they" they were talking about.

It's been said that visitors and outsiders have the best perspectives on our churches, our clubs, and our communities. The weakness of this church (which is being fed by this pastor) is that they don't believe in outsiders. They talk only to themselves...about themselves.

This is the ecclestical equivalent to the rich farmer who wants to build bigger barns and then let his soul rest and be happy. At some point, God calls him a fool. Will God call this church a building filled with fools? Possibly.

As for my partner, I'm working to get him other (and better) faith influences. I think he has them (heck, he's got me!), but he doesn't recognize that he has them.

Too much rambling?

What happened on Pentecost?

How many children's sermons have you seen where we sing Happy Birthday to the Church on Pentecost? How many coffee hours have had birthday cake (liturgically speaking this should be red velvet - armadillo shape optional)?

But the Church wasn't really born on Pentecost. Community was.

That what I think we're all doing in our lives - searching for and building up community. That's what makes us cringe at the mainstream. The dominant culture is inwardly focus. I'm not the first to point out that neighborhoods changed when we left the front porch to grill out on the back deck. The unique local is replaced with Starbucks and Applebees. So many *** Applebees.

The question "What is Church" may be an interesting topic for discussion, but I don't think it gets to the heart of the issue. Church is too corruptible. It is an institution. It falls prey to its own bureaucracy (said the one being grinded up on the wheels of the church's bureaucracy). But community is different. It is not its own beast - it is not a power or principality. It is people.

We can work with people. We can have conversations with people. We could even talk with the chuckle-head in Seattle about homelessness if he'd ever sit down with us.

But that's the other thing. We put ourselves in like-minded communities. I don't think Americans care about what hymnal we sing from or what the church says about abortion. All we care about is feeling safe in our community.

Casey Treat creates a community that gives the illusion of being safe. He's only talking about unemployment because he doesn't believe anyone in his church is dealing with unemployment. They aren't part of the community. So he can say whatever he wants and the community isn't really invested.

Of course, we see the fallacy in all of this. He's lying to himself and his community if he thinks unemployment and homelessness doesn't touch their lives - especially in a freakin' megachurch. He's trying to create an Applebees community. No local variety. No flavor, come to think of it. Decent drinks but who wants to drink at Applebees?

We come in, eat our crappy food, and leave full but unsatisfied. We can do better.

"Semper Ecclesia Reformandi"

I should be in bed, but...

instead, I have been sucked in by the theological marvel that is Pastor Casey Treat. He's the pastor of a mega church here in Seattle. I really hope there's only one congregation. I just finished watching him say the most horrifying things. He was saying that if you don't get healed through prayer, you really want to be sick; that your heart isn't really with God. If you don't have a job, you just don't want a job (he actually holds up an imaginary sign and acts homeless). On and on. I wanted to vomit. It had sucked me in, too. He was saying things that made sense -- as much as I didn't want him to make sense. Then he said that. And the audience members were all smiling and nodding, saying, "Amen!" and, "Yes!" He's still talking. The people are still listening.
I don't mean to be a pessimist, but how can we reach people if this is what they want to hear? If what people want is this gospel reinforcing things they way they are, how will they hear a gospel of radical change, the true change of living in the ways Christ showed; the ways of Isaiah and the Prophets.
Shit, man. It's late, my thoughts are without grammar. I need to go to bed, to put these thoughts to rest. Tomorrow, its time to begin again.