#2 I am really questioning the overall benefit of Christian media

I work for a resource ministry and absolutely love it. The global Church is in need of good resources. The Father has blessed the Church in America with great training for ministry and scrupulous theology. Spreading is good.

And on the other hand, there are some serious dangers. Doctrine III class was helpful last night in this discussion. We were talking over Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. Bonhoeffer’s description of the ‘ideal’ dream of Christian community versus the divine reality of Christian community is particularly illuminating (Go read the book, it’s short). He writes,

He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial (27).

Christian media lets people hear really good music by really gifted artists and hear really good sermons by really gifted preachers. That is all wonderful until the Christian individual imports these things as expectations on their local Church. Your pastor will not preach like John Piper, get over it. Your worship leader will not sing like Hillsong United, get over it. I fear that the asset of Christian media (though unintentional) has become an impetus for the individual Christian to complain. We should be grateful for our community that is “in and through Jesus Christ” and not frustrated about what it is not.

I’ve talked to people, one sweet lady in particular. She loves Jesus and has some solid theology. However, she is so affected by a fellow sister’s cell phone ringing in corporate worship that she is derailed with vexation. “There are no good churches around here.”

Our expectations are askew. We have done exactly what Bonhoeffer warns against. I forget that this was about why I hate my ‘Christian blog.’ I guess this Reason #2 matters only inasmuch as I see my blog contributing to this negative aspect. Only insofar as my blog is a child of that system. Hmm…