Petros Baptist Church

Tuesday, October 16th will be the final Tuesday Midday Bible Study and Friday, the 19th the final Noon Prayer.

“The Church is none other than all right Christians, collected in the name of the Holy Spirit and by the will of God, which have placed a firm belief and an unhesitating hope in God…  That Church cannot err.  Cause:  she does nothing according to her own will or what she thinks fit, but only what the Spirit of God demands, calls for, and decrees.”  — Huldrych Zwingli

What lengths will some churches go to in order to “bribe” young people to attend worship? A fascinating essay in Ethics Daily offers us a glimpse into the shadowy depths of ‘outreach’ become Godlessness.

Jim Evans writes

Having served as a pastor now for over 30 years, I have seen every sort of outreach gimmick you can imagine. Churches have been willing to do almost anything to get people into church, especially young people. With everything from taping $10 bills to the underside of church bus seats, to bringing weight lifters to the morning service for a workout session, I thought I had seen it all. I was wrong.

Boy was he. He continues

The latest outreach craze involves “Halo 3,” the wildly popular video game. Rated M because of its violent content, Halo cannot be purchased by anyone under the age of seventeen. However, many evangelical churches are setting up game rooms with multiple screens and consoles where teens under the age of 17 can come and enjoy the thrill of blowing somebody to bits.

Repulsive ignorance of the authentic meaning of both Church and outreach is the phrase that comes to mind. When young people, or any person, has to be bribed to get them to Church, it really is better if they just stay home. First of all, they won’t become servants of Christ, they will simply be sponges absorbing as best they can the time and energies of others. Second, they will believe that the Church exists for them rather than the truth that they exist for God. and finally, they are taught by such manipulative techniques that it’s ok to do anything and everything in the name of God.

Paul denigrates such vile and ridiculous methodologies when he writes to the Corinthians (2 Cor 4:2) αλλα απειπαμεθα τα κρυπτα της αισχυνης μη περιπατουντες εν πανουργια μηδε δολουντες τον λογον του θεου.

Youth leaders, pastors, church workers, unite. Renounce the deceptive methodologies of the manipulative world and speak the truth instead. If folk listen, they listen, and if they don’t, then they reap the consequences of their sowing.