A Christ-less Christianity

Having sampled a variety of church services, viewed writings of diverse pastors, and caught bits and pieces of information through periodic conversations with church goers I have come to believe that there is a new form of Christianity out there, a Christ-less Christianity.

I do not mean that the gospel has been watered down in these churches. I mean there is no gospel at all. Christ has been utterly eliminated.

Let me explain. In our society we have (dare I call them evangelical?) churches where Christ is never mentioned. He may appear in the architecture. There might be a picture or three of him in the Sunday school rooms. But when it comes to the service content, he is absent.

As a matter of fact, everything is a bit too clean. For one, the services are sterile. By that I mean that there is no blood. Sin is never confessed, the cross is never mentioned, and absolution is never made because no guilt had to be punished.

There was a day where people talked about Christ's blood at the beginning of the service, middle and end. We entered into God's presence by virtue of Christ's blood. We confessed our sins and found satisfaction in the crimson flow. We felt the nails driven into Christ's appendages in the preaching of the word and were invited to receive the crucified Son of God whose blood can cleanse the deepest stain. But in most churches today, you can't find a drop.

Most of all, this Christ disinfectant has been applied to the preaching. Many ministers (and I am not just talking about those we would normally label "liberal") never speak of how putrid sin is to God. Instead it seems that sin has become nothing more than a "foible" or "shortcoming." Evangelical preaching has become nothing more than a moral message ("Go out and be good. Keep trying. You'll make it."), and the evangel has been lost.

If Christ is mentioned in these churches--and most likely he is not--he is nothing more than a real good example. In other words, Christ, if he is mentioned, is not who he claims to be: the divine Son of God who either damns you to hell or saves you from it. This "good little Christ" might be admired for his virtue, but he certainly is not worshipped. But it doesn't matter anyway, this kind of Christ is an impostor.

I have been doing a lot of (audio) reading about Reformation preachers and other historical stalwarks of the faith. They knew Christ. They spoke of Christ. Christ was all and in all at their services.

Yet when I look at today's churches, it seems that Christ cannot be found--not even in the last pew.