{"id":25479,"date":"2020-01-19T17:07:34","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T01:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=25479"},"modified":"2020-01-19T17:07:34","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T01:07:34","slug":"of-whips-and-table-flipping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/of-whips-and-table-flipping\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Whips and Table Flipping \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Gospel of John, we read of a story that many of us are familiar with: The cleansing of the temple by Jesus.\u00a0 John writes:<\/p>\n

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When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,\u00a0Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves,\u00a0and others sitting at tables exchanging money.\u00a0So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.\u00a0To those who sold doves he said,\u00a0\u201cGet these out of here! Stop turning my Father\u2019s house\u00a0into a market!\u201d (John 2:13-16).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The notion of the nature of the church is a question that has been burning in my heart since moving to Hong Kong.\u00a0 The year before I moved, I remember having a strange feeling that something was off about my experience in church.\u00a0 Although I couldn\u2019t put my finger on it, this feeling followed me across the world to the various churches I attended in Hong Kong.\u00a0 There was a gradual discontent that grew into a cynicism of the church, but what bothered me most was that I still could not put to words what was bothering me.\u00a0 All I knew was that something felt shallow every time I sat through a church service.<\/p>\n

My revelation finally came on Easter 2017.\u00a0 As the pastor began his sermon, I realized that this was the first time in years where it sounded like the Gospel was being preached in a church service.\u00a0 The more I listened, the more I reflected on what \u201cchurch\u201d had become in many of the other churches I had attended.\u00a0 My thoughts drifted to Jesus\u2019 words: \u201cStop turning my Father\u2019s house into a market!\u201d<\/p>\n

Church has become a business and a marketplace.<\/em><\/p>\n

The communal nature of the churches I attended (many of which ironically carried the word \u201ccommunity\u201d in their titles) had been superseded by a programmatic drive that ultimately created a congregation of consumers.\u00a0 I began to pay more attention to the announcements at churches as they marketed their divorce care groups (\u201cNeed help navigating the murky waters of your divorce?\u00a0 Come join us!\u201d), their prayer classes (\u201cWant to pray with the fervor of David?\u00a0 We can teach you!\u201d), their retreats (\u201cFor $500 HKD, sign up and we\u2019ll give you the time and space to refresh your soul!\u201d), etc.\u00a0 It was as if the churches were trying to cater themselves to people so that they could keep the \u201ccustomers\u201d coming back week after week.\u00a0 This can cause competition among churches in order to see who can attract the most people.<\/p>\n

Polanyi talks about how the fictitious commodities of labor, land, and money were the driving forces of the establishing the self-regulating market.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 These are considered fictitious commodities because they were not produced<\/em> for the market, yet they are still bought and sold on the market.\u00a0 This notion of fictitious commodities is important because in many ways, the church itself markets other fictitious commodities.<\/p>\n

When we look at a church website, what are the first things that we see?\u00a0 A lot of the photos that one can find in the gallery sections offer a window into the experience of that church.\u00a0 When we peruse these sites, what are we ultimately looking for?\u00a0 We want to know what we<\/em> will get out of the service.\u00a0 Who is the pastor (the more famous he\/she is, the better)?\u00a0 What do they believe?\u00a0 Is there a small group ministry for me?\u00a0 Is there a ministry for my kids?\u00a0 What about the youth?\u00a0 Are there mission trips that I can go on through this church?\u00a0 While it is important to know these things about a church, how does a church use these to get people in the door?<\/p>\n

At the same time, do the churches see its congregation members as commodities?\u00a0 During my undergraduate studies, one of my professors used the term \u201csheep stealing\u201d when we were discussing church growth.\u00a0 He defined it as churches targeting the members of other churches to get them in their door.\u00a0 We measure the success of a church by how many people are there, by how many souls are saved, by how many programs the church has, by how many volunteers are active in serving, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 Whenever I go back to Kentucky, I ask my family how things are at the church I grew up attending.\u00a0 The first thing they comment on is how many people are there, who isn\u2019t coming to church anymore, who has passed away, or who had a baby.\u00a0 The conversation usually stops there, as that\u2019s all they think that\u2019s important to comment on.\u00a0 To view people as a commodity is an affront to the imago dei<\/em> in which humankind was created.<\/p>\n

The programmatic focus that I\u2019ve seen in churches has been disheartening.\u00a0 As I reflect on the nature of church in this regard, I can\u2019t help but wonder what it would be like for the church to move beyond the consumeristic nature of programs and into a world of community that seeks to give<\/em> into the life of other people:<\/p>\n