Friday, October 23, 2009

If I had a million dollars…

Hitting shuffle on my IPOD is always a journey through my own musical history – flooding my mind with the very personal memories that are attached to each song and artist. One of my favorite songs is by a band called the Bare Naked Ladies (try explaining that to youth parents!). The song is "If I had a million dollars" – a comedic piece that reveals the irony of wealth's inability to transform our character, and even less to satisfy the deepest longings of our heart…or at least that's the way I hear it.

"If I had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to walk to the store…we'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more…If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your love."

As a youth minister I would often ask students the question, 'what would you do if you had a million dollars?' Responses ranged from the pious to the obscene – somewhere between chocolate-filled swimming pools and private bikini beach islands I was often reminded that even a million dollars was a pittance in comparison to the infinite relief left by a consumptive imagination. Of course there were always random interjections of a slightly more optimistic note – 'I'd give some to the poor…after I bought a small house…in the country club…and, oh yeah, a Hummer.'

Of course, my desire was to teach youth the importance of giving – especially to those in need. Once, I devised a game around this issue. I divided the group into three types of 'players' – buyers, sellers and the destitute. The sellers had various wares to offer. Some sold homes from the very affordable to the Biltmore-esque. Others sold cars or clothing of varying prices – some even sold healthcare. The buyers were given a plentiful supply of cash – more than enough to live well with some to spare. The needy were homeless, sick, lonely, hungry, indebted, etc. I had given the 'needy' special cards with hearts on them to give out to whoever met their specified need. I clearly stated that the object of the game, at least for the buyers, was to obtain as many 'hearts' as possible, but, of course, purchases from the sellers were a matter of free choice. Within ten minutes the buyers and sellers were deadlocked in trading Hummers and Dream-homes for ever escalating prices, while the sick and destitute stood idly by. Only one buyer aspired to the objective – she purchased a small home, a cheap car, and then proceeded to go broke giving all that she had to those in need. In the end I was able to drive home the point. The 'needy' experienced, in a small way, the feeling of helplessness as the wealthy traded for power and position while they were left for dead – diseased and disenfranchised. Likewise, the buyers and sellers got a candid glimpse of their own impulses as well.

If the individual Christian's dilemma to focus finances on 'neighbor love' is an obvious challenge (as I well know), then might we imagine the problem is magnified in local Christian assemblies (i.e., "churches")? What if your church had a million dollars – or $4MM, or $30MM, or even $70MM? What would it do with that money? I'd give you three guesses, but you've probably already thought it or spoke it aloud – 'build something!' Whether it be a playground, a family life center, a cafe-gym-atorium, or a new technologically advanced church campus, it seems that the equation of 'church plus money' always equals a building.

If individual believers with the available means will generally seek a bigger home, a newer car or the finest amenities, why not the corporate church as well? Newer facilities and cutting edge technology equate to a perception of success in the western world...so too with the American church. The church that is building is the church that is growing in numbers and programs – whereby, again, the calculus will equate to more buildings, numbers and programs.

As a young seminary student (I am now an old seminary student, apparently), and first-time youth minister working with students from less than middle-class backgrounds, I became alarmed at the contradiction between the popular trend of churches to build for success against the innumerable needs of the 'beaten, broken and the damned' that seemed ignored in such projects (regardless of the lip-service given). Did a Jesus born in poor Nazareth, who left even the minimal comforts of his own home, preach a message of 'build it, and they will come?' Do Jesus' words 'that I be lifted up so that all may come to me' initiate a construction ministry?

A front page article on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website a couple of years ago detailed the grand opening of a metro church's $30 million dollar facility. $30MM won't get what it used to, but it will get you 2500 seats, 5 large high-def video screens, well appointed 'living rooms' for group discussions, a 'green room' for 'performers' and staff, a state of the art sound system, and a full-service Starbucks cafĂ© (on-site!) for starters. I am aware of that whole 'pull the log out of your own eye' thing Jesus said, so I won't push the picture I'm painting much further. Just one quote from the church's CFO (no joke!) in response to 'why such a building?' – "to…help make the Bible more relevant."

It is certainly not the largest or most expensive evangelical construction venture, particularly amidst Atlanta's booming 'franchise' church market. But, how high-def videos, audio adrenaline and $4 lattes are relevant to Jesus' Kingdom message makes for an interesting counterquestion: Should Matthew 25:35 be revised? - "For I was bored and you showed me a riveting video, I was thirsty and you sold me a frappacino?"

Quite contrarily, the Jesus of the gospels presents a model of loving service to others, especially in times of need (like the ones we're experiencing today). This is not an 'addendum to,' but as the fulfillment of the Christian life. Interestingly, in John 6 Jesus disperses the crowds that followed him because they were clamoring to consume the entertainment of his miracles – deeds of healing. Rather, he asked them to consume him, his way of living and loving others, instead.

An apropos story is that of the 'rich young ruler' – left walking sadly away from Jesus, unwilling to give his great wealth in service to the great needs of the poor surrounding him. It is here that we find an analogy for too many modern churches. The reality is that Jesus' message is not 'relevant,' does not align with pop culture values nor political agendas, and requires much of the believer in service and love towards others instead of self. The 'church' must walk sadly away from its deity, clinging only to its sorely skewed dogma – thus, recreating Jesus in its own image, one where wealth is maintained and status is to be sought instead of forsaken.

So, what if our church had a million dollars – or four, or thirty? The songwriter says he'd buy love. I guess, in a way, that's what the church is doing – attracting a crowd with its bricks and branding. Unfortunately, as we learn from Jesus, love can't be bought…it can only be given away.

"As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." – Mark 13:1-2 (NIV)