The first role of successful merchandising is to give consumers what they want. If they want bigger burgers, make their burgers bigger. Designer bottled water in six fruit flavors? Done. Mini-vans with ten cup holders? Give 'em 20. You've got to keep the customer satisfied.
You've got to modify your product and your message to meet their needs if you want to build a market and get ahead of the competition.
Today, this same consumer mindset has invaded Christianity. The church service is too long you say. We'll shorten it. One pastor guarantees his sermons will never last more than seven minutes.
Too formal? Wear your sweat suit. Too boring? Wait till you hear our band.
If the message is too confrontational or too judgmental or too exclusive, scary, unbelievable, hard to understand or too much anything else for your tastes, churches everywhere are eager to adjust the message to make you more comfortable.
This new version of Christianity makes you a partner on the team, a design consultant on church life and does away with old-fashioned authority, guilt trips, accountability and moral absolutes.
One suburban church sent out a mailer recently promising an informal, relaxed, casual atmosphere. Great music from our band and believe it or not, you'll even have fun. That's all great if you're a coffeehouse.
It's Christianity for consumers, Christianity Light, the redirection, watering down and misinterpretation of the Biblical gospel in an attempt to make it more palatable and popular.
It tastes great going down. It settles light. It seems to salve your feelings and scratch your itch. It's custom tailored to your preferences.
BUT that lightness will NEVER fill you up with the true saving gospel of Jesus Christ because it's designed by men not God and it's hollow and worthless. In fact, it's worse than worthless because people who hear the message of Christianity light think they're hearing the gospel, think they're being rescued from eternal judgment when, in fact, they're being tragically misled." — John MacArthur
