The Burr in the Burgh

By the logo, you can tell that this is an ELCA congregation, not a LCMS congregation. But I'm not gloating. Many within our own beloved synod, at times, stumble into these eccentricities.

This is soooooo 1975. Like all those Puff, the Magic Dragon love songs that get recycled as "contemporary" worship. Who is this trying to reach? Which demographic is this for? The unchurched clown population? Or maybe the aging and increasingly irrelevant boomers who remember earth shoes and patchouli incense and wax nostalgic for the glory days of Haight-Ashbury.

So what does it mean to be a fool for Christ (1Cor. 4:10)? Isn't the apostle saying that the cross is foolishness to the so-called wisdom of this world? He's not saying we should wear big shoes and greasepaint so people laugh at us. Do I really need to wear a big red ball on my nose in order to be a fool for Christ? How about I just preach the atonement, since that's what the apostle was talking about.


Addendum: I am all for working hard to reach the lost. Usually posts like this elicit complaints that I don't care about missions. I do care. I care a lot. But I think that gimmicks inspired by content-free hysteria do a lot more harm to the cause of Christ than good. I try to be winsome. I make inviting and welcoming guests to church a high priority. Indeed, one of my great interests is to examine how religious belief intersects with popular culture. But disrespecting God by playing circus in His house, mistreating his Word and blaspheming the sacrament are not prudent ways to do evangelization.