You may remember that in 2005 Christmas fell on Sunday and many Evangelical churches decided to cancel their services and have “family celebrations” at home. You may also remember that I took a very strong public stand against this practice and NewCov celebrated the birth of the King with an overflow crowd that Christmas Sunday. However, it seems that many high-profile Evangelical churches are continuing the practice of doing “family” home celebrations if a Sunday falls near Christmas.

The irony of this is overpowering. To me, it seems very much like the Chief Priest and Scribes who delicately desired not to crucify Jesus on the Passover (Mark 14:1-2). Evangelicals don’t want to impede their fun, frolic, feasting and family celebrations by having to go to church. By this single act we prove to the world that the “family” is officially more important than gathering on Sunday to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

But, don’t take my word for it. Believe me... the non-believing world is getting the message about Evangelicalism. Here is part of an article written by a British agnostic that I found to be representative of the growing attitude toward “born again” believers:


US CHURCHES CLOSED AT CHRISTMAS
The Pub Philosopher
To agnostic British people like me the decision seems rather strange. This is the time of year when many who do not usually go to church decide to turn up for a Christmas service. It is the one day of the year when you find more people than usual in the pews. So why would a church cancel its service at what should be one of its holiest and busiest times of year?

Could it be that the evangelical Christian revival in the USA is driven more by the desire for entertainment rather than by belief in God? Do people go to these huge services because of their spiritual conviction or because they like the singing, the music and the charismatic speakers. A mega-church service is similar to a football match or a rock concert. You get some good entertainment, the chance for some rousing communal singing and a sense of belonging, which you can reinforce by buying the t-shirts and associated merchandise to show that you are part of the tribe.

If church is seen as entertainment, the decision not to hold services on Christmas Day starts to make sense. Most people have a quiet family day at Christmas. Just as few people would want to go to a football match or a rock concert, so they would not be in the mood for a mega church service either. That would be saved for after Christmas when life gets back to normal.

Despite their attempts to put a positive spin on it, the decision by the mega-churches to cancel Christmas shows that much of the evangelical revival is hollow. These churches have packaged and marketed religion, turning it into a commodity. At Christmas, there are more distractions for consumers than usual. The mega-church is just another brand trying to compete for consumer attention in a crowded market. The churches are closing because their customers have decided to do something else on Christmas Day.

Read the entire article HERE.

What do you think? You may leave a comment by clicking on the thought bubble below. See you on Sunday!

Image courtesy of Getty Images. Photographer: Karl Weatherly. Image #: 200366370-001