The following letter to the editor was sent by Utah reader Kimball Shinkoskey regarding what she calls the “mediocrity” within contemporary Christian churches:
Religious observance has declined steadily over recent decades. There is a reason for this. People are tired of mediocrity.
Church leaders in a wide variety of denominations have reduced the lifestyle of the ancient Judaeo-Christian founders to the level of a cliquish married people’s fraternity. They have streamlined once complex theological doctrines down to the level of advertising jingles. Their salvation promises resemble tawdry everybody-gets-benefits election year political promises.
Scripture interpretation is divorced from historical context. Some church-goers like this environment. There, other people are required to at least make an effort to include them in their Sabbath day social circle. There, one does not find much pressure to improve lives like in the old days. The nave has become a school room for “it’s all good.”
Churches teach forgiveness without repentance, love without accountability, and interpersonal service without public service.
Surely, nothing that Jesus would recognize.
The Protestant work ethic has morphed into the Christian prosperity gospel.
In this new world, the church is fine with irresponsible business investments and occupations, business advertising without honesty, and triple digit interest rates charged the poor. And churches manage to accomplish all this mediocrity with contribution requirements less than federal tax rates.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Utah
