Underwhelmed – The Remix

Underwhelmed

How and when have we become so bored with God?

When i read the gospels, the words of Christ, there is nothing but anticipation, thrill, and buzz. I mean really, you look at the birthing of Christ’s following and there was such a sense of movement and exhiliration. Everywhere Jesus stood, people had one of two reactions to Him.

1. They foamed at the mouth in a sense of desperation
2. They ground their teeth with despise and outrage.

Consistently, people reacted with outrage: outrageously delighted OR outrageously angered. These two extremes are found all throughout the gospels. People did respond. Some responded to truth, others denied it and wanted to kill Him. I just wonder how and when our version of Christianity became so polite and timid.

Most of us live in the context of a safe religion. A religion that requires no thought, no thrill, and no drive. I am so broken to be apart of a generation that is so underwhelmed with the Faith. I just feel like we’ve taken the amazing story of God, the dreams and the Kingdom of God, and turned it into a fun little flannel-board story in Sunday school classes.

We see the Gospels as nice, polite, white men walking around smiling and hugging people. But the true story of God must be more than just nice churchy people!? RIGHT!?!

I’m tired of nice churchy people. I’m tired of Christians that are so bored and timid on the outside AND the inside. I am convinced that if any average non-believer walked into most conferences, youth retreats, and church services they would be just as underwhelmed with our version of Jesus as we are. I just wonder what would happen if my generation was simply enthralled with the story of God. The days of blaming our forefathers and the local Church are over. I just think its time that my generation takes their faith out of the hands of someone else, and puts it into action themselves. I dont know much, but from visiting other churches with my music ministry, I’m seems to me that most Church resources are going toward paying cheerleaders to get us all excited about Jesus. I’m tired of being a cheerleader. Why do we need to be begged to worship? (this is not a knock on any of my friends that are pastors, praise leaders, choir leaders, etc. So please don’t take it that way) I think its because most of us dont really know the Christ of the Gospels. And I also think it’s time that we take the lessons learned from those before us and move forward.

Let us cherish our past and keep it close to our hearts, but let us not be dragged down and held back by it. – Andy Kinman, 4/14/07.