On my way to the rally the other day I popped on the radio. I admit I'm a religion nerd, and American denominational issues and religious trends are of a particular interest to me. I have no idea why. In any case, that is just to say that I put on the protestant radio station that is generally affiliated with Calvary Chapel, a denomination with whom my workplace shares a parking lot. In any case, this man David Jeremiah, the pastor of a megachurch in Southern California called Shadow Mountain Community Church, was on. The show was called, "Turning Point." Normally I would have changed the station right away because eight times out of ten, I'm not interested in what's on that station. But this time what he was talking about caught my ear.


Mr. (Dr.) Jeremiah posed the following question (I paraphrase): "Why do people in a stadium of 60,000 not feel lonely, but in a church (with far fewer people), they feel isolated and out-of-place?" The "profound" answer he came to (Mr. Jeremiah's sarcasm, not mine) was "tailgate parties." He said (paraphrasing again), "When do you ever see a single individual going into a game? Not too often. Usually you see people going in groups of 2, 3, 5 or more."

His point was twofold:
 
1. People often like to be among be crowds and large events because it makes them feel as if they're part of something important. In that big building, there's something important going on, and by virtue of my attendance and participation there, that makes me important too.

2. The "tailgate party" is just as important as the game. A tailgate party is made up of a smaller group of people and affords an opportunity to bond and have fun together. It's a place where "everybody knows your name." (As I recall, he used this phrase.)



So far as I can tell, this David Jeremiah is a pretty smart guy. A little too smart, actually. His reasoning is flawless...when it comes to a marketing rationale and apology for his self-described megachurch.** But there was really no religious content at all, other than that God designed us to be known and to have our voices recognized. Now doesn't that feel good?



Needless to say, everything about this approach to religion was "me-centered" and had more to do with social and personal psychology and emotionalism than with God and the nature of the Church. Big  events make me feel good because I feel as if I'm witnessing something important. Then, so I have an interpersonally sense of fulfilled I participate in a small group at my church. Certainly we do not have to go all the way to southern California to see examples of this model of church. It seems to me that our own bishop is promoting it, as a matter of fact. Gloucester County Community Church in Wahington Township,  St. John the Evangelist in Naples (FL), and St. Joseph in Richardson (TX) all have significant aspects of this model in common, and all have been recommended by Bishop Galante.*

I do not mean to be overly dismissive here. I'm not saying that one cannot actually have positive experiences in, well, in just about any Christian religious context. God can get to us even when there's the slightest crack in the door because He is God, He made us, He knows us, and He want us to love Him as much as He loves us. Certainly we can experience God's presence and learn about God outside of the Catholic Church--it's just that other Christian communities fall short of the whole Truth.

The problem with this particular church model is that religion is not about feelings and worship isn't about what "we" get out of it. Religion is, ultimately, about God and worship is about how we can best give glory to God in a manner befitting His Majesty. He is the King of the universe and should be the King of our hearts, and anything that falls short of what he deserves cheapens the gift. You don't come to a birthday party and hand somebody a gift still in the plastic bag. (Well, actually, that's happened to me before, and that's ok!) Yes, it's the thought that counts and just the act of showing up or bringing a gift is important and there is something to be said for that. But when it comes to the Creator and Sustainer of all things, I hope to bring him a gift that not only is nice underneath all the wrappings, but also looks nice, too. Why? Because He's God. He made us, and seeing even our tiniest little efforts to love and glorify Him, allows His love to grow in us. "You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love at which we do them." (St. Therese of the Child Jesus)

So after listening to the "Turning Point" broadcast I actually felt sorry for the protestant megachurchers because as a Catholic, I know that it really has nothing to do with how many people are in attendance, even though of course it would be nice if the whole world believed in Christ and the Truths contained in His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Christ himself said that "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of you."* We do not need to be among huge crowds of people in an immense structure with jumbotrons, a band, great lighting and sound systems, and all the other drama that accompanies christian "edutainment."

We read in Matthew 26:26, John 6:51-72, and elsewhere He gave us Himself in the Holy Eucharist, so no matter how many are present at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he is still there. Yes, we are a part of something very important when we assist at Mass, but the Mass is still the Mass and God is still God whether there are two or 2,000. We, like the Apostles, are to be fishers of men, and certainly we need to evangelize. But we must never lose sight of the fact that even if there were no one at all in the church during Mass, God still--literally--offers Himself to us. I've heard a particular priest say a couple of times that if on the holy altar of God Christ actually appeared to us in his full splendor and majesty, as He appears in Heaven among the throngs of angels and saints, we would fall down on our faces and drag ourselves up the aisle. I could not agree more. Truly something important is going on in a Catholic church no matter how many happen to be there.

So let them have their "tailgate parties" at the church called "Shadow Mountain" and others like it. The churches so many of us are blessed to attend here in South Jersey may be small, but in them the King of the Universe is enthroned. It is our privilege to be in His midst. (In fact, "level of energy" is like Christmas every day...only not in a mall. Like in a church.)

The biggest problem is that in our contemporary society, people place demands on their churches as if the church should conform to their lifestyle (book a Caribbean cruise with David Jeremiah here). But we know that this is not what Christ expects of us. He asks each of us to be willing to forsake our families and everything we have to follow Him. That's a tall order. He wants us to offer our sufferings in union with His on the cross. We are to conform ourselves to the cross of Christ. Carmelites have a cross with no corpus because they are expected to place themselves upon it in their daily sacrifices.

I thank You, O my God! For all the graces You have granted me, especially the grace of making me pass through the crucible of suffering. It is with joy I shall contemplate You on the Last Day carrying the scepter of Your Cross. Since You deigned to give me a share in this very precious Cross, I hope in heaven to resemble You and to see shining in my glorified body the sacred stigmata of Your Passion. (St. Therese of the Child Jesus, 19th century
Carmelite nun and saint)

Needless to say, we ought not to go to church expecting entertainment, expecting to be comfortable. It is so sad that some become impatient when the sermon runs a little long or the Mass goes over 45 minutes, and after holy communion make a mad dash for the exit before the priest--who represents Christ himself--processes. The traditional Mass--the dignified and holy worship of God--has been called the most beautiful thing this side of Heaven. So I for one would not feel comfortable attending a church in which one could expect the Rockettes to emerge, legs kicking wildly, from stage right.