Is Jesus the Next Killer App?

My worlds collided a few weeks back when CNET (Computer Technology News) posted an article by the above title. You see, on the one hand, I am a minister, deeply concerned about living out the message of Jesus and training others to do the same. On the other hand I'm a computer nerd. Though I've tried to run from each of those callings in the past, they always manage to find me out and draw me back in.

The article was not at all surprising but incredibly frustrating. It's primary focus was to note the burgeoning industry that technology specialists could find in the religious realm. They even have a name for this industry. It's called "House of Worship Technology." It seems that every church is doing their best to convey Christ just like ESPN conveys sports and MTV conveys music. That idea, in and of itself isn't bad. Relavently conveying Christ is an essential duty of Christians. However, when ministry and evangelism become interchangeable with marketing and sales then we've definitely gone too far. This article is all about the excess.

As you can imagine, all the biggest churches devote HUGE chunks of their budgets to cool technology and ensuring the "WOW" factor. These numbers soar into the millions and it is all justified because people are being reached and they're getting the gospel in "their culture." Unfortunately, the message of the gospel isn't getting through, no matter how many people walk through the door. I've been to several of these mega-tech churches and seen the crowds. The message they're getting is not one of sacrifice for the cause of Christ or a life of surrender to His will. What they're getting is that when you don't want to change your lifestyle to come to Jesus, don't worry, He'll come to you. He's so accommodating.

These places are typified by asking as little of you as possible. The gospel is a matter of convenience. You can do what you wanna do and get eternal life too. All we need is one hour a week and we'll make that hour as enjoyable as possible. We'll have specialty coffee and donuts. Our auditoriums will be big and dark so you can get lost in the mix. Worship participation is optional. And heck, if you can't even manage to haul your butt out of bed for that one hour, now you can just roll over and log on and worship with us online.

For those of the modern mega-church variety, it will be too much to expect you to read the full article so I'll just post the highlights. The soundbytes say so much:

• In recent years, members of the clergy have begun competing with MTV, video games and the Internet by jazzing up sermons with image magnification systems and large-screen video displays, a la Apple Computer's Steve Jobs at a product launch.
• "It's like going to a rock concert," says Patrick Teagarden, one of the growing number of sound-and-video technicians whose main customers are churches.
• (Mega mega-church pastor and happiness guru Joel) Osteen employs three massive video-display screens to project his image to people sitting in the nosebleed seats. Illuminating the walls and the giant globe spinning behind Osteen's pulpit are Altman Micro Strips, strip lights that use a range of tungsten halogen lamps to create different lighting effects.
• This kind of spending attracts disciples.
• "There's not one major electronics manufacturer who isn't trying to target this space."
• "Let's face it, we've all experienced the occasional sleeper on Sunday morning," says an Internet advertisement from Audio Visual Mart, an online media tools store. "But it doesn't have to be that way. Technology can inspire your congregation in new ways."
• "We live in a media-driven world!"

So there you have it. Would this be a bad time to start quoting statistics about the decline of giving in churches, the prominence of a lifestyle of moral relativity, the increase in poverty and preventable disease around the world, and the self-serving attitudes and actions of Christians? Probably not. Those are probably more in line with that "Sunday morning sleeper."