Will people who have been locked out of church by the various Covid-19 lockdowns will actually return to in person worship when the restrictions are eventually lifted?  In a world where church is important to people the answer would be of course. In our world I am not so sure. Too many parts of the church not only no longer teach that church is important but do not even seem to believe it.

Once upon a time churches believed that they were an essential part of God’s plan of salvation. He who does not have the church for his mother cannot have God as his father. The sacraments were not just a public affirmation of faith, not even just a means to strengthen your faith by actual grace, but an unquestioned necessity for salvation. No church, no heaven. Okay, I am exaggerating. But not by much.  The exceptions to church, while they existed, were rare and often sublime.

People went to church as if their very souls depended on it because they did.  Churches taught it, people believed it and with some very notable exceptions society was better for it.  People took God, God’s standards, and God’s church seriously. The very act of failing in our aspirations put us in mind of God’s mercy and the good news of Christ crucified. People, again with notable exceptions, seemed more prone to forgive others and our civil discourse was, well more civil.

Then, as they say, something funny happened on the way to the forum.  People forgot that church was about God. Maybe the church forgot first? Hard to say. But somewhere along the way church, preaching and teaching became more about keeping people in the pews in a world of entertainment options, than helping them live into God’s will for their lives. Church became what some have called the therapeutic church and others have called the emotive church: all about making the people who attend feel better now.

Better, more entertaining sermons. Better music. Less focus on the demanding bits of scripture and more on cheap grace. Church after church focused, not on the eternal destination of their members but on smiles and accolades. What started as just putting a little sugar on the oftentimes bitter pill of discipleship soon became all sugar and no discipleship.

Oftentimes sugar was enough. The seed fell on rocky ground and it sprang up with joy but had no root. Because it had no root, when the sun arose, when troubles came, it withered and died. 

Pastors of all kinds have seen people of joyful yet shallow faith fall away when a crisis comes into their lives. A faith based on hearing and not doing is like the man who built his house on sand and when the storm came great was the lost.

But hey, I get it. The ground was rocky, it’s not easy to convince your parishioners to let God prepare the ground. To let the Holy Spirit convict them of sin. To pick up their cross rather than that doughnut in coffee hour. Spiritual formation is hard work. With man it is impossible but with God all things are possible. Pastoring is hard work and we are told that pastors will answer for the souls entrusted to them.

So, bit by bit, small step by small step, we convinced ourselves that perhaps it was right to let people only hear the good, only experience the fun. We forgot Paul’s exhortation to run the race and pummel our spiritual life.

We became emotive preachers. We became feel good churches. Church became a place where our best values were applauded rather than where our human thoughts died to make room for a renewal of our minds according to God. So we were lost.

Now in this time of pandemic the believers look with disbelief as their leaders declare church non-essential. In person worship? Not now. The actual sacraments? Maybe later. It’s almost as if they believe that it is better that one soul go to hell than the nation to be hurt. Or was that Caiaphas?

What root do these people have? Do they understand the importance of discipleship? Do they understand the importance of the sacraments? Do they understand how in person worship impacts their eternal destiny? Or is church just a feel good exercise that can be replaced with some nice music and maybe a nice affirmation over a cheap glass of wine?

Is church necessary, or is it at most icing on the cake? If I’m okay the way I am, and you are okay the way you are, and god loves us all so much that he will let us all into heaven then, really why shouldn’t I sleep in on Sunday morning? Maybe the first few weeks was fine with watching virtual worship, but hey I have a life and the TV is in the living room. That backyard is calling. Someone has to mow it and gosh it is easy to walk away. No one is watching, I’m not really listening anyway. That magazine in my lap? My pancake breakfast? Life is life, got to go.

I doubt the emotive church that has grown up over the last 50 years or so can take a sustained lock down. It’s just a habit and there are a lot of more entertaining options for positive affirmations out there.

Time will tell. Well we hope time will tell. Truth has become such a flexible concept these days that one wonders if the church can cover up their bad numbers forever.