An Apathetic Church

An Apathetic Church 

 We have fervently embraced the era of spiritual apathy and certain issues have factored into its existence. This lethal attitude of detachment is prevalent not only in Catholicism but in all Protestant creeds as well as nondenominational, Pentecostal and evangelical fellowships. 

 On most Sundays, millions of individuals flock to church. Many are present as a sincere demonstration of their love towards God as well as obedience to Hebrews 10:25 which states in part that “we should not stay away from our assembly as is the custom of some.” Others are in attendance merely to fulfill an obligation. There is no reverence for the Lord nor an interest in the service but rather an utter desperation for it to conclude in order that planned activities for the day can be fulfilled.

 Despite the convergence of Bible-based media to assist us in our pursual of Him, we have a influx of lukewarm congregants within the pews who are defiantly ignorant of most matters as they pertain to God. Catholics, overall, tend to rebuke churches apart from their own which prioritize a personal relationship with the Savior. This is due to their insistence that such an emphasis is unnecessary particularly if a person was baptized and is in compliance with the necessary doctrines. But of what benefit is adherence to every edict if one does not know Him? Our robotic presence can be assured of at each Mass, or devotion and the multiple recitation of the rosary is incorporated within our daily routine yet we live our lives as if the Lord does not exist. Individuals outside of Catholicism, who typically refer to us as heretics, along with other derogatory adjectives, pride themselves over their alleged Biblical superiority coupled with consistent attendance at every service offered at their various fellowships. Still, they opt to ignore the Lord’s directives, particularly if it stands to interfere with a personal choice that is clearly an abomination in His sight. And with this overall negligence, our failure to intimately familiarize ourselves with Jesus Christ and heed to Scriptural tenets, has resulted in a lethargic attitude towards all things as they pertain to the King of Kings.

 In essence, apathy is rampant within the Kingdom and we seem unfazed by the reality that He is aware of our indifference towards Him. We have become so far removed from the Lordship of Jesus Christ, that our lifestyles, goals and desires have taken precedent to the Savior. His mandates, including the 10 Commandments, are regarded as antiquated rules which are irrelevant in today’s society. We are continuously assured that we are amazing beings created in His image and while that is true, are our actions pleasing in His sight? Our grievous error is the adaptation of the fallacy that the Savior will condone our disregard for Him based on His love for humanity along with His understanding of our frailty. The furtherance of this falsified belief can also be attributed to our spiritual leaders since a number of them are in abject fear that a message of conviction will result in a decrease of membership, revenue and prestige. Moreover, the truth of God’s Word has oftentimes been dwarfed by social justice. Hence, most pulpits are now devoid of Biblical correction and with that, we are lulled into a sense of fraudulent comfort with no compulsion to change. 

 A number of sanctuaries have substituted varied gadgets, rock bands, and blaring emotion for the presence of the Holy Spirit. The monetary concern in particular has been prioritized and as Judas betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, clerics have assumed the same mentality as they opted for compromise in exchange for fiscal renumeration. 

 In 2 Timothy 4:3, St. Paul addressed this issue as he stated “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.” With that, the horrific reality is that pastors have used their platforms to promote issues that in actuality are a decimation of Biblical teachings. One such Baptist leader in Georgia, who is also a United States senator, has repeatedly called for abortion access in each of our 50 states since it is his insistence that the Lord is pro-choice on the matter of feticide.  Another prominent preacher in that same state, celebrated the presence of a pro abortion gubernatorial and thankfully failed candidate, who had visited his church prior to Election Day in 2022. He referred to her as “Governor” and then told his congregation “so you already know what to do…right? How many of you have already done it?” as he strongly implied that she was to be the chosen nominee. 

 The Kingdom cannot continue to play the spiritual version of Hide and Seek. We scream the Name of the Lord at the top of our proverbial lungs for all to see on Sunday and then look to cloak ourselves in secrecy from Him for the remainder of the week as we deliberately negate His Word. We follow those of notoriety who claim a peripheral affiliation with God as we eagerly pursue their values as our own. A particular example pertains to our current leadership. Though the president continues to refer to himself as an observant Catholic, one of the atrocities which he and his administration have strived for, is abortion up to and including the point of birth. A significant segment of the Body of Christ, in response, has not recoiled in horror but has instead expressed exuberance over their platform despite the diabolical agenda. Thus, our willingness to minimize the Gospel to the point of blatant disregard, has depicted us as ineffective and unable to reflect the Savior in our daily lives. 

 There are options available to purify ourselves before Him and as Catholics, we have been blessed with the Sacrament of Reconciliation . Nevertheless our habit is to regard such as a ritual to be utilized primarily to justify our premeditated sin with the erroneous mindset that our slate will be cleansed once again through our weekly endeavor of atonement. While those in other churches emphasize the ability to present themselves directly before the Lord for reparation, without the intermediary of a priest, there is a spurious belief amongst the evangelicals…”once saved always saved”…which in essence negates the mandate for repentance even for prolonged and willful infractions. When matters of transgressions are addressed with them, it is commonplace for the offender to justify their conduct with the immediate proclamation that they are not to be judged since their one-time recitation of the sinners prayer assuaged the need for contrite transformation. 

 Jesus commanded us in Matthew 16:24 that “whoever wishes to come after Me, must deny himself, take up His cross and follow Me.” With this, it is imperative that we, as the Body of Christ, discard our apathy and instead pursue a renewed commitment with the Savior. The brunt of this responsibility is also on our Christian leaders as they must discard their respective agendas of complacency and address the uncomfortable truth of His Word rather than consistent innocuous messages that placate only the soul. To remain in a spiritual platitude of smugness which is bereft of Godly conviction, can only wreak destruction in this life with dire consequences for the one thereafter.