Rousing music, a heart-stirring message and a feeling of community. It’s a “church” service. But God is neither welcomed nor worshipped. We first heard about these gatherings last year. They’re called ‘Sunday Assemblies,’ but you may know them better as the ‘Atheist Church.’
These Sunday Assemblies began in England, and the idea, according to organizers, is “to take the best parts of ‘church’ and to use those to celebrate life from an atheist or secular perspective.”
Reverend David Paterson, an Angelican vicar, has been preaching for over forty years in the Church of England, without ever believing that God exists. In a British television interview, he said, “I believe in God like I believe in happiness or joy or goodwill or hope or something like that. There is no need to suppose that there is a supernatural being.” And, he added, “Religions tend to get bogged down, especially Christianity, with thinking that they’re all about dogmas and what you believe. But most of the time, it isn’t about that at all. It’s about community and its about love and its about social work and its about ritual and thinking how wonderful the world is.” Yes, he actually said this. He believes it. And this Church of England preacher has been working to set up an Oxford branch of the atheist Sunday Assemblies, something he believes is key to bringing different beliefs together.
Last year, efforts were made to plant many more of these atheist churches here in the United States. They have been well received and they are growing in number. Organizers claim that their goal is not to denigrate or mock the Christian Church, but it often happens. In fact, as one of the founders of the Sunday Assemblies, Pippa Evans toured the US last year in his church planting efforts, he would open his “church” services with the Bon Jovi rock song, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer.” Now, for people who don’t even believe in prayer, if that’s not mocking Christianity, I’m not sure what you would call it. But the atheist congregations loved it; the lyrics projected on a big screen, as the crowds joined in singing, jumping and dancing, waving their hands in the air. This was followed by a stirring, uplifting message of hope, and the congregants left the services feeling very good about themselves, and about life.
These are the “atheist churches,” where no one believes in God. But in cities and towns across the country, you can also find the other extreme: the Unitarian Universalist churches where they believe in and worship MANY gods. According to the Unitarian Universalist website, their members “share a living tradition of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from many sources.”
These many sources include, (quote) “direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures,” “words and deeds of prophetic women and men,” “wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life,” “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves,” “humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit,” and “spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”
Here is another statement, from their website. It says, “We are creating a force more powerful than one person or one religion. By welcoming people who identify with Atheism and Agnosticism, Buddhism, Christianity, Humanism, Judaism, Earth-Centered Traditions, Hinduism, Islam and more, we are embodying a vision ‘beyond belief:’ a vision of peace, love and understanding.”
I took the time to view several of these church services on YouTube. The order of the services varies a bit, but they generally include a reading from some philosopher, either historical or modern; a list of affirmations or good tidings which are said first for one’s self, then for a loved one, then for “someone against whom we have a resentment.” In one example, the affirmations included: “may you be free from danger,” “may you be mentally happy,” “may you be physically happy,” and “may you have ease of well being.” The sermons, also, reflect these ideas of happiness and self actualization. They are about how to stop worrying, how to be all that you can be, how to be prosperous, how you can make your life better, how to be one with nature and be kind to others. They draw from the tenets of many religions, and while they claim they are not antagonistic toward Christianity, in at least two of the videos of their church services I viewed, they openly mocked Jesus Christ and the Bible. In one, the lady minister praised the work of heretic Rob Bell and his book about universal salvation for all.
I observed these two scenarios -- the Atheist Church and the Unitarian Church -- supposedly polar opposites, as one denies the existence of any god, while the other embraces MANY gods. But their services, to me, looked very much the same. It seems their purpose was the same: to instill good feelings in the congregants, to establish a sense of community, to do good works, promote social justice and equality, to be happy and celebrate how wonderful the world is. To promote peace and harmony -- but also to staunchly oppose moral absolutes and belief in one Divine Creator. In the Unitarian church, they state they are open to Judaism and Christianity -- but only and specifically, those teachings that promote God’s love.
So I began wondering, how do these church services compare to the modern American Evangelical church? I must admit, on the surface, they all look very much the same. Of course, the Evangelical Christian churches will proclaim belief in one God, and one Savior, Jesus Christ. But in practice, the content of the church services often has little to do with the God of the Bible, or Jesus Christ, our Lord. Often the music is “me” centered; all but gone are the great hymns of the faith that proclaimed deep and profound biblical doctrine. Today, it seems, in many cases, the best we can do is love songs to God; but they could just as easily be love songs to one’s boyfriend.
If the music seems shallow, it is nothing in comparison to the “sermons” preached today. Like the Atheist Church and the Unitarian Church, many modern Evangelical pastors will focus their messages on topics like loving one’s neighbor, how to have a better marriage, how to be happy, how to be prosperous and healthy, how to be tolerant, inclusive, and forgiving. None of these things are bad in themselves, but if that is as deep as we get, we are missing the whole point.
Christianity, unlike the other religions of the world, and unlike the Atheist Church, is about God - the one and only Creator. It’s about His holiness, it’s about man’s sin and the fact that we are hopelessly lost without the saving sacrifice of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. Church, for the Christian, should be a place to gather for worship. To worship GOD. It is not a place for us to go to feel good about ourselves. One may go to church, participate in worship, and may very well leave with a great sense of joy and well being, having celebrated and reconnected with our Savior, while enjoying the fellowship of other believers. But equally possible, one may go to church and leave with a deep sorrow and conviction, motivation to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.
The point is, it’s not about US. It is about Christ. In many Christian churches today, people no longer even take their Bibles, much less study them on their own during the week. If Scripture is used at all, it is projected on a screen and referred to only briefly. It is rare that you will find a pastor preaching line by line from God’s word. They refer to “sin” as “poor choices,” and the focus seems to be to make people leave feeling happy, optimistic and better about themselves. Again, the focus is inward, praising one’s self, when it should be outward, in worship of God.
I would hope that when you see modern Christian preachers in error, that you will be able to easily spot the error. When Rob Bell preaches his doctrine of universal salvation for all - regardless of one’s repentance or faith in Christ; when Joel Osteen preaches his feel-good message, touting “your best life now,” when Rick Warren and others push for unity between the false religion of Islam and the gospel of Christ, I would hope that you can spot the wolf in sheep’s clothing. In our humanity, these messages may make us feel good. We may even say things like, “MY God would never send anyone to hell or condemn anyone.” And we may very well seek a god more to our liking. But you see, once again, it’s not about US. It’s not about what makes us happy or makes us feel good. Do you want to just feel good or do you want the truth?
Sadly, many prefer to just feel good. I believe they willfully shut their eyes to the truth, preferring the self-pleasing, ear tickling messages of hope, prosperity and happiness to the marvelous depths of truth found in God’s word. Second Timothy 3 speaks of the last days. We read that people will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. We read that they will have “a FORM of godliness, but denying the power thereof.”
I can’t imagine a better description of what we are seeing in many churches today... when the Atheist Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church and many Evangelical Christian churches are preaching the SAME message... my friends, something is terribly wrong.
Mankind was created to worship. He will either worship the one true God of heaven, or he will worship something else. He may even claim to not believe in any higher power at all; but he will still find something to worship, even if it is “science” or “reason” -- or himself.
It is true that in church we find community, and a sense of belonging. Everyone wants that. We all want to be a part of something larger than ourselves. Those who do not go to church at all, still want that. They may seek their sense of community by following a sports team, or by belonging to a club or service organization.
And, we all seek happiness. In our world full of strife, turmoil, and personal challenges, we all want to feel better. Even secular scientific studies show that those who attend church regularly are happier, healthier and more well balanced than those who don’t.
But if ALL we get out of church is a sense of community, the chance to celebrate life and feel better about ourselves, we are REALLY missing the point. We may feel better, but its a mockery. It’s a form of godliness, without the power and presence of God. Second Timothy describes those who practice such religion: “They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
How sad that so many today will claim to be “spiritual,” but not “religious.” What they really mean is that they want a form of godliness, because they have that natural desire to worship -- but they don’t want God -- because God would hold them accountable and call them to repentance. This is what I clearly see in the Atheist Church. This is what I clearly see in the Unitarian Universalist Church. And sadly, this is what I see more and more in the modern American Evangelical Church. A watered-down gospel, a form of godliness but without any power... worship of self, instead of worship of God.
And let me be clear: just as there most certainly IS a God, our Creator, or Redeemer, there is only ONE, and Scripture tells us He is a jealous God. He does not permit us to divide our loyalties and our worship between Himself and a myriad of false gods. He abhors false religions, gods and idols... even when we THINK we are worshipping HIM, but in reality have created a false god to fit our liking. He requires our worship. But He also requires us to know, intimately, Who it is we are worshipping.
In closing, I would ask you, why do YOU go to church? Is it for the fellowship, the community, the sense of belonging? Is it for the fun and games the youth group provides? Is it for the message that gives you a boost every week, sort of like a pep rally? Or are you seeking the deeper things of God, a growing intimacy and knowledge of Him? Do you desire, from the depths of your soul, to know the truth, even though some of it may be difficult or personally challenging? There are many fringe benefits to going to church. But when we ONLY go for the fringe benefits, when we go with wrong motives and a wrong heart, we are not only cheating ourselves; we are, in fact, mocking God. May that never be the case, and may those of us who are a part of this last-days remnant, remain faithful to the end, even as we grieve along with our Lord over those who choose to deny the truth.
