When churches become so focused on attracting the world that they forget to strengthen the saints…
I recently came across a video on YouTube called “Why I Still Reject Popular Christianity,” and I wanted to share it because it expresses something I’ve been thinking about for a while when it comes to seeker churches, popular megachurches, and modern-day evangelism.
I don’t plan on saying a whole lot in this essay. I mostly want to highlight the video and explain why I agree with so much of what it says.
But I do think this subject touches on a larger issue that many Christians are noticing, especially when we talk about why so many men seem disconnected from modern church culture.
There has been a lot of discussion about why women make up the majority of many churches while men are either absent, disengaged, or simply uninterested.
I’m not going to make that the main focus here, but I do think part of the reason is that many churches have leaned so heavily into the softer, cozier messages of Christianity that they have lost the seriousness, conviction, and spiritual challenge that many believers are actually looking for.
And to be clear, I am not saying those comforting messages are wrong. God’s love matters. Grace matters. Mercy matters. Encouragement matters. People should be welcomed into the church. New believers should not feel like they need to have everything figured out before they walk through the door.
But at the same time, Christianity is not just about comfort. It is not just about feeling accepted. It is not just about hearing that God loves you and has a purpose for your life.
Christianity also requires repentance, obedience, self-denial, sacrifice, and a willingness to choose Christ over the world.
That is where I think a lot of modern churches have gone wrong.
Many churches today seem more concerned with appealing to people who are not Christians than strengthening the people who already are. They are so focused on making Christianity sound inviting to outsiders that they often avoid the parts of Christianity that actually separate us from the world.
They will talk about love, kindness, acceptance, belonging, and purpose, but they often get quiet when it comes to the teachings that conflict with modern secular values.
They do not want to talk about male headship. They do not want to talk about gender roles. They do not want to talk about sexual immorality, adultery, homosexuality, modesty, obedience, repentance, or denying yourself.
They do not want to talk about the fact that following Christ may cost you friendships, relationships, status, money, opportunities, or comfort.
But Jesus did not tell people to follow Him because it would make their lives easier. He said that if anyone wanted to follow Him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him.
That part cannot be removed from the message.
Overlooks the Suffering Christians –
The problem with prioritizing seekers and non-believers over committed Christians is that it can become very dismissive of the Christians who have actually sacrificed something for their faith. (Romans 5: 1-5)
There are Christians who are suffering, resisting temptation, turning away from things they want, and trying to remain faithful in a world that constantly encourages them to compromise. And when those Christians go to church, they are often looking for strength. They are looking for spiritual encouragement.
They are looking for someone to remind them that their suffering is not meaningless and that their sacrifices are not in vain.
There is a scripture in Romans 5 that talks about glorying in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.
That kind of message matters. Christians need to be reminded that suffering for Christ has purpose. We need to be reminded that obedience is worth it, even when it hurts. We need to be reminded that choosing God over the world is not foolishness, even when the world treats it like it is.
But when churches only focus on the soft and cushy parts of Christianity, it can make the Christians who are actually trying to live this out feel overlooked. It can feel like all the attention is going toward people who are new to the faith, barely interested in the faith, or not in the faith at all, while the people who are already carrying their cross are expected to sit quietly and be satisfied with shallow encouragement.
That is frustrating.
Because if someone is trying to live as a Christian, they need more than a message that sounds good to people who barely know Scripture. They need depth. They need truth. They need correction. They need exhortation. They need the church to acknowledge that following Christ is hard and that the world will constantly pressure them to turn back.
This is one reason I have become so discerning about churches. I have read the entire Bible from cover to cover by myself twice. I am not saying that to boast. I am saying that because when you have actually read Scripture for yourself, it becomes much harder to sit in certain churches and ignore what is missing.
You start to notice when a church talks endlessly about grace but avoids repentance. You notice when they talk about love but avoid holiness. You notice when they preach purpose but avoid obedience. You notice when they talk about community but avoid separation from the world. You notice when they are eager to make people feel welcomed but hesitant to tell them what God actually expects from them.
And that creates skepticism.
Avoiding the Harsh Truths Creates Skepticism –
For me personally, I have been thinking seriously about finding a church home.
I want to be baptized again. I want to belong to a church community. I want to find a place where my wife and I can one day raise our future children. But I am also very cautious because I do not want to join a church that seems more interested in appealing to people than obeying God.
For example, the church I attend right now sometimes has women on stage serving and delivering the main message in a way that resembles pastoral teaching, and I disagree with that. I know that is not a popular position in modern culture, and even many churches would probably see that as outdated or offensive. But again, that is the point. I am not looking for a church that is trying to impress modern culture. I am looking for a church that is trying to be faithful to Scripture.
I want a church that is Bible-oriented. I want a church where you can tell the leadership cares more about what is good in God’s eyes than what is appealing to human beings. I want a church that is willing to preach the whole truth, not just the parts that make people nod along comfortably.
And when churches do not do that, it makes Christians like me distrust them.
That distrust may not always be fair. I understand that some churches genuinely believe they are trying to reach the lost. They may think they are making the Gospel more accessible. They may tell themselves that if they can just get people in the door, then eventually those people will grow deeper in the faith.
But from the perspective of Christians who are already serious about Scripture, it can look very different. It can look like compromise. It can look like worldliness. And, to be blunt, it can look like the church cares more about money than souls.
Because if a church brings people in, makes them comfortable, gets them involved, collects their giving, but never tells them what God actually calls them to repent from, what is the point?
If people are attending church every week but are never confronted with the truth about sin, repentance, obedience, and holiness, then are they really being discipled? Are they really being led to Christ? Or are they just being comforted while remaining spiritually unchanged?
That is the concern.
Modern churches may say they are trying to save people, but saving people requires telling them the truth. You cannot truly evangelize someone while avoiding the very truths they need to hear. You cannot preach Christ while hiding the cost of following Him. You cannot make disciples by only giving people the parts of Christianity that sound good to modern ears.
At some point, the church has to decide what it is actually trying to do.
Is it trying to attract crowds, or is it trying to make disciples?
Is it trying to build a brand, or is it trying to build faithful Christians?
Is it trying to appeal to the world, or is it trying to prepare believers to endure the world?
Because those are not always the same mission.
That is why I appreciated the video. It gives voice to a frustration that many Christians have with popular Christianity. It is not that we are against compassion. It is not that we are against evangelism. It is not that we are against new believers being welcomed with patience and love.
The issue is that Christianity cannot be reduced to comfort, acceptance, and inspiration. The church cannot become so seeker-friendly that it becomes truth-avoidant. And Christians who are already sacrificing for the faith should not have to feel like the church is embarrassed by the very doctrines they are trying to obey.
Yes, welcome seekers. Yes, preach grace. Yes, be patient with people who are new to the faith. But do not neglect the Christians who are already carrying their cross. Do not water down repentance. Do not hide the hard teachings of Scripture. Do not act like the most loving thing a church can do is avoid offending people.
Sometimes love tells the truth.
Sometimes love warns.
Sometimes love corrects.
Sometimes love reminds people that Christ did not call us to be comfortable. He called us to be faithful.
And if popular Christianity keeps avoiding that, then it should not be surprised when serious Christians begin to reject it.
Stage In The Sky 