Willow Creek Community Church

[The Czech Republic 0]

For the uninitiated, Willow Creek Community Church is a thing that creeps me out.

 

Maybe you know of it, maybe you don't. If you're a religious student formal or casual you may have done some reading on it or similar models. If you're from greater Chicago, you're certainly aware.

 

In a nutshell, it's basically as casual and commercial as Christianity can be. Closed-circuit TVs in the lobbies, coffee shops, stores selling sermons, and giant auditoriums for the congregation of thousands. It's mall-culture Jesus, conveniently about 10 minutes north of Woodfield. Willow Creek: even the name says, "is that a mall?"

 

http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/superch.html

A good article that explains anything better than I can.

[Nighthawk 0]

I'm familiar with it. I could go on for ages about the church growth movement, but I'd bore everyone except Spiderpoet to tears. In a nutshell: It's bad, whether from a religious or secular standpoint.

 

Willow Creek is not the worst example, though they're pioneers. The ideals they've presented have inviltrated virtually all of mainstream Protestantism. For you areligious folks, try going to a few local churches sometime, or a Christian paraphenilia store. You will be wondrously entertained. I went into a shop once and found a shirt with a black metal looking picture of Jesus with the caption "Born to Die". I bought it on the spot.

[Art Sandusky 0]

That shirt actually sounds cool as hell.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

 

this?

[The Czech Republic 0]

I'm familiar with it. I could go on for ages about the church growth movement, but I'd bore everyone except Spiderpoet to tears. In a nutshell: It's bad, whether from a religious or secular standpoint.

Yeah, I can't stand dumbing down the Bible to the most simple vernacular. I still have the King James Version, and these guys are like "So Moses says 'alright guys, can I have your attention for a sec? Guys? Guys? Yeah, up here. Okay thanks. I just got done talking to God and he gave me this list he wanted me to read off for you guys. Now they're written in stone, so I think he's pretty confident that this is what he wanted to say."

 

And it doesn't even LOOK like a church. It's a cross between a doctor's office, junior college, and clubhouse at a golf course. It's way back off of Barrington Rd., where there are acres of parking lots with men in suits directing the heavy traffic. Ironically, the parking facilitators are the best dressed people on the grounds, because Sunday best can just be a t-shirt and shorts in June.

 

I just think it's weird.

[Nighthawk 0]

This is the shirt:

 

[Guest SP-1]

Heh.

 

I've never heard the teaching of Willow Creek, that I can recall at least. It sounds familiar though so I might be wrong on that.

 

Personally, I'm a bigger fan of the house church kind of model. But then I'm a proponent of the biblical, intimate church ideal. The mega-church in itself isn't bad but I'm weary of where they go . . .

[MrRant 0]

This is the shirt:

 

That looks like a Vlad the Impaler a bit....

[Nighthawk 0]

Lee Strobel used to be the preacher at Willow Creek. I'm pretty sure you know who he is, SP, seeing as you recommended his book, which I did read, by the way (both of them). I wasn't too impressed, but they were good for the casual fan.

[Nighthawk 0]

Oh yeah, while looking for that picture, I also ran across this one:

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

hysterical

[Guest SP-1]

Lee Strobel used to be the preacher at Willow Creek. I'm pretty sure you know who he is, SP, seeing as you recommended his book, which I did read, by the way (both of them). I wasn't too impressed, but they were good for the casual fan.

If it's that kind of logical investigation then I probably wouldn't have too big a problem. But if the Pastor is different now then it could have completely changed. Strobel's got a good, investigative head on his shoulders. "Case for Christ" began when he was an atheist and by the time it came to send it to press he'd become a Christian based on the information he had uncovered in his investigation.

 

I haven't read "Case for Faith" yet. One day. Probably after school . . .