Self help is big business. Everywhere you look, there's people, books, seminars, websites or dvds teaching you how to achieve your financial success, reach your potential, be happy, win friends and influence people, and the list goes on. The movies, songs and media also reinforce that idea of self fulfillment. We're persuaded to think that we are invincible, that we can achieve anything and dreams that we put our minds to. Like this song from the Disney movie Prince of Egypt,
"...There can be miracles, when you believe
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe"
And so we believe in our abilities, our intelligence, our will and our own infallibility. This mindset encouraged by the world we're surrounded by each day is slowly creeping into our churches today. Going to church is like going to Bunnings or watching a DIY program to find the missing pieces and the tips for the project of 'me'. It's as if the church has become a centre for self help. 7 ways to handle conflict, 3 steps to spiritual contentment, 5 methods to unlock your potential... If you have a problem, the church has the solution. And often it's practical and doesn't conflict with our lifestyle, only improves it.
Ok, an example. In the book excerpt of Bobbie Houston's
I'll have what she's having, it uses Diana and Mother Theresa as examples to encourage us that "
We too can take whatever is in our hand, and believe for it to bring healing to others". Very well. Except that it's God who heals, not us. How about "Imagine a friend in need, and your immediate response being, "I HAVE THE ANSWER!" How awesome would that be?" It would be awesome to be so resourceful, but would also kill our need for God and make us
God to others, if you know what I mean.
Churches are turning into inspirational self help gatherings. We go there for motivational speeches to heighten our emotions and lift our spirit. We judge it by whether we come away feeling good and positive and having our needs met. Rarely are we confronted and challenged with the bad, ugly and reality. A lot to tackle the problems we
have, but not the problems
in us.
To me, they seem awfully similar to the '
Secret' for positive thinking and the law of attraction. Ophrah says, "You can really change your reality based on what you think." You can see how she blends God and self help together in her interview with Larry King.
Another example is successful programs, courses and methods that spread like fire and are being used by other churches who are seeking the same success. Churches can easily slip into self sufficiency and human reliance, creating our own reality rather than submitting to God's plan. That's the difference between self and God reliant.
I feel that in our modern churches today, the fear of God's disappearing, the hunger for His word's diminishing and the desire for holiness got pushed aside. Churches no longer hold the attraction or the power in our world today not because it doesn't have anything to offer, but that the same offerings can easily be found somewhere else.
