By Dennie Quill, ContributorMY UPBRINGING in rural Jamaica meant that every week I had to attend church. It was the norm for most young people. It was like a social event, going to church. We did not resent this weekly routine. Back then the community protected the church and there was no need to protect amplifiers and other equipment in steel envelopes. The way I live my life today has much to do with the principles I learnt as a child - in church, at school and at home. As an adult you know you ought not to lie or steal or kill etc. And when you do, you ask God's forgiveness. You truly believe that God is everywhere and that He sees all and knows all.
Things have changed dramatically and in the 21st century it is patently obvious that God is not nearly as popular as He used to be. And some wonder whether He is asleep when they see evil deeds being carried out on the weak and vulnerable. It so happens that these thoughts have been exercising my mind even as the simmering debate over homosexuality and religion has reached boiling point with the confirmation of a gay bishop by the Episcopal Church in America.
With age comes tolerance. I am speaking from experience because the older I get the more I am able to deal with differing views and lifestyles. Of course if the members of Bishop Robinson's congregation find it hard to swallow his lifestyle then they have a choice. They can leave the church and practise their faith elsewhere. But let me not stray from the subject.
REMINDED
I was thinking about the way it used to be and I am reminded of a story told by the principal of one of the island's successful high schools. He was chiding his students about their careless attitude and likened them to the foolish virgins. As he told the story, at the mention of virgins, the boys perked up and all eyes were trained on him. It suddenly dawned on him that they were expecting something titillating. Only one boy in the class had heard the biblical vignette about the virgins. In my generation most students would have heard that parable and understood the broad implications.
It is not unusual to see half-empty churches on worship days. And the majority of the congregation is made up of senior citizens. If you ask me, it's an awful waste of resources for these magnificent buildings to be locked up for most of the week then come Saturday or Sunday, a handful of worshippers are present for a few hours. Thankfully there are some notable exceptions. Some churches - many of them the Evangelicals - are blessed with overflow congregations week after week. And usually these are the churches that open their doors to the community for skills training, day-care and after-school activities. Here the leadership of the church is demonstrating that it cares more about the community than the church building.
No one has told me this. However, I feel there is a strong correlation between the support received by churches and the efforts at reaching out to the members of their community. I know a Christian family of five. When the three children were youngsters they were at Sunday school every week. Now they are all grown up and although they are still living at home, each week they pass up the opportunity to attend church.
Curious as to the reason for this round rejection of what used to be a way of life, I asked the 20-year-old university student why he didn't attend church anymore. He replied: "I hate to be religious on demand." What did he mean? He wanted to feel motivated to attend service. He did not want to feel obliged to attend church because his parents wanted him. Then he went on to explain that the last time he was in church, there was a lot of yawning going on and quite a few people slept through the message.
TYPICAL
I believe this young man is typical of his peers. They can think of more exciting ways to spend a Sunday morning. It seems therefore that the churches face a huge challenge. The reality is that the church now has to compete with television, cable, the Internet and a host of other leisure activities. And as more and more church leaders show their human side, their credibility is eroded. So church leaders need to package their message in the same way a marketer targets his audience. The message has to have mass appeal too, so it seems there is much work to be done.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist.
