Preach It Laid-Back, Mellow, Lukewarm…..

"But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effective is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing... Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one."
‐Screwtape (C.S. Lewis)

A.W. Tozer

“Unannounced and mostly undetected there has come in modern times a new cross into popular evangelical circles. It is like the old cross, but different: the likenesses are superficial; the differences, fundamental…..“The new cross is not opposed to the human race; rather, it is a friendly pal and, if understood aright, it is the source of oceans of good clean fun and innocent enjoyment. It lets Adam live without interference. His life motivation is unchanged; he still lives for his own pleasure....[it] encourages a new and entirely different evangelistic approach. The evangelist... preaches not contrasts but similarities. He seeks to key into public interest by showing that Christianity makes no unpleasant demands; rather, it offers the same thing the world does, only on a higher level...... it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect....”
—A.W. Tozer

Preach It Laid-Back, Mellow, Lukewarm…..

Preach it, brother!....Make ‘em happy.
Scratch those ever-itching ears!
Amplify the Broadway Message…
Yes, let’s make it crystal clear!

Let’s accommodate the cross now
To this world we’re here to build.
Come!... Let’s celebrate the darkness
So we all can feel fulfilled.

Let’s pretend the gospel’s friendly
To the flesh and what it craves.
Yes, let’s make believe it’s pleasant…
And then make believe it “saves”.

Keep it ‘laid back’, mellow, lukewarm
Preach it Buddy-Buddy, man…
Smiley-Faced and Self-affirming,
Life-enhancing on demand.

Share it “soft “…more like a pillow
So that feelings won’t be hurt.
Keep it lite and inoffensive…
Pleasing, cordial, and inert.

Stay away from words like “Holy”….
Just caress to show you care.
Keep that “Grace-Thing” easy- breezy
In this kingdom of the air.

Never mention “condemnation”…
(And I’d stay away from “sin”!)
Emphasize “The Therapeutic”…
And then watch the crowds pour in!

Keep it upbeat, bright and cheery,
Keep it jolly…make it nice!
Push the pastel-sugar feelings…
Pull the bloody sacrifice.

Father, please have mercy on us…
Sinners blind…We want to see!
Take us back, Lord, to the Old Cross…
Take us back to Calvary.

"The problem with America today is not America, it's the church. We have become very shallow as Christians. Very shallow. We have become masters at engineering feelings without much thought."
—Ravi Zacharias (excerpted from a video)