A friend of mine sent me a post from a guy named Hemant who is an atheist. Hemant is in the process of visiting various churches and detailing his experience. He has zero church background and is pretty brutally honest.
At the least, his visit to this church in Chicago is an interesting read. I think it is important to see things every so often from an outside perspective. The big thing I noticed from this guy's experience this past weekend is that nothing seemed to impact his heart or really get his attention.
I have worked with atheists in the past, seeking to help them if they wanted help in their journey. My experience is that most are never satisfied with answers. I have concluded that unbelief is not so much a mental problem, as a problem of the will.
They choose not to believe.
Only the Holy Spirit can awaken and draw a person. Hope this blog entry sheds some light for you on people you may know like this.....
Grace, PB
Park Community Church
I went to Park Community Church near Lincoln Park in Chicago. And on a Sunday morning! 
PCC is a non-denominational, ethnically diverse, age diverse (Lots of babies), Christian church… which has a home at a Chicago elementary school. (I know the church pays rent to the school in exchange for the space, but that relationship freaks me out in a church-state separation sorta way…)
To summarize the service: A band played while we entered, a skit was performed leading into the sermon, the sermon was delivered, and we sang some more......
– The program mentioned PCC’s new building, which is not quite finished. In regards to the parking situation, it read: “…pray that God [will allow parking] for 1,200 people, rather than the 850 currently permitted.” Really? That’s what you’re praying for? Do they think a god will change parking restrictions? Will a god change the price of nearby property? Will a god add another level to a parking structure? Can the churchgoers ever do work just on their own? I sound bitter. But there are plenty of things I can think of that could warrant asking for a god’s help. Parking– even to bring in more church members– is not one of them.
– The auditorium of the school had a setup with a stage and movie screens on either side. (For those keeping track, the screens looked smaller than the TVs at Willow Creek.) I was impressed they were able to do so much within an elementary school, though. Also for those who are curious, PCC’s weekly income (by my calculations) is ~$45,477.50, at least for the past month. Which is about 1/10 of what Willow Creek takes in during the same time.
– The introduction skit was a bit cheesy for my tastes, but the teens’ message was clear: Faith + Christ = Salvation. In other words, if one has Faith in god and belief in Christ, the person will be set for (after)life. Which leads me to the pastor’s sermon…
– I’m paraphrasing, but the pastor began by saying “We’ll talk about a piece of the gospel that will glorify Jesus.” First, I’m wondering whom that was directed to. It seemed to me everyone else was already a believer, in which case, they would already glorify Jesus. It would seem more important to me, if I were a believer, to hear about the story of Christ from a new angle or hear how a Biblical message is relevant to me. I only heard further explanation of why Christ is the son of god, which would seems redundant to me, if I were a believer.
– A bit of a rant on the sermon. The sermon I listened to today focused on one chapter in Galatians (3:1-14). I can summarize it quickly: “The Galatians are fools for not believing in the divinity of Christ, and Faith is more important than any man-made laws.” Yet, somehow, explaining this took nearly an hour. I understand wanting to gain more meaning from passages of a book you read. But I learned nothing new from listening to this sermon. It was just repeating the fact that people were foolish for doubting Christ. Which I don’t think anyone in the building had a problem with in the first place. It just seemed like a wasted opportunity to reach people with a message we could all take home. I don’t think I heard anything worth taking back.....
– On the same note, I don’t understand the lyrics of the songs sung by the band. They were saying we should glorify god. And Jesus will lead the way. Something like that. Again, who is the intended audience? It wasn’t me (this wasn’t a “seeker service”). So, isn’t everyone already on the same page? And if so, why not sing about how our life *is*, instead of how life would be if god were in it?
(Yes, I understand there are songs that do this already. But they weren’t sung this morning.)
For what it’s worth, Atheists don’t do music well at all. There are a few talented individuals, sure, but as a whole, the talent isn’t honed. That needs to change…
– The pastor didn’t connect with me. He stood behind the podium, reading his notes. He wasn’t that exciting to watch or listen to. It was very “Bible-oriented” and less about teaching a life-lesson, which I know some people prefer. I was told this was not the “regular” pastor, but still. At least the mega-churches have the speaking thing down.
One other point about speaking. If you’re a good speaker and you want to tell a joke, it needs to be an integral part of the story. Without it, your whole point should fall apart. Today, the pastor’s jokes stood alone, almost as a concerted effort to make an otherwise dull sermon more interesting. It was as if someone read his sermon and said “You should throw some jokes in here.” It didn’t come off as particularly funny or sincere…
– If it sounds like I’m being overly critical of the sermon, I looked around to see others’ reactions. I saw plenty of people picking their ears, looking around, reading the program (which, according to my middle school theater director, is the worst possible thing that could happen during a performance), and having side conversations. And this all happened throughout the sermon.
– They passed around communion to everyone (bread and wine). I didn’t take any, but I always thought that was just a Catholic thing… what’s up with that?
– I saw people writing on their programs. I wondered what they wrote, because I sure wasn’t hearing anything I needed to jot down. There was a lady in front of me who had been writing quite a bit and I thought it’d be funny if she had also attended Willow Creek in the past. Turns out she did. Creepy… But she liked PCC for their small groups, music, and (not surprisingly at this point) for the non-watered-down message. Which boggles my mind. ...
I may have written a lot more than anyone actually wants to read, but if you’ve made it this far, I hope you’re able to share your thoughts.
So, when are we going to do an "Off-the-Map" event?
Posted by: becca | February 22, 2006 at 10:04 PM
Hmmm. I found this sad, thought provoking, helpful and gosh...so many different things. I spent a few hours reading his blogs.... I don't think I know what to think. It was good to read. Makes me want to pray and so I think I will.
Posted by: amanda b. | February 22, 2006 at 03:17 PM
IN OTHER WORDS YOU DID NOT FEEL THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVING MUCH OR IF AT ALL.
Posted by: DebbieB | February 22, 2006 at 03:03 AM