How would it affect our faith if there were no Christian subculture?
When I was a kid, if you wanted a Bible, you could get a cheap version at the five and dime, or with greenstamps, or get a pricey leather version at the local bookstore. Choices were limited: only the bookstore was likely to have an RSV. The others would give you the choice of Catholic or Protestant (one version of each.) You could choose red letter or not, zipper or not, and white or black binding. You made your choice and used it til it fell apart.
When a church bought hymnals, that covered their music until they too fell apart.
Folks in our area tended to choose a church based on doctrine taught.
I sometimes wonder how much of what we "know" today is actually stuff advertized to us by Madison Avenue. (From puff Graham on.)
I wonder what will be the next big thing when MacArthur, Warren, Lucado, Meyers, Jakes, Olsteen, etc no longer sell? (Some of us remember when Ryrie, Stanley, and Swindoll were the next big thing.)
I wonder if it is intentional today that most of the new music is non theological so it can appeal to a greater range from more denominations and therefore make more money.
I wonder what would happen if this whole buy/sell marketplace version of Christianity disappeared.
What do you think? Would that be good or bad, and why?
When I was a kid, if you wanted a Bible, you could get a cheap version at the five and dime, or with greenstamps, or get a pricey leather version at the local bookstore. Choices were limited: only the bookstore was likely to have an RSV. The others would give you the choice of Catholic or Protestant (one version of each.) You could choose red letter or not, zipper or not, and white or black binding. You made your choice and used it til it fell apart.
When a church bought hymnals, that covered their music until they too fell apart.
Folks in our area tended to choose a church based on doctrine taught.
I sometimes wonder how much of what we "know" today is actually stuff advertized to us by Madison Avenue. (From puff Graham on.)
I wonder what will be the next big thing when MacArthur, Warren, Lucado, Meyers, Jakes, Olsteen, etc no longer sell? (Some of us remember when Ryrie, Stanley, and Swindoll were the next big thing.)
I wonder if it is intentional today that most of the new music is non theological so it can appeal to a greater range from more denominations and therefore make more money.
I wonder what would happen if this whole buy/sell marketplace version of Christianity disappeared.
What do you think? Would that be good or bad, and why?
