I have great adventures when I drive my wife’s car when her radio dial is set to a local Christian radio station. For about twenty-five years, I listened to pretty much nothing but Christian radio and Christian music, but I branched out to all forms of music and radio a few years ago.

Today someone plugging a program was talking about how people are leaving the church in droves according to a recent Barna study and he equated it with “leaving the faith experientially.” I started fuming when I thought about the asinine arrogance of that statement which presumed that God’s working is confined to the institutional church, the people who left have it all wrong, and our greatest concern is to perpetuate the institutional church, rather than love (and listen to) people as Jesus did.

Also, I had flashbacks to a job interview I had that went nowhere, literally because I did not have a church name to put under my name on the organization’s stationary. The director who interviewed me let me know that a house church would not do. He also told me about a time that he “turned his back on the church.” It rubbed me the wrong way and I think it was very dishonoring to Christ since I have given my life to the church and love it more today than ever. He never bothered to ask what my thoughts really were, but that didn’t stop him from developing his opinion. It drive me nuts when the church gets exclusive and shuts out people while thinking they are being godly!

Then came a plug for a program that will help prepare you for your church worship service. It struck me funny that we need a pregame show for our weekly worship experience. It seemed like a show to prepare one for the next show.

Then came a plug for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie. The morning show was giving away tickets for a 12:01AM showing on opening day. I suspect it will be a really good movie, but what amazes me is how the Christian marketing machine works. If something is branded Christian and marketed to churches through their pastors, they promote the heck out of it. If it is an important or virtuous movie or book that doesn’t fit the Christian marketing machine mold, it is ignored… or feared.

Then came a plug for the station itself. A lady said that her husband used to listen to other stations, but now he just listens to said station and quit listening to that other “garbage”. Give me a break!

I got all of this “information” in about fifteen minutes of listening. Christian radio is not the problem. It merely reflects the Christian subculture, which is a problem. Too often, the good news about Jesus is overshadowed with the bad news about his church unwittingly propagated by those who are too immersed in it to understand how people outside the club perceive them. The beauty of the kingdom is too often marred by the exclusive attitude of her subjects.

I wonder why (not really) people are leaving the church in droves and why people think that Christians come across as holier than thou, but most of all I wonder why Christians don’t seem to care or, at least, get a clue.