Infantile Spirituality

“As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything's going your way?” (1 Corinthians 3:3 MSG)

Spirituality that is consumer friendly is easier to sell. We are naturally drawn to feel-good religious services and ministries that make us look important. We seek self-improvement and self-promotion. As long as everything is going our way, we keep returning for more.

“The church that can't worship, must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship, must provide the entertainment. That is why we have the great evangelical heresy here today--the heresy of religious entertainment!” (A.W. Tozer)

Churches have tapped into the business model of giving consumers what they want. In turn, parishioners support churches financially, leading to the growth of these organizations--but not necessarily the spiritual growth of their members. This is how we end up with megachurches that peddle infantile spirituality. They know how to cater to their customers--provide them with social groups of like-minded people and entertain them with a show every week.

Mature spirituality, on the other hand, doesn’t always feel good. Everything doesn’t always go our way. This level of faith is influenced more by our spiritual needs rather than by peer pressure, physical desires, materialism, or worldly priorities. Ministers seek to serve rather than be recognized. This is not consumer-friendly. The focus on spiritual growth outweighs publicity, fundraising, and adding new members. God is worshipped; self is not.