The Danger Of 'Plastic Christianity' When Tragedy Strikes

Today, my hometown of Buffalo, NY was the latest site of a vile mass shooting in this country.

A mere 20-minutes from where I live, lives were taken or forever shattered in minutes.

In the aftermath when emotions a still very fresh and raw, I thought about the "Christian" response to such evil and tragedy even recalling all the times I've written about this subject here in the past.

I also recalled a sermon from Pastor Matt Richard that I just saw the other day that speaks about the danger f what he calls "Plastic Christianity" particularly in the face of tragedy like the one we witnessed today here in Western New York.

SERMON: Plastic Christianity's Failure To Recognize Sorrow And Understand Joy

EXCERPT: "I have to confess that I don't have much patience anymore for what I call Plastic Christianity. You know, the kind of Christianity that isn't real. The kind of Christianity where people pretend that they are happy all the time. The kind of Christianity where you supposedly walk around in the 'victorious life' -- free from sin, sorrow, and pain. Yes, I don’t have much patience for Plastic Christianity because it has ruined way too many people -- emotionally and theologically. Furthermore, I have no patience for it because it is simply not real. It is fake; it makes a mockery of the Christian life. And it ignores the reality of what Jesus talks about in the Gospel of John. In John chapter 16, Jesus says to His disciples -- and to you and me -- that in this life, we will weep and mourn. He states that we will have pain. Such is life in this vale of tears. But Jesus also promises us that our pain will turn to joy. So, this brings up an interesting question: which one is it? Pain or joy? Yes, pain or joy?" 

-- Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard 

[PLEASE LISTEN TO/READ THE REST OF THIS SERMON]

In a Lutheran layman's terms, when tragedy and tears show up on your doorstep, "Plastic Christianity" is not the answer, because even though it means well, it only ends up causing you more pain and suffering.

NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 9 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself. With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!