The day the churches stood still

By Rich Sulverski, Op-ed Contributor Tuesday, June 09, 2020

I am under the opinion that the churches in America are dead. Or perhaps lukewarm. Is there any difference?

I recently read a post advocating for churches to resume gathering for services in the United Kingdom. And it seemed that the responses were negative in that “you are putting others at risk for starting up the churches again.” And the “church is not a building but we are the church!” Ok, I get it. In America, church leaders are sending out surveys to see how their congregation feels about meeting again after receiving the green light from our president.

Some online virtual church services are very good at entertaining. But wait until Facebook, Google Hangouts, and YouTube take away video services from the churches. The online virtual services are so slick that I can now eat my breakfast in my rocking chair and not have to travel anywhere! But wait until we get a new president that will agree and support social media censorship and then all that work creating those slick online services will be put on the shelf with no means to get their product out to the congregation. 

Some churches have their own websites but they don’t have the bandwidth for everyone to watch simultaneously or the money to expand their servers so people can watch without interruption. It’s much easier to get it free from social media platforms and have them care for the logistics while capturing your every move. Or perhaps find another band-aid cure and pay $15 a month for Zoom or some other product that allows maybe 100 people to video conference?

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Let’s face it, many churches try to preach the gospel without mentioning sin or mentioning hell. They mention the goodness of Jesus but rarely mention His judgments. Have you heard of a sermon lately saying it’s wrong to abort a baby? How about homosexuality? Some on divorce maybe, but if sin is mentioned specifically, many in the congregation might eliminate financial support. Don’t want to offend anyone out there, do we? 

Another local church didn’t have the backbone to meet so they said volunteers are needed to hold vacation bible school this summer in homes instead of in the building.  Afraid of lawsuits maybe? California has many churches bucking the trend but don’t hold your breath. Maybe the smaller congregations will gather without restrictions but the large churches will have new policies in place to make you feel like you’re in some prison. 

Another church requires you to register for tickets to get into the building to maintain social distancing. And some churches are taking advantage of the drive-thru prayer.  Instead of expecting a hot dog, expect some blessings with your windows shut in a sealed environment, masks and displaying a big smile. The offering basket will be there just before you exit the church facilities for sure.

And the radical left loves all this confusion and hysteria. They take control because fear drives people into obedience of irrational police state decrees. 

We are in a day when love grows cold, as Matthew 24:12 warns: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

The virtual contact-less church is available online in your neighborhood, just have your credit card available. 

Will churches gather again? Maybe, but don’t hold your breath without a mask on while breathing your own carbon dioxide. The new norm is to accept the brainwashed news media point of view. The separation of church and state is now a concept of the past, it’s state controlling the church. Wake up church!