Church Zombies

By Rev. David Wilson Rogers |  June 1, 2014

         Zombies are somewhat popular in much of our modern pop culture these days. These mythical creatures are generally described as the living dead—people who are no longer living, but have not really died.  Amid much of the cultural folklore surrounding zombies is the concept of a zombie apocalypse. This is loosely defined as a time when zombies will cause the collapse of human society as we know it. It is the stuff of great fiction, Hollywood movies, and fabulous internet lore. It may also be just a little too close to reality!
         The concept of zombies includes belief that vast majorities of the population are wandering aimlessly in a lifeless daze, virtually asleep, but not fully dead. Alive, but unconnected, physically present, but not really feeling, zombies go through the motions of their dismal existence looking mainly to create more zombies just like themselves.
A reality of zombies is that they lack any genuine sense of empathy—no sense of seeing the world beyond their own immediate needs or the compelling desire to designate more like-minded (shall I say mindless) zombies into the hoard of automatons into the fold.
Consider the Christian who uses religion to ignore the pain around her by immersing herself in mindless praise of God’s greatness and gratitude for all God has given her. Or, perhaps the Christian who sits quietly in prayer and tells God in the tranquility of his silent thoughts to do something about the problems facing the world. Then there is the unrepentant sinner who simply runs to the altar for forgiveness every time sin makes life unbearable, only to return to the chosen dens on iniquity once the conscience is absolved of guilt. An let us not forget the faithful churchgoer who is ardent about making sure the rituals are perfect and the worship flawlessly designed to meet everyone’s needs, and looks perfect every Sunday morning, but thinks nothing of neighbor, the orphan, widow, sojourner, or beggar on the street.
Are zombies real? In the Hollywood sense, probably not. Yet, as people commissioned to bring the love and grace of Christ into the world, as long as we are content to live out that commission only by keeping faith a private, spiritual, and religious expression confined to the four walls of a sanctuary for an hour on Sunday morning, we may be more like zombies than we would like to admit.
Christ died that we may have life, and have it abundantly! How are you living for Christ?  
        —Dave
 

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