The Chicken Soup for the Soul Gospel

3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

2 Tim 4:3 (NIV)

Remember Chicken Soup for the Soul? They teemed with pith and whit sandwiched between op-ed pieces, urban legends, and heartwarming biographical sketches. They were the ultimate feel good book, what people read before they discovered the "Forward" button on their browser. They are good reading; uplifting, inspirational, sometimes challenging, but they have lousy theology.

Now, someone might say, "But they don't claim to be theological texts!" True, but once you start talking about Heaven and Hell, reincarnation, feeding the poor, war and peace, etc. then like it or not you are doing theology. Furthermore, once you publish your work, you have opened it to scrutiny like putting their child on stage at a recital.

I worked in a Christian bookstore back then and when we began to read them and it wasn't long before we stopped ordering them. In a nutshell they teach that you should be good and when you die fat angel babies will take you to cloud nine where you will play a harp for all time. The American Media Machine spews tons of bad theology every day. If you die with unfinished business you might linger as a ghost until things are set right. You might even get another chance at life to straighten things out if your good and bad deeds are "tied". Maybe we all live in a big computer?

Confused yet? Exactly. It is because the CSFS books, Oprah, Hollywood, and the whole group hug movement have at least one thing in common: terrible theology. And if the root is bad.... Some of it may be defined as searching, but at bottom the world offers false hope, false security. It offers something that cannot be: a hope for happiness and Heaven apart from Christ. To quote Lewis, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." Yet folks want to be affirmed, uplifted, and caressed, they want to feel spiritual. There is a longing in the human heart for God, but not the God of America:

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness , although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these...

2 Tim 3:1-6 (NASB)

On the positive side, Oprah did help me discover the Neti pot. She helps people stop smoking, to lose weight and to have better buns; and gave us Dr. Phil (who I still like, a lot). She feeds the poor and clothes the naked. And to some estimates seems to do a lot more good than many orthodox Christians. So we have lost people doing good works while saved people do nothing. Problem? I think so.

It is abundantly clear that people are longing for God. Someone has to get out there and tell the truth. Whether it is engaging in media or sharing the savior at Starbucks, it has to happen. Someone has to shine light in the darkness. But many Christians don't seem to realize how dark a world they are living in. Furthermore we tend to lap it up thoughtlessly like the next fellow. In the name of tolerance and dialogue Christians have lost their minds and their spines.

So what's a Christian to do? Paul tells us:

1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

2 Tim 4:1-5 (NIV)

Whose ministry? In context it is Timothy's, but in reality it belongs to all of us. And don't think that Paul wants you to only contribute your mouth. The gospel is preached with both the mouth and the hands and feet. Someone has once said, "I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one". Duly noted.

Children beware, counterfeits abound. Christians should be careful what they accept as truth. We tend to take things in with an uncritical mind while at once we have hardened hearts. That friends is the work of the Devil. We are to be about the work of Jesus. The world is hungry, ready, so what are they going to have to eat?