I’m going to post a short series here that I feel might be incendiary. Ha! It’s not my jam to start fires, but this old world is beginning to smoke, and Hell will be a heck of a lot hotter. I’m taking Jesus at his word and trying to lose my life in hopes that I might find it.
Really, though, it has become clear to me over the last couple years, as I’ve been studying the prophets of the Old Testament, that our job as Jesus followers is to sing loud the song of repentance which leads to life. This particular song is growing faint, increasingly drowned out by louder voices.
We are not unlike the Israelites who strayed from God. We are not unlike people who need to be washed and redeemed.
I have finally read Rachel Hollis, dusted the dirt off my to-be-read list. I have not read any articles Christians have written about her, but I did read her books for myself to see what the great huzzah was about. I don’t want to chew people up and spit them out. I don’t think our right to speak should ever condemn people to the grave. I want to give everyone their turn to speak. Rachel Hollis doesn’t have any groundbreaking message–simply put, she’s a girlfriend-type encourager who preaches that only you have the power to change your life. It sounds pretty good, actually. It’s sort of tame and sort of true. But it’s a couple degrees off the straight and narrow path, which also happens to be the direction the American church is going.
Jesus once said something very seriously to his disciples:
“Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.” (Luke 17:1-3)
I hate it. I hate this confirmation from Jesus that there are tricky little sneaks who lead people astray. Now, we know what’s in store for them, but we also know what’s in store for us if we follow them. We’ll also end up at the bottom of the sea. This is something that has to be addressed–we have to address these faulty messages.
Watch yourselves, Jesus said.
Hosea was a prophet God used to send Israel a message. He said,
“The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand.
Let Israel know this.
Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great, the prophet is considered a fool, the inspired man a maniac.”
Hosea 9:7
The person who speaks the truth–a maniac. Well, that doesn’t sound popular. And I guess I’m not aiming to be, either, but someone has to keep speaking up.
So maybe I’m not starting a fire after all. Maybe I’m just trying to rescue a few people from it.
Snatch others from the fire and save them.
Jude 1:23
Lies from Rachel Hollis and the Modern American Church:
LIE #1. Jesus can be something other than center in a Christian’s life.
Rachel Hollis has built an empire on the idea that as good people who deserve more, we ought to be crushing it. Want a better life? Follow her ten easy steps. Have a goal? Rach has patented a “life changing” formula for meeting them.
As encouragement along the way, Hollis, bereft of even the slightest hint of tongue in cheek, urges readers to not compare “your beginning to my middle.” This is absurd if we look at her statement–clearly she must think she is God to state she is all-knowing, successful, and plainly in the dead center of her ambitions. I’m sure she will let us know when world domination is near. The rest of us can only hope our “beginning” someday amounts to more.
Sadly, this is a parallel image of where the American church is headed. The act of being satisfied within one’s own pursuit indicates we have left Jesus entirely out of the picture.
In my experience of moving, observing churches, and talking with people, Jesus is no longer center in most of our worship. We segregate the congregation and defend our actions by saying we’re “meeting people where they are”–when Jesus was very clear about the mission for his followers, and not once did He mention making the Gospel more palatable for the picky eaters. Jesus said, quite frankly, that your old ways, your old self, must die first, and then a new creation will sprout. Doesn’t have the most affirming ring to it, does it?
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church he says, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:3-4
Our churches would be more effective, sincere, and smaller if we kicked this sort of junk out of our doors, but instead we welcome it in and greedily add up the numbers as church attendance. We love a good hipster preacher, a Rachel Hollis, that pumps up the energetic music and makes us feel like we’ve experienced something awesome.
We don’t want Jesus.
LIE #2. Prosperity doesn’t blind us.
We as Americans live in the land the rest of the world views as Possible. Because we were initially founded on this idea that individuals are made in God’s image and therefore ought to pursue worship as we see fit, we were birthed a nation clearly blessed by our Creator. The freedoms we enjoy are directly correlated to men and women sacrificing their lives for a greater good. But most of us have forgotten we stand on blood-soaked soil. It’s incredible we don’t see the blood on our shoes, but this is the sneaky side of wealth and prosperity. We think we’ve done it all ourselves–we have Rachel Hollis’ed ourselves into a dreamworld where all our deepest desires are realized if we just make an “idea soup” and knock out one goal at a time. We pursue self-actualization as if it is the meaning of life. We’ve become absolutely blinded to our one true need for a savior.
We are a sorry lot. Rachel Hollis plasters her face all over social media, the giddy, radiant smile her perfect proof of success. She eagerly marks her followers on Instagram with big golden balloons and office parties–the natural man or woman thinks if a crowd is following them, then they must be doing something right.
Taking it one step further, many Christians balk at the idea of their church representing prosperity-centered Gospel. But I’ll venture to say if your tithe money in any way affords your church a Sunday morning coffee bar, leather couches, big screens, snacks, childcare, a paid praise team–if in anyway you are receiving the greater benefit of your offering–you are blinded by this very prosperity Gospel. Your need for attention trumps your need for Jesus.
It is curious that we can do things in Christ’s name while pushing Him off the stage. (Francis Shaeffer, No Little People, pg. 146, c.1974)
LIE #3. You can be near to God simply by giving Him credit for your success.
This might be the sneakiest, scariest lie of them all. Who hasn’t felt their heart swell with admiration at the professional sports player who sinks a three pointer or scores a touchdown and then points up to heaven in an all gracious, thank-you-Lord nod? American Christians love it when they detect a flicker of Jesus dust in a fairytale, magical moment, as if Patrick Mahomes was making the “good confession” every time he plowed across the endzone.
Rachel Hollis writes, “I ran an entire marathon with Philippians 4:13 written on my hand in Sharpie, and I believe that my Creator is the strength by which I achieve anything. But God, your partner, your mama, and your best friends–none of them can make you into something (good or bad) without your help. You have the ability to change your life. You’ve always had the power, Dorothy. You just have to stop waiting for someone else to do it for you.” (Girl, Wash Your Face)
I’m telling you, this is a sneaky as they come. This is good old American fodder, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps with a flavor shot of Jesus. Hear me loud and clear: giving Jesus a head nod counts for nothing in the end.
Jesus often gave the same message, what we call the Sermon on the Mount to crowds of people. It was radical. It challenged everything the Jews ever thought they knew about God and rules and getting along with people. It raised questions over every one of the ten commandments, it held everyone accountable for their thoughts and actions. It was flawless, and people were bewildered and amazed. At the very end of this sermon, Jesus warns the listeners to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing, because they will easily fool you, but if they looked closer, they would be able to “know them by their fruit.”
And then he said,
“Not everyone who says to me , ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Jesus, you see, did not come to play church down here. He doesn’t even care if Patrick Maholmes points his finger to heaven or picks his nose when he scores a touchdown. He doesn’t care if Rachel Hollis finishes another marathon or another book or tattoos the whole book of Genesis on her face. It counts for nothing. Jesus will not recognize these people or even remember them if they try to trigger his memory–remember God? I’m the one who mentioned you in my bestselling book….I’m the one who pointed to you everytime I scored a touchdown!
Sadly, neither will He remember us for simply singing along to KLOVE songs on the radio or dropping our kids off at youth group. He will know us by our fruit, our foundation, the life that springs from a life hidden in Christ.
The difference is this: a life built on the words of Jesus or the life built on yourself with a sprinkling of Jesus jimmies on top.
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Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Join me tomorrow as we examine more lies of Rachel Hollis and the Modern American Church.
