The Midas Touch

I listen to alot of Giants games. That being said, I love this time of year when I can listen to a ballgame just about everyday if I am able. As I listen, I find myself often getting the catchy marketing slogans that are inserted between innings or a pitching change stuck in my head. Some are for Autozone, Speedy Oil Change and Tune-Up, Midas, etc…I was driving down Ocean St. here in Santa Cruz the other day and saw a sign in front of a Midas for an oil change for $19.95. Not a bad bargain and of course having heard the “Midas Touch” jingle a few times, I was inclined to check it out(don’t I sound like a pawn of corporate marketing!). I went in about 9am this morning assuming it would be a quick one. No no no no…hour and half later I finally got out of there.

I am always intrigued by the magazines/newspapers sitting in these type waiting rooms. I started with the newspaper. One article caught my eye. It was discussing some recent U.S. religious statistics. This was the main point of the article and the stats: over the course of the average “religious” person’s life in America, they change religions and/or denominations at an incredibly high rate. It specifically talked about the rate at which protestants “walked away” from their inherited religion. The main reason, their stats argued, was not due to science disproving the reality of God, but the judgmental/hypocritical examples they had seen and experienced within Christianity. And for a variety of other reasons, they had become disenchanted by this version of Christianity. Interesting article.

My oil change was over the 1 hour point by now and I continued to peruse the magazine options. Between a few on Brad and Jenn locking eye’s on some red carpet, I saw a magazine with the bold headline, “How Jesus Can Save Your Career.” I was hooked, so I picked it up and had a read. This article described a growing trend of church goers whose main goal in attending was learning how a faith in Jesus could bring about financial wealth and security in a time of economic downturn. I can understand these people’s fear and I can also understand the desire to cure the fear by putting my faith in something bigger than myself. Here is the kicker…the article continues by telling of this “wealthy, Prius driving” demographic going to a church where the “rock star” pastor takes the stage holding a staff with a money symbol adorning the top. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the pastor said some great things and it sounds like he did reference some good resources, but to me the “money” conversation needs to be elevated to a higher level if we are to truly follow/model the teachings of our Savior, Jesus. Rather than preaching a model of strategic accumulation of money that leads to comfort and sustained excess in this time of economic downturn, shouldn’t we more closely be looking at/living out Jesus teachings of giving away our possessions and self sacrifice for the good of others?

Maybe this disconnect between Jesus teachings and our “church” teachings has something to do with this disenchantment from those that have at some point aligned themselves with Christianity. If for no one else, I know this realization proves to be a challenge for me. Does my life preach strategic financial accumulation or obedient giving and self sacrifice? I have along way to go…