Westword's Marty Jones writes about a unique approach to the emerging church in the February 5-11 issue.
Salvation by the Glass, subtitled "When you're reaching for heaven, it's nice to have a drink in your hand," takes the reader to a church service where the alcohol isn't in the communion wine, it's in the pastor's mug as he greets you. While this might not cause a stir in Europe, conservative Christian America isn't quite ready for this.
Mike Shepherd, leader of the group, then takes the stage and welcomes everyone to Church at the Bar. His mention of the church's title elicits a collective hoot from the largely twenty- and thirty-something audience, which includes a number of stylishly dressed, attractive women (a good draw for both bar crowds and church congregations, apparently).
Shepherd and his flock may be on to something. Add a little football on the giant screen to a brewski or two and some hot babes, and young males just might make church attendance part of American culture again. The lowest common denominator approach seems to be in vogue:
"If you farted for six years straight," he says, "you'd release the energy of an atomic bomb." That gets the congregation's attention, as does a tidbit about a pig's orgasm lasting thirty minutes. "These are things you'll only learn here at Church at the Bar," he notes.
Had Jesus and the apostles taken to discussing pigs while preaching in the synagogues, they might have been killed even sooner.
Next up is Trevor Bron, the night's guest speaker, who admits he's never delivered a sermon in a bar before. "The more you drink, the better I get," he says, borrowing the joke of many a bar musician. "Me, I drink a little beer and then I fall asleep, which makes it exactly like church." The crowd chuckles.
Bron was a rising star in the emergent church movement, leading The Upper Level church in Denver until he left in scandal a couple of years ago. I assume his life has been straightened out since.
I've never heard of a worship band playing AC/DC, but this is the cutting edge of emergent churches:
Phantom Handshake plugs back in and closes the service with a few more Christian rockers. When those are done, members of the congregation stand and mingle with guests; some head for the restroom. A few minutes later, the band returns to the stage, this time for a set of secular music for the bar's regulars. The first song: "Back in Black."
"Having alcohol here helps people break the stereotypes," says church member Pax Magnon as AC/DC's anthem fills the bar. "It's not so much about beer; it's about meeting people where they are. There's a large population that will come to hear about Christ at a bar, but they wouldn't go to Sunday service at a church."
Could be, but what exactly are they hearing? I do like most of the church's statement of faith, although there are some oddities:
About God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who came to this earth to reveal God to man and to become the Savior of those who do not yet believe.
That's an orthodox view of the trinity, but I don't get "to become the Savior of those who do not yet believe." Does that mean eventually everyone will believe and get saved? Or does it mean He's the Savior of many who never will be saved? Neither option makes much sense to me.
Some will be outraged by what Church at the Bar is doing, and some may applaud them. I think their motives are probably good, but they've lost any concept of reverence when they can discuss farting and pig sex in a church service, even if it's located in a bar. One wonders just how far the emerging movement can sink before cultural relevance loses its appeal.
