What a truly depressing article I ran across in today's Sunday, March 5th edition of The Detroit News. I had heard about churches offering electronic funds withdrawal for the purposes of tithing or church giving, but to read some of the reasons folks have for doing this is beyond sad.
"Places of worship are delicately testing whether the Sunday collections can occur in cyberspace. If the convenience of the faithful trumps the ritual of making offerings during religious services, members of the clergy say it would help them secure larger donations and a steadier flow of financing."
"Rendering to God" is becoming as easy as the click of a mouse.
After all that God has given to us - his rich mercy in Christ, clothing, homes, family, friends - it all comes down to making my sick, selfish life just a little bit less difficult. And this is so in line with how many of our churches conduct themselves in 2006. Seeker-sensitive and seeker-focused.
R.J.