“But what if non-Christians don’t like us?” I hear. If someone doesn’t like us, then that’s no reason to change who you are. Now, if you’re a jerk, then, by all means, stop being a jerk. But, don’t stop being the church. Those who don’t like us must not dictate who we are. That’s like allowing a blind man to lead a seeing man through the gauntlet.

I’m sitting in a donut shop. I’ve been here many times and nobody has ever complained about this place, saying, “This donut shop is too donutty.” It’s a donut shop; so you expect it to be donutty.

No one ever said that a sporting event was too sporty, a library too booky, a concert too musicy, an airport too planey, a home too homey, a college too schooly, or a hospital too hospitally.

Yet, I hear all the time, “That church was too churchy.”

But what else should it be? Why the double-standard?

Why do we condemn the church for being about Jesus, your soul, God, spirituality, conviction of sin, heaven, hell, salvation, righteousness, and judgment?

We surely don’t complain that a donut shop offers Boston Crème, cinnamon buns, apple fritters, cream sticks, jelly filled, glazed, and blueberry cake.

Because some churches are listening to this sort of cultural critique, it’s gotten ridiculous. Since some churches actually believe that they should not be churchy, they try to hide their spiritual donuts, if you know what I mean. Participants can attend, be fairly comfortable and entertained, without being confronted with too many spiritual matters. Then, right at the end, a little “Jesus” is slipped in.

But that’s like going to a hospital, only to have the doctors and nurses pal around with you, never addressing your physical condition; but right at the end, when you’re about to go to your car, some nurse’s aid slips a little medicine in your pocket—with an apology!

All this time you needed surgery and an IV, but they were afraid of offending you. They were afraid to tell you how sick you were. They didn’t want to appear intolerant because they were the only ones in town with the cure.

The church does nobody any favors when it refuses to be churchy. The church needs to be churchy and it must stop apologizing for doing so.

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