Via Out of Ur-
The folks at Lifeway have just released numbers from a survey they did among 1,000 Protestant pastors. They were asked, “Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Sunday this year. As a result, does your church plan to have services on the following days: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day?”
The results:
6% – Christmas Eve but NOT Christmas Day
27% – Christmas Day but NOT Christmas Eve
63% – BOTH Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Do note what this means- 6% of churches won’t bother to have any service of any kind on Sunday, Christmas Day. And 37% of Churches will abandon one service or the other on Christmas Day. Family-olatry trumps commitment in 43% of Churches… (combining the 37% which will cut a service with the 6% that won’t bother having any).
Go to Out of Ur for more. With thanks to James Spinti for the hint.
Mike Gantt
29/11/2011 at 19:08
Family-olatry?
Jim
29/11/2011 at 19:37
certainly. family can be an idol just as much as anything else can. further you surely havent forgotten jesus’ ‘if you dont love me more (lit. hate) than father and mother, etc. you cannot be my disciple…’
Mike Gantt
30/11/2011 at 03:30
Yes, He said love “Me’ more – not love going to your local church more.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 04:40
perhaps some go to church just to go or be entertained but some actually go to worship.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 04:42
i note that the name of your blog is ‘for the lord jesus’. what exactly does the word lord mean to you?
Mike Gantt
30/11/2011 at 04:44
I must obey Him; that is, do what He says.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 04:50
and finally- what do you make of jesus saying ‘who are my mother and sisters and brothers? those who do the will of god…’ when his mom and bros and sisters came to take him home (see mark 6). god comes first- above family. worship takes precedence over sitting around the living room and slinging back eggnog and ripping open boxes.
unless one has the view that god exists to serve them instead of the view that they exist to serve god.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 04:52
well honestly then- if you think obeying him means leaving worship to sit around the tree you have a fun time at it.
Mike Gantt
30/11/2011 at 04:56
I agree that God comes first – above family. He also comes above churchgoing.
Worship is living the entirety of life exclusively for Him, not paying the lip service we call church.
Mike Gantt
30/11/2011 at 05:02
“well honestly then- if you think obeying him means leaving worship to sit around the tree you have a fun time at it.”
Leaving church is not leaving worship. If the gospel was preached, leaving church should be the beginning of worship – if you believe that true worship is described by John 4:20-24 and Rom 12:1-2.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 05:58
believe what you wish. rationalizing and excusing the abandonment of worship for a holiday which is explicitly intended to remind us of christ is absurd no matter how you dress it up.
Jim
30/11/2011 at 05:59
your hatred of the church is well known. but dont imagine that it’s shared.