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As this has become a deeply capitalistic nation, the concept of a "marketplace" of ideas has become the norm. The consumerist spirit now influences how Americans choose their church homes the way that family tradition did several generations ago. Religious salesmen (indeed, sometimes a few religious hucksters as well) have been an important part of modern church history. As Andrew Santella described it in his Slate article on church hopping a couple of years ago:
"The prohibition against establishing an official state religion helped give us the shoppers' paradise that is our religious marketplace. Disestablishment... meant that preachers had to learn to get along without support from the state. It made the ability to recruit and keep a flock—and get them to give generously—crucial to a church's survival.
Santella agreed with historians who concluded that "this produced a ministry modeled on capitalism, with pastors acting as the church's sales force."
It doesn't mean that they always sacrifice doctrinal convictions or liturgical traditions to attract followers. Some churches refuse to become "seeker-sensitive" if that will corrupt their core values. But even those vanguard churches are using secular marketing techniques to get their name "out there," and cultivate a niche audience for the biblical interpretation or worship experience they offer.
Print, radio, television and web advertisements. Slick, glossy welcome packets for visitors. Mail, email, or telephone solicitation. Publicity appearances by the pastor and other leaders at community events. There are a lot of things we do now in the church world that smack of commercialism.
Given this, we don't have an epidemic of church-hoppers so much as fickle church-shoppers. Churches have behaved like they were selling something, so churchgoers are behaving like discriminating customers.
God still has a remnant of Churches & Pastors working , Praying & Fasting to Obey The True Word of God. We Pray Fast & work to Obey Daily to be a Church, Pastor, Person that is a True Light For Jesus in the World today.
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