Christ’s Church of Evansville (United Church of Christ)

Before I begin, I am making some schedule changes, and I have come to a decision concerning my church-going activities.  I do intend to join the UU Church, and as such, I will be going every other Sunday (the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays of the month).  However, because this project is important to me, I will continue visiting new churches every other week.  The weeks that I attend the UU, I will also attend various worship centers that offer Friday and Saturday services (like the Muslims, Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish communities do).  If I run out of those, I will try to find Protestant churches that have Sunday night services, so I intend to have a new entry every week regardless.  This has been too much fun, and way too informative to just walk away from.

On to the review proper: the church I attended this week was purely by random chance.  Near Washington Avenue, there are about four churches between Green River Road and Vann.  Because gas money was tight, I decided to randomly select one of them.  The options presented were the Church of the Nazarene, the Christ Church (United Church of Christ – the “church with the red doors”), the Assembly of Peace (a non-denominational Pentecostal church – not my words, it is what the sign said) and another church very similar to the Church of Christ (forgot what it was called).  Ruling out the Pentecostal church, because I have another person who wants to see what speaking in tongues is all about, and the small Nazarene church (as there were probably 15 people there…tops) and being a sucker for vanity and bright objects, I rolled into the United Church of Christ – “the church with the red doors”.

This was what I would call a “cold visit”.  Most of the time, I am somewhat familiar with the doctrine of the church I am attending, and I attempt to make preparations.  I had no clue what the United Church of Christ’s doctrine was, so removing my earring and my Darwin fish from my car, I played the conservative role…just in case.  I think I would have been safe keeping these things as they were, because I was quite surprised with what I was presented with.

The United Church of Christ is, essentially, a moderate Christian church.  This particular one (Christ’s Church) has been around for about 50 years.  In the packets I took from their information booth, churches are allowed to marry homosexuals if they so choose and they can preach, but at the same time, they believe in Bible-based healing, practice confirmation, baptism, and yet they don’t hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible.  The reason this doctrine befuddles me isn’t necessarily because it is doctrine-based, but because, once inside the church, I found it fascinating who actually believed it.

When I first entered the church, it was blind luck that I came in on time, because I didn’t see the worship times.  They were apparently on the sign, but the font was quite tiny.  Once I entered, I was warmly greeted by one of the elderly folks at the information booth, I was given directions to the sanctuary by another elderly folk, I was asked for information about myself by yet another elderly gentlemen, and I was given a schedule by…another elderly gentlemen.  Upon being seated in the sanctuary, that’s when it hit me.  I hesitated to make the judgment until the service began (I sit in the back so I can see who attends), but I would say that 95% of the congregants were over fifty years of age.  This, pardon the pun, was an old church.  For me, when someone says “50+ year old Christian”, I don’t automatically believe them to be tolerant of homosexuals, nor do I know many who don’t take the Bible literally.  Hence, my fascination was with the types of individuals represented in the church.

As I sat down, the elderly couple in front of me introduced themselves, as did the interim-minister (Dr. John Charles) and the music leader.  I must digress a moment in stating that I will only name the leaders of the church, or whomever gives the message, as they place themselves out there anyway as the spiritual leader, though I keep all other names anonymous.  The folks here at the church were very friendly, and they seemed really, really, really, really – and must I repeat? – really, excited to see someone my age come through the red doors.  During the “passing the peace” portion of the service – where everyone greets each other and shake hands – it lasted for almost a full ten minutes and, I being fresh meat, shook a lot of hands.  These congregants were very welcoming.  I love elderly folks because they really do give, and if you treat them with respect, and make them laugh, they’ll love you forever.  I think I made a good impression on them, seeing as about five minutes into talking, this little old man smiled, pointed at me:  “I really like this guy!”  They were fun.

The church itself was beautiful.  I didn’t anticipate it being so.  If you can imagine a spacious Catholic church, stripped of all its icons, replaced with beautiful plants, with a large 50-foot cross behind the pulpit, with a tranquility fountain, beautiful ornamental lights with fake gemstones, and a corner to broadcast a PowerPoint presentation, you’ve imagined what’s beyond the red doors.  It was spiffy, but I was disappointed that in spite of all of its beauty, the seats were virtually empty when the service started.  This sanctuary seats 200 people easily – I’d say there were 75 at maximum there.

The worship service was pretty simple, and the closest I’ve had to what I was raised with (so far).  There was a modern, opening video, used to call attention to the front and gather everyone in.  It was a basic “we are God’s people and we can change the world” type of message – quite user friendly.  The PowerPoint was the main focus of the entire service, sans the actual message, as the PowerPoint told you exactly where you were in the service.  The minister preached from his notes, but a very simplified version was placed on the PowerPoint, which was relatively helpful.  Music-wise, the songs leaned towards traditional.  I only cracked open a hymnal once to look inside, but I never used it, as they placed the words on the screen.  A lot of the folks sounded like they didn’t know the songs very well (and we sang some I don’t remember ever singing) but I think we would’ve been s-o-l if it weren’t for the lyrics on the PowerPoint.  You could hardly tell we were singing – 75 timid voices don’t compete well with a large organ.

There was an opening prayer and a lighting of two candles to signify the start of the service.  We sang a few old-fashioned hymns, had a moment of prayer for concerns, a scriptural reading with three seemingly unrelated scriptures being read, and a moment of special music delivered by the music minister.  I’ll go ahead and compliment him right now – it was beautiful.  He sang “You Raise Me Up”, a song that, when I heard it, unless a professional musician was doing it, usually sounded like someone was grating my ears with a cheese grater.  This particular version was a mix of Celtic, acoustic, and piano – somewhere between Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On and it honestly sounded like Andrea Boccelli was performing it.  This gentlemen’s voice was amazing!  I wouldn’t say he was given a “gift from God” due to my non-belief, but this man could sing.  I happily applauded when he was finished, something I personally do not do unless applause is merited.

The message itself was…eh.  I know, that’s not a great articulation of my thoughts, but let me explain.  The three unrelated verses (one about the Exodus, one concerning Jesus walking on water, and the third concerning Paul’s conversion) were strung together in the message.  The sermon was titled “Do You See What I See?”  (Reminds me of Christmas…and Gremlins …)  The entire message could be seen as an emotional delivery of a relatively rational subject; the “relatively rational” part I’ll explain in a bit.  Essentially, Dr. Charles explained how God is present in all situations, and he did it very enthusiastically.  He was quite the dynamic speaker.  But, the whole point behind the three stories – those in the stories saw God’s power, they believed, and they changed their hearts.  He admitted that these stories won’t do anything for you if you don’t believe them, and he was tottering on the idea that “seeing is believing”, but he didn’t quite say it.  I mean, I would be convinced of someone’s divinity if they walked in water with the technology available in 1^st century Judea, but he cited personal testimony (Paul coming face-to-face with Jesus, which occurred…depending on how you define “face-to-face”) and anecdotal evidence of God’s glory.

All in all, the entire sermon was centered on what these people saw, which was interesting because he didn’t mention faith once; hence it was “relatively rational” (if you allow personal testimony to count as evidence).  He used sight and observation as evidence of God’s glory, albeit he was citing the Bible, and anecdotal evidence.  I do like that he at least removed faith as an element as much as one might have been able to while working with the same materials.  I also got a kick out of a story he told concerning his first preaching experiences.  He told us of a woman he used to know who basically stated that she believed Paul was a “male, chauvinistic pig”.  Consequently, she hated almost all men, but I was chuckling to myself because I, as an atheist who has read the Pauline epistles, pretty much agree with her assessment.  The message was, like I said, “eh”.  I will grant him that this message was a great one for a person like me to listen to.  If I had the metaphorical “open heart”, the lack of critical skills I try to employ, and I was searching for fulfillment of my life through God and Christ, I would have latched on to this message and may have found it quite convincing. 

After the sermon, we sang a few more hymns, took up the offering, and extinguished the candles.  I complimented the minister on his message, thanked the elders I could find for making me feel welcomed, and left.

Now, one of the benefits of knowing people in a church is the ability to ask questions.  I had loads of questions, but not knowing anyone and not wanting to seem overly nosy for asking questions, I’ve had to peruse the packets and gain what I could from their information they offered me.  This church is above average in the information it offers, but I think it could have been presented better.  I picked up eight packets on different subjects – marriage, conformation, stewardship, scripture, working for justice, etc.  The doctrine was all fairly-well laid out here, but I think it would have sufficed to combine then all into a booklet.  It was kind of a waste of paper.  The bulletin, though, shined, because it had a listing of all of their activities, the times, the important players, how the services were conducted, the 2012 weekly budget, etc.  It was quite thorough…and I like a church that tells you how it spends your money.

I find that the number of events for the number of parishioners is above average as well.  If I assumed there were 100 people coming to this church regularly, I would say that the events are over-proportional to their weekly numbers.  There were the usual Sunday School classes (for adults), nursery, preschools, and choir practices.  There’s also a program called “TOPS” (no idea what it is) and Line Dancing on Monday.  There are also opportunities to donate to a shelter, a picnic coming up in September, a rummage sale, as well as a Family Christmas Market.  I think, to be honest, that this church, if most of the folks were as old as they presented themselves to be, is their life-blood, simply because all of these activities were centered on older adults (I didn’t see any evidence of the existence of a Youth Group).  I grew up in the type of church where EVERYTHING an individual did was tied to the church.  So I understand.  This is an assumption, but it’s one that I think is well-founded.

All in all, I enjoyed this church.  Like most of the churches I will go to, I will feel welcomed, and I did so here.  This place of worship had its strengths, its weaknesses, but I would compare it to a Christmas tree – even the smallest, least impressive tree can still be beautiful from all the ornaments placed upon it.  Beautiful church, friendly people, decent selection of activities, but virtually no young people, no youth group/minister, a mediocre message, and…well…it could have been better.  Here’s the breakdown:

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (1/1)
2. Message
1. Topic Interest (.6/1)
2. Inspirational Value (.5/1)
3. Clarity (.6/1)
4. Applicability (.6/1)
3. Worship
1. Content (.6/1)
2. Audience Participation (.5/1)
4. Outreach
1. Community Involvement (.7/1)
2. Variety of Activities (.9/1)
5. Information
1. Accessibility (.7/1)

Total = 6.7

Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville

In my library, I own a book called “The Anthology of World Scriptures.”  Contained within that work is a myriad of different verses and sayings that pull from numerous religious traditions.  This huge volume is divided not by religion, but by topic, such as love, obedience, health, faith, etc.  If I were to grab all of the participants who contributed to the book and asked them to perform a worship service not based upon their religion, but upon those shared principles, we would have a close approximation of what a Unitarian Universalist Church looks like. 

The church of choice this week was the Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville.  If one isn’t familiar with the Unitarian Universalist Church, it’s a liberal church built upon what they consider universal principles – love, hope, faith, charity, etc.  There are no creeds, no doctrines, and all are welcome.  Whether you’re a Christian, an Atheist, a Buddhist, a Muslim, whatever – the door is open to anyone and everyone.  Folks are allowed to have their own unique points of view; worship is individual, but as a community, all the differing types of beliefs gather together weekly to share views respectfully, and out of love, upon different topics.  There was no mention of God, Allah, Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammed, Moses, or any other religious figures during the service, nor were there appeals to any particular faith, praying, or anything of an inherently religious nature.  To me, it seemed more like a club than an actual church.  I’m taking the initiative to mention all of this now, because I want to remove the surprise factor one may have when I neglect to mention anything relative to any deity, because there was just no supernatural element to report upon here.  The Unitarian Church is, as they call themselves, a humanist church, and as I would call it, a confederacy of different religions and philosophies worshipping under democratic principles.  Knowing this as I entered, I was excited to see how a mish-mash of different beliefs jived in a church setting.

Whereas last week I attended what I would deem a “mega-church” (or one in training), the Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville was one of the most unique churches I have ever been to, and one of almost exact opposites to my last experience.  Located off Morgan, it’s a small, nondescript building that looks almost like any other average small town church.  The parking is tiny, the worship area is small (seats about 50), and because of the vast differences in sizing, my friend and I who attended experienced a whole different type of worship service than I did last week.  Whereas it was the easiest thing in the world at Crossroads to blend in, it was virtually impossible here.

Upon entering the doors to the church, I was struck by how friendly the parishioners were.  Last week, I didn’t receive any sort of greeting or welcome aside from a friend I knew who went to the church.  Had he not been there, I would have gone unnoticed.  Not here, though.  As soon as my friend and I entered, we were greeted by at least three people, all older, but kind.  We were offered an envelope full of useful and vital information, we were offered hymnals, escorted to the sanctuary, and we carried on dialogue with a few of the members before the services actually began.  I have to say, in one of this church’s strong suites – kudos to the parishioners for making us feel welcome.  Once inside, my friend carried a discussion with a Buddhist, and the gentlemen I spoke with was a Sufi Muslim.  Both had unique life stories, were very friendly, and I had no problem telling them I was an Atheist.  That’s a fact I neglect to mention at most other churches (you can understand why), but it didn’t even faze them.  “There are quite a few atheists here,” was the response.  Like I said before, all are welcomed, and I admit – it is a strong selling point.  Being as such, once the service began, I noticed how relaxed the congregation was.  Dress was casual, the people were friendly; when the parishioners spoke, they attempted to do so out of an all-inclusive idea of love and tolerance.  We were offered donuts by a random parishioner and invited for ice cream later.  One gets the impression that the congregation is very intimate, close, and the followers of the church seek to connect with outsiders.  A point of interest that surprised me:  there were quite a few older folks here as opposed to what I thought would have been a younger crowd.  The youngest leader of the church was probably in his late 30s or early 40s, and there were maybe about 10 people out of the 50ish there that were under 30.

Now, here’s where the details get interesting, as worship was unique to anything I’ve experienced before.  If one knows my background, I come from a conservative Baptist background, with a rigid structure and a strong adherence to doctrine.  I’m used to a service that goes from A to Z with no deviations.  However, the entire service at the UU lacked such rigidity, and while there were hymnals, and moments or reflection, there were no Christian hymns, nor were their praise and worship songs, nor were there prayers.  The theme of the service was “the Latino problem?”, a discussion of the incorrect American perceptions of the Latin peoples.  The hymnals sung during the service were of Latino origin, intended to fit the message, and they praised concepts such as love, the sun, caring for your fellow man, etc.  The service opened with a Latino song from the hymnal/reading book, Singing the Living Tradition.  Thumbing through, it was an anthology of different cultural and spiritual songs and readings taken from all over the world.  There were Biblical texts, some from Buddhist works, Jewish, some from folks who were just “inspired” – it was such an interesting book that I almost wanted to pilfer one, but I declined out of respect.  The service then formally began with the lighting of the Unitarian chalice, a large…well…chalice that was upon the altar.  We were asked to introduce ourselves to the congregation (something I didn’t expect).  After we did so, we sang a few hymns, welcomed the introduction of a new member (who was given a red rose as a symbol of her commitment).  There was additionally a children’s time whereupon they discussed ethnic differences, and a reading followed by meditation/prayer and tithing (of which about half went to Habitat for Humanity).  One particular moment of worship that struck me as extremely unique was the sharing of joys and concerns.  The microphone was opened to the congregation to share the joys of their lives, or concerns.  Many “joys” were shared, but during the “concerns” moment of sharing, a family stood up, approached the microphone, and read their member resignation letters citing bullying as the factor in them leaving.  As outsiders, my friend and I were hesitant to make judgment calls on the validity of this situation, but we were taken aback that such a thing could happen.  Again, my background and my friend’s background are from more conservative congregations, where someone leaving the church is usually a subject of gossip as opposed to it being brought before the congregation.  Honestly, we were just astounded that someone was able to do that, but the congregation accepted it, some folks answered the criticisms, and the family walked out and things went on.  There was no uproar, no reason to be concerned…that’s just how open this church was.

I must digress for a moment to make a statement.  My friend and I, to be honest and fair in our assessment, believed that the church didn’t put its best foot forward, and that Murphy’s Law was quite prevalent during the entire course of the service.  The congregation was so worried that the family resigning would send the wrong message that visitors were repeatedly assured that there was no problem.  The guest speaker, the woman who was supposed to deliver the talk on “the Latino problem” neglected to show, so the church leader (who wasn’t really the official preacher; there wasn’t one, so the congregation was lay-led), opened the floor up to discussion.  Had the original speaker been there, she would have delivered her lecture, and the congregation, after the message, would have been allowed to ask questions and offer constructive criticism.  Once I found this out, my jaw almost dropped to the floor.  Never had I seen a church where it was actually encouraged to rationally dissent, especially during the service.  Again, questions are usually reserved for the preacher/priest after the service, and there are just certain questions one doesn’t ask.  If it was allowed, I daresay most churches wouldn’t be in business for long…and I would be attending church a lot more.  Rational and logical discourse was encouraged here, as were differing points of view.  We were told by one member that disagreements occurred all the time, and that while it was a source of weakness at times for the church, it was also their greatest strength.  Controversy and differing views are accepted here, and that resonated strongly with me.  Folks were free to raise hands and ask questions, to assist each other in speaking, to raise points, and to basically communicate however/whenever they wanted during the service within rational boundaries.  Audience participation in worship and the message were strong, and highly encouraged.

The actual message, “The Latino Problem?” was more of a discussion due to the unforeseen absence of the scheduled speaker.  The microphone was again left open for people to discuss the Latino community here in Evansville, how we can assist them, the struggles they go through, and what life is like through their eyes.  No mention of God, faith, or any theological issues.  Just “how do we help the Latino community?”  While I wasn’t very fascinated with the topic itself, I was thrilled with the approach they took.  They discuss quite a bit of topics in their services, and had the issue been one I felt passionately about, even I as a visitor might have offered a bit for the congregation to chew one.  This particular one, though, was a bit different.  For about half an hour, I listened to secular and liberal solutions to the issue of Latinos in America.  I will go ahead and state that I am fairly conservative when it comes to issues of immigration, especially illegal immigration, and while I could have approached the microphone, I decided not to out of respect.  Though everyone differed in their views, they all agreed that love and understanding were the keys to offering a better life to Latin Americans.

After the message, we sang one more song (“The Colors” – another Latin American piece) and the chalice was extinguished, with a final reading from Hebrews (where they freely admitted that Paul may or may not have been the author).  Once the service concluded, we were approached by a few other members, welcomed with their express wishes that we returned, and I was able to field some questions to them.  On matters of outreach, my assessment is based on how many programs they have relative to the number of members present.  The Unitarian Church has a congregation of somewhere around 150, and for that number of folks, they have about eight to ten different programs.  They volunteer in soup kitchens, do work with children of poverty, are looking for people to assist in committees, hospitality, grounds-keeping, and, really, just anywhere they can receive help.  They’re always looking for committed, proactive volunteers, which is understandable – I felt if I joined, I could easily busy myself with something here.  In actually joining, membership requires a few classes (like catechism), a pledge to give a minimum of $100 a year in tithes (which isn’t horribly bad), and the taking of an oath to respect all peoples, faiths, and creeds.

Information-wise, the members were more than willing to answer my questions, and the packet of information I received was very thorough.  I think only a wikipedia entry would have given me more details on the church than the envelope, so I was pleasantly surprised that, if I went back, I would know what to expect and how the Unitarian’s conduct their business on Sundays.

So, for the breakdown:

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (.9/1)
2. Message
1. Topic Interest (.6/1)
2. Value (.8/1)
3. Clarity (.6/1)
4. Applicability (.8/1)
3. Worship
1. Content (.7/1)
2. Audience Participation (1/1)
4. Outreach
1. Community Involvement (1/1)
2. Variety of Activities (.9/1)
5. Information
1. Accessibility (1/1)

Now, for myself, after I finish my rotation of churches, I will probably join this church.  It works for me.  I like its principles, I like how they conduct themselves, and I genuinely had a good time.  I also see plenty of volunteering opportunities here, and I like the variety of both people and subjects.  I still desire to do this blog, and I would hate to say that I’m settling down after only two churches, but I really enjoyed this church, the people, and the environment.  I foresee myself being able to discuss all the religion, theology, and philosophy I could ever want in a respectful, welcoming, and loving environment.  I can ask the tough questions, disagree, and raise concerns without raising the ire of folks.  However, I’m thinking of striking a balance where I may go back to this church every few weeks, and do the church rotation the other weeks.  I’ll let you know next week what I decide.  8.3/10

Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, IN)

If, as the saying goes, size matters, then Crossroads Christian Church is a success in the size of its congregation, and the myriad of different activities and avenues it promises to potential presbyters.  I visited Crossroads Christian Church on Sunday, August 12, 2012.  Most Evansville folks should be familiar with this church, and I chose it due to my having friends within the congregation, and I figured it would be an easy way to slide into my new weekly routine.

As I approached Crossroads Christian Church from 164, I was a bit intimidated by the size of the church.  I would cautiously label Crossroads as a mega-church in training, as the sheer size of the congregation necessitates three different worship services on Sunday morning: 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.  Being one who hasn’t been in a church in nearly two years, suffice it to say, I staggered out of bed and made it to the 11:30 service.

Walking in, I found the place to be hectic, as the 10:00 congregation was just being released.  My previous experiences with churches have had somewhere around 150 members, though Crossroads easily boasts a congregation of almost 3,500.  From what I understand, this is the premier non-denominational church in Evansville.  Granted the crowd was enormous, I was able to find my way to the sanctuary while snagging a bulletin from one of the racks next to the door.  Sadly, I wasn’t greeted at the door, nor did I find myself particularly standing out from the crowd.  Once I cracked open the bulletin, I found that there was no schedule, no listing of procedures, no information on who was running the show; the bulletin during the worship service didn’t really assist me in understanding in what order worship was conducted, and by who. 

Once seated in the enormous sanctuary, I had a discussion with my friend, one of the regular attendees.  From this and subsequent conversations, I was able to glean a few facts.  The congregation itself is amazingly large, so as a newcomer who would have been seeking a permanent church to fellowship in, one would probably find themselves intimidated.  However, the folks in the congregation were friendly, though the auditorium was large enough for cliques to form based on interest and social familiarity, hence if I had not had my friend, I would have probably found myself being a wallflower.  The crowd was diverse, but I noticed quite a few younger folks, both teen and college-aged.  This is the go-to church for young adults in town, so I wasn’t surprised with the make-up of the congregation.

The auditorium itself is very inviting if one desires to be stimulated by the senses.  The seating is theater-style, with pews, and there were two large screens to the upper left and upper right of the room to broadcast the preacher and worship-leaders to those in the back row.  Upon the stage, there was room enough for a choir of about twenty to thirty, and a full band to lead worship.  This was very much a setting for the newer, almost “pop-oriented” worship that one can familiarize themselves with if they were to worship at a college campus or a teen rally.  This church thrives on its insistence to utilize modern technology to its fullest advantage.

To the merit of Crossroads, the atmosphere is very relaxed, and I was under the impression that this church’s success, at least part of it, is due to the laid-back atmosphere created during worship.  Worship itself was very passive, with the congregation not singing any hymnals or worship tunes until the very end of the service.  That being said, there were quite a few folks who appeared bored or distant during service.  Worship seems to have been very individualized, with music playing, and followers were encouraged to spend personal time praying and reflecting.  Worship was open, relaxed, and the use of technology greatly enhanced the experience.  Like I stated before, the usage of technology within the service definitely assisted in stimulating the senses.  Worship was supplemented with some of the highest technological values, including a video created by the church itself, appearing to have been professional produced.  The band used modern instruments, the stage boasted modern artwork, including a twisted metallic cross (which was quite beautiful and unique in my opinion).  There was a load of modern eye-candy here.

The message, during the service, is clearly the highlight.  The senior pastor (never caught his name, not even in the bulletin) preached on depression, utilizing 1 Kings 19 and the story of Elijah fleeing after he killed the prophets of Baal.  Now, morally, I find it reprehensible how he glossed over those details, but really our focus was on the aftermath.  I found the topic of depression broad, yet interesting, and while I can’t say it was particularly inspiring to me, if I was a Christian, I would have probably found it so because it was a worldly-topic spun around a biblical message.  The message on depression was part of a series of sermons on “secret struggles” (others being heartache, bitterness, loneliness, and inferiority).  The message, thanks to the technology, was clear and, even as an atheist, I was able to take something away from it, so it was fairly applicable.  The notes were placed upon the screens; though to my frustration there was little time to write them down (I copied off my friend).  The message itself mentioned nothing of Hell, little of sin, no divine punishment or wrath of God – this was a feel-good sermon intended to address a medical ill.  The pastor didn’t utilize the Bible quite as much as I’m used to; he mostly stuck with the story in 1 Kings 19 and a few verses from Paul about suffering.  I find it difficult to judge a church on one sermon, but usually those who preach sermons such as this usually tend to stay away from the hell-fire and damnation quotes.  The format of the service was clear, concise, and logical:

5 Causes of Depression

1.  Intense Demands

2.  Relational Conflict

3.  Physical Exhaustion

4.  A Major Victory

5.  A Major Defeat

5 Consequences of Depression

1.  Fear (1 Kings 19:3)

2.  Isolation (1 Kings 19:4)

3.  Suicidal Thoughts (1 Kings 19:4)

4.  Feelings of Rejection (1 Kings 19:10)

5.  Negative Focus (1 Kings 19:4)

5 Cures for Depression

1.  Rest (1 Kings 19:5, 6)

2.  Reconnect with the Lord (1 Kings 19:8)

3.  Reveal Your Heart (1 Kings 19:10)

4.  Renew Your Life Mission (1 Kings 19:13, 15, 16)

5.  Relationships (1 Kings 19:19-21)

It doesn’t get much easier than this to understand.  The pastor used a few studies from credible universities, which somewhat bolstered his argument in my secular eyes.  Of course, for my own personal reaction, as an atheist, I find medication and proven courses of treatment to be more viable ways to treat depression.  However, it was somewhat unclear if the pastor was speaking of depression as “I have the blues” or as “I am clinically depressed”.  He seemed to use the first notion more than the latter.  He also made some statements that I would disagree with:  “church is the best place to deal with depression” (studies have shown that church can be harmful in some instances) and I would disagree that finding a higher power would always help (sometimes religion can be a major source of depression).  However, he also made very sound points:  individual meditation and prayer can assist in relieving depression (University of Pittsburgh study), and group fellowship can also do the same (Duke University study).  On the whole, this was a very benign message, intended mostly for those who already believe, with an emphasis on a Christian solution for a medical problem.  Some of the advice was practical; some wasn’t.  This was quite the mixed bag.

After the message and the last song, I inquired about some of the outreach opportunities.  I felt, for Crossroads, this was their strongest point.  Now, one of the biggest points of hindrance is the size of the church.  There’s little feeling of intimacy within the congregation itself for someone new.  Crossroads, though, corrects that with the institution of numerous “small groups” that meet across town at different times, highly encouraging Bible studies and group worship.  I applaud Crossroads for addressing that issue – one that can sometimes be to the severe detriment of many other large churches.  There are numerous and various groups for young adults, women, children, men, folks with different hobbies, volunteer opportunities, a group of concerts, refuge support groups, etc.  I myself could probably find a few things to do here without even converting and feel welcomed.  On the flipside, there was a program I found to be kind of humorous, and a bit condescending as well.  Since the Muslims are practicing Ramadan, Crossroads is hosting a prayer for the Muslims to find Jesus during their fasting period.  Granted, I find it ludicrous that anyone would expect that to happen, they have a right to pray for whomever they want.  I’m just one who thinks that if one is going to abstain from food, water, and sex from sun-up to sun-down for forty days, I don’t foresee a the average Muslim doing so only to convert to Christianity on the 39^th day.  That’s a level of devotion, conviction, and religion that one can’t easily be pulled away from.

So, overall, I found exactly what I expected to find here.  Crossroads Christian Church offers a friendly atmosphere, a liberal theology that appeals to the masses and is somewhat applicable to real-life; a high usage of modern technology, and a worship experience that will keep your interest, but can sometimes find itself lacking on theology; and I found the church's people and setting less approachable to a newcomer than one would hope for, but may expect in a mega-church.  Here’s the breakdown:

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (.7/1)
2. Message

1. Topic Interest (.9/1)
2. Inspirational Value (.4/1)
3. Clarity (1/1)
4. Applicability (.8/1)
2. Worship

1. Content (.6/1)
2. Audience Participation (.6/1)
3. Outreach

1. Community Involvement (1/1)
2. Variety of Activities (1/1)
4. Information

1. Accessibility (.5/1)

Total = 7.5/10

Next week, I’ll be reviewing another church, and I already have one or two folks interested in checking out some others.  Feel free to contact me at atheistgoestochurch@gmail.com to come along or feel free to leave a comment.

Why Does an Atheist Go to Church?

Welcome to my blog.  I am your friendly neighborhood Atheist.  I do not believe in an afterlife, a soul, a spirit, karma, ghosts, demons, or angels.  I hold no supernatural beliefs.  I do not believe in Zeus, Thor, Krishna, Allah, Isis, or Yahweh.  I do not believe in God…

…but I’m going to church. 

As a culture, we place an amazing amount of emphasis on our churches, mosques, any synagogues as institutions, acknowledging their importance to society, and their roles in the community.  And why not?  These are places of fellowship for like-minded individuals to come, meet with others, celebrate their beliefs and worship how they see fit.  We are a social species who seek to bond amongst common ground.  As an atheist, I recognize the value of having a community of people bonded together by a common belief.  As such, I have decided to embark on a survey of churches in Evansville, IN (and possibly other areas) to gain an understanding of the different varieties of churches offered in my community.  Every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (depending on the faith and their day of Sabbath), I randomly select a church to appear at, to observe others in their modes of worship, and to educate myself on how and why they worship.  I try to remain fairly anonymous (except to the people who know me or want to get involved) and in a city such as Evansville, that may be difficult, but I don’t seek to cause a disturbance nor disruption.  I only want to take in the myriad of different religious traditions our great country has, to varying traditions, embraced.

Every week, after I leave the chosen place of worship, I intend to record my experiences as they occur.  Mostly, I want to focus on these churches and what they have to offer, how they present themselves, and to really provide a point of view unique to someone who is not looking to join as a convert, but as one seeking to just learn more about our religious traditions and to convey what one can expect from our local houses of worship.

In order to provide a fair rubric on which to make a judgment, I’ve devised a scale on which I can make notes, discuss the positives and negatives of any given place of worship, and to make a final assessment.  I’ll also provide a feedback email address to which members or those interested in joining me on these Sunday outings can contact me.

I have chosen to rate a church a score out of 10, with 10 being the highest.  I designate points based on five criteria:  the congregation, the message, worship, outreach, and information accessibility.  The congregation will be judged on their friendliness (1), the message will be judged on the choice of topic (1), its inspirational value (1), the clarity of the message (1), and its applicability to life (1).  Worship will be judged based on the overall content of the worship time (1), and the level of audience participation (1).  Outreach will considered on the level of community involvement a church places itself in (1), and the variety of activities the church offers in proportion to its size (1).  Lastly, the level of information available for any newcomer will also be considered (1).  Of these individual scores, I will break it down to decimals, so if I feel a congregation was somewhat friendly, or I found just a little information, I can appoint a .5 instead of a full 1.

Granted, it is difficult to find an objective rubric upon which one may judge a place of worship, as they’re all different and unique.  Most of the judging on my part will be arbitrary, but it provides a guideline to which I can adhere in providing details on each respective locale.  I hope this proves to be a positive and educational experience for all involved, and I intend to be positive and fair in my assessment.

There are some understood concepts that must be stated before I begin reviewing.  First, this is from an atheistic standpoint.  I don’t intend to be converted, nor do I intend to de-convert.  If I do, well…there’s always room for a pleasant surprise, right?  Secondly, I don’t assume any religious point of view is true, so these aren’t going to be theological rants.  Lastly, most churches are supposed to be welcoming to outsiders.  As such, I hope to enjoy many educational experiences, and I intend to treat each house of worship I enter with the respect equal to the above average parishioner.  There is much to learn from stepping into the world of the average churchgoer and I appreciate all the opportunities that are sure to come from being a part of your time of worship.

This is the perspective of an atheist who goes to church...