jim and casper (2 of 3)

(If you're not sure who Jim and Casper are, scroll down to Tuesday.)

I would like to reiterate that Casper is one atheist, not a conglomerate of the outsider population. While he is not a statistic, though, he does offer a non-Christian, post-modern view of local churches.

Previously, we learned that Casper almost always noticed the buildings he was in, and he almost always commented about them without being asked. Your building is your first impression many times. The pair visited several huge church buildings, but Casper never made a negative comment about the size of the building until it seemed to conflict with the church's stated mission/purpose/vision.

So should we go back to/stick with hymnals and ugly carpeting? No. Allow me/Casper to clarify:

"What about the PowerPoint, Cas? It bothered you at the other churches. Does it bother you here?"

"Churches using technology to communicate better doesn't bother me at all," he said. "What was bothering me at those churches was the amount of money that was clearly being spent on technology and equipment, which I see as vain at best, hypocritical at worst. How are you helping others by spending your offering money on a Hollywood stage show?"

We're all used to technology, but a light show at church seems to irritate the atheist.

It's tempting, here, to want to defend ourselves. Where's the line between what's acceptable and what's "vain at best, hypocritical at worst?" Is a church to hold itself accountable to every unbeliever for the way they spend money? If a big church has a big budget, even a small percentage can seem like a whole lot ...

What I like about the book is that Jim rarely defends a local church, because the point is not to discuss but to listen. The truth is you won't be able to address the concerns and misconceptions of every non-Christian that walks in the door, so whether we like it or not, we do need to consider their perceptions.