Few demographic tribes are more likely to “amen!” a critique of attractional church methodology than 9Marks readers. When attractionalism says, “We’re offering the experience of worship that you’re looking for,” we 9Marksy types sniff danger. We believe congregations gather not to be offered a passive experience, but instead to offer worship as active participants.
“God, we thank thee, that we are not as other men.”
But wait.
WE’RE ALL ATTRACTIONALISTS NOW
Carl Trueman teaches us how culture subtly shapes us. Five hundred years ago, everyone was a theist. Europe was overwhelmingly Christian, at least by nominal conviction. And to be Christian was to be Roman Catholic.
Today, within our array of denominational options, we find tribal subdivisions. There are “a host of other subjective variables—where we feel comfortable, welcomed, supported. We can choose our churches as we choose a house or car” (385). We then use the car we chose to drive past a dozen or more churches we didn’t choose. Urbanization and modernization weakened our ties to close-knit communities and, then, handed us technology to sever those ties.
Can we assume that our tribe is immune to subtle influences from our cultural context? Is it possible that we anti-attractional
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