“This Little Piggy”
Since 1728, precious little toes have been squeezed by the gentle hands of loving parents while they recited the familiar Nursery Rhyme,
This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef.
This little piggy had none.
This little piggy cried…
“Wee wee wee,” all the way home.
The meaning of the poem doesn’t matter to a toddler (and it shouldn’t)! They know that their little giggles make everyone happy and they welcome the sweet attention from the game.
No one thinks much about the little piggy going to market. That isn’t a grocery store, but a slaughter house… and he won’t be coming home. And little piggies don’t eat cows, either! Probably the one who ran home crying just escaped the butcher’s knife at the “market” but not soon enough to miss seeing his little brother meet a cruel fate. Ugh!
I remember another pig story from my childhood. When someone of questionable character was mentioned in a positive light, people might say, “Yeah, but if it looks like a pig, smells like a pig and oinks like a pig, IT’S STILL A PIG!”
Grown-ups are usually given lots more wisdom and discernment than kids. God just made it happen that way. As we get older we are more cautious, more judicious in our choices, and less open to new-fangled stuff. We know that things aren’t always as they seem!
Today we are smack dab in the middle of a huge spiritual revolution in this country and some of us don’t even know it. Many of us have found a new passion for God and we’ve experienced a taste of something fresh. The flood of new spirituality has taken hold of millions of solid, God-fearing Christians and we are looking for a place to call home.
Our denominational churches just don’t know what to do with us. We are less interested in form and structure than we were in the past, and we see the movement of God being more spontaneous, with fewer rules and less hierarchy. We want to share our mystical experiences with people of like Christian beliefs, but find it difficult for anyone to listen to us. The traditional church is fearful of anything that will disrupt the status quo, and I understand that. But the church needs to realize that for people like me tradition is necessary because it offers stability and roots, something the spiritual revolutionary needs desperately. Yet the established church looks upon the new spiritualists as a threat. And that is both sad and dangerous. There are millions of folks who are in this “searching” category right now and we long for a place to call home again.
Herein belies the danger. Although my soul is soaring in places which I never knew existed, my theological roots are unchanged. For those millions of people in this world who are seeking to express their new-found experience, and find the ho-hum, stale, traditional church disinterested in listening, their unsettled biblical foundation makes them ripe for whatever may come along that sounds good.
Most recently, people have been chasing a theological pig running loose that doesn’t look or smell or oink like a pig! It will tell you anything you want to hear, and its message makes so much sense that you will want to hear more. It is being preached by some of the most charismatic people in the USA, and their financial base is so huge there is no way to ignore it. They are quickly sucking up all those nominally Christian, spiritually minded folks who have been turned off by our traditional churches.
I received a beautiful power point presentation from a friend tonight, which has a fabulous message. But I noticed that it never mentioned Jesus Christ. It talked about being kind to others, living an abundant life, sharing our resources with each person we meet, etc., etc. It had a lot of the right words, but when I went to the source I discovered the author to be someone who is leading people to find god (little ‘g’) by finding themselves. She offers me a world with lots of benefits and “abundance” but it’s a world without Jesus!
One large group which is growing faster than the speed of light is right out of the New Age Movement. They have over 3 million followers already, thanks to a television celebrity who uses her afternoon time slot to feature the guru she is following. “What about Jesus?” a member of the audience shouted. Her response was, “What ABOUT Jesus? Surely you don’t believe there is only one way to find God, do you?”
So here is my point. My dear “friends of the spirit,” do not give up on your traditional churches just yet. Please allow them another chance to hear you. There is no future (literally!) in the counterfeit message of feel-good theology which says stuff like the new heaven is inside you! IT IS NOT! Your only hope is still Jesus and He alone will fill your empty life with what it needs.
Don’t be the little piggy that’s looking for an easy solution just to end up in the slaughter house. Call your former church and your Christian friends; tell them you want to come home! You will be glad you did.
GospeLines Prayer: Father, this little piggy wants to go home. Humble my mystical passion so that I will not write off my more traditional brothers and sisters; and give me an appreciation for those who have stayed the course in keeping with their unwavering theology. Renew my heart to accept Christians who are unlike me. And restore Your unconditional love for me to embrace the church of my childhood and grace enough for them to love me back so that we may learn from each other. Amen and amen.
Tommy Harrison, D. Min
tommy@gospelines.com
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