One of the books I’m reading now is Calvin Miller’s The Sermon Maker – Tales of a Transformed Preacher.
On page 49, he writes: “Sam realized that most churches were bewildered by preachers who devoted themselves to long talks on nonessential subjects. The world was more desperate than it knew.”
He adds this footnote to that paragraph:
Howard Macy makes it quite clear that the megachurch addiction to user-friendly methodology may be too congenial to venture into the world of severe honesty. The sermon was not intended to be a smiley mask over the face of a requiring God. Macy puts it this way:
From the Cathedral of the Perpetual Smile to First Happy Baptist, there are plenty of people who would mistakenly have us believe that the life of faith is basically one long joyride. To sustain this illusion and the quest for the Holy Grin, they transform the church program into a religious amusement park hawking a thrill-a-minute, fun-filled experience, complete with emotional roller coasters, religious variety shows, verbal trick mirrors, and more. Such teaching is a half-truth at best, a shoddy imitation of authentic joy in faith.