Evangelical angst and navel-gazing

Today I visited a different church with my family, and I was reminded of the other side of evangelicalism. Not everybody concentrates solely on moralisms and staying on God's good side. People who grew up or became a part of different traditions than I did have other concerns too. Some of these people spend a lot of time worrying about their immediate experience of love for God and God's love for them. After escaping the wasteland of quasi-fundamentalism, this was the thinking that typified most churches I attended (save for the one I work in now).

We spent quite a few minutes this morning singing something to Jesus like, "you're all that I need" over and over again. I sat there and was a little conflicted, because it sounds so good on one level. Isn't it right to just need Jesus? That's what I wondered anyway. But, the whole thing just didn't sit right with me. I wondered, "could I imagine one of the psalmists repeating this over and over again?" Did they? I can't really remember. I know that the words of the psalms convey realities of a relationship with God that don't always reflect mine, and that sometimes are much more intimate. But I can't imagine anything as saccharine as "you're all that I need."

It probably sounds like I'm saying they are wrong in some way for doing what they do, but I don't really want to say that. It's just that that stuff doesn't really reflect my relationship with God anymore, and I'm trying to figure out why. Part of it is the emphasis of the worship service: you would have no idea that there was any kind of world outside of it. The focus was purely: "me and Jesus." Was he close to you? Are you close to him? That's the focus. The sermon was to an individual, oriented toward giving him or her the assurance of God's love, presence, and forgiveness. The songs were focused around the individual and Jesus. The prayer time at the end was an invitation for an individual to be prayed for by others. Could that individual have brought wider concerns to be prayed for? I suppose so. But that really wasn't the focus. Is the Earth being cared for? Are there people who are hungry or needy? How do people live with one another and get along as a community? Are people suffering from the ravages of war or corrupt governments around the world? Are there any needs in the community surrounding that church? Does God care about this stuff? You would never have known from the worship service.

In fairness to that church, maybe that stuff is covered every other Sunday, and I just came to the one where it wasn't. But somehow I don't think so. I've been to enough of those types of services to know the drill. What's most important is the person, his or her experience of God's love, and his or her personal love for God. All that other stuff is secondary.