Biker church is a bit of hog heaven

An interesting piece in the paper today about a biker church.

Go ahead and read the article, and then I'll toss out some points for discussion.

Done? Wow, some of you folks can really speed read. Anyway, just some observations...

Now, I write this as a person who wears a leather jacket (though it's not often cold enough in New Orleans, and certainly never in the chancel at church) and who rode for many years. In fact, with the price of gas, I may well revert back to biking. Motorcycles are a blast, a true gift of God, and some of the most interesting people you will ever meet tool around on two wheels. One of my fondest memories was riding halfway across the country on a camping trip with my dad. We were so crazy about riding that we would wear snowsuits and ride in the Northeast Ohio winter. Now that my disclaimer is over, here goes my critique.

1) The people who attend this service (as well as the other "theme" churches mentioned in the article, such as the "cowboy church") are not seeking Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. Now, they may well be after some kind of therapy or some sort of change in the priorities of life - but what is missing in this article is the mission of Jesus to die for the sins of the world and to save us from death and hell - in other words, the gospel. At best, the Jesus proclaimed by the preacher at this church is a kind of moral example, a Zig Ziglar with long hair and sandals.

2) The real religion being promoted is not worship of Yahweh, but worship of self on a Harley. Notice that the sanctuary is decked out not in statues of Jesus, not in stained glass bearing images of the life of our Lord and His Church, not in iconography that points to the Gospel - but rather with motorcycle parts. This church celebrates the religion of America: our hobbies. People love their hobbies, be they motorcycles, sports, movies, cars, collecting, etc. to the point that they want to engage in the hobby 24/7 - even in church. This self-centeredness is antithetical to Christianity. In fact, it is to take wonderful gifts of God (leisure time and hobbies) and turn them into false gods, even placing them in a sanctuary and creating a cult religion out of them. They refuse to submit to God even for an hour on Sunday, instead requiring the Church to conform to their tastes and sensibilities. Do these people see themselves connected more to the ancient martyrs and saints of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, or would they feel more fellowship with non-Christians who happen to ride and wear leather?

3) The preacher only refers to himself as a "preacher." He doesn't see the pastoral office the way Scripture does: as an office of shepherd, elder, overseer, spiritual father, steward of the mysteries, etc. He makes no mention of sacraments. In fact, he works in an auto parts store during the week. He almost boasts of his lack of training. Is this all there is to pastoral care? Ride to church on a bike and wear a nametag that says: "pastor," preach a sermon, and ride home?

Interestingly, the pastor says "I'm called." Many in the LCMS would completely agree, and would cite the fact that he has a congregation, and therefore has a "regular call" according to the Augsburg Confession. There is no mention of whether or not he has been biblically ordained.

Also, it bears mentioning that this is only one step removed from what goes on in many conservative LCMS churches today under the guise of "contemporary worship." The "church growth" methodology is certainly the same. There is at least one LCMS church in Texas that has a "cowboy service" - complete with two-stepping and cowboy hats. St. Paul warned us this would happen in 2 Tim 4:3-4.

I don't know who said this (it was quoted by Prof. Pless in a lecture at seminary), but we Americans play at our worship, worship at our work, and work at our play.

This latest fad of "theme churches" is one more example of our misguided priorities - and the Church's cowardice in acquiescing to them. What bikers and non-bikers alike need is the Gospel, the proclamation of Jesus in both Word and Sacrament, the radical notion that Jesus dying for your sins is far more important than your leather jacket. This is far more radical than giving people a fluff church that encourages them to worship themseves.