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| photo: http://tinyurl.com/znyltoh |
Movie theaters, which are in the entertainment business, do a better job of regulating hand-held technology than the church, which is in the souls business. For instance, if your phone goes off during a movie, there is a high probability an usher might ask you to leave. (I don't know -- I can't remember the last time one went off there. I know this -- I don't want my phone going off!) If your phone goes off during a church service, however, there is a high probability no one will do anything.
Back to the movie theater. There the big screen instructs you that you shouldn't be looking at your little screen. Perhaps during each movie a few violate that, but for the most part people comply. How I wish that were true in church!
Church is not the place to be looking at your little screen. This is true especially during the altar time. No kidding -- I'm wrapping up last Sunday's service with an altar call after a brief explanation of the gospel. In the back row someone was playing a video game! His hands were just below chin level. He wasn't even trying to hide it!
Okay, I realize many have no church background and might not know how to behave there. You want to know something? The greatest offenders aren't un-churched people. They might not be familiar with what we do and why we do it, but they know better than to draw attention to themselves or do anything that is disrespectful. The greatest offenders are regular attendees!
So I'm wondering why everyone around the offender lets it continue. I'm wondering why we wait until the pastor has no choice but to address the issue publicly. I'm wondering why we're more concerned about not offending a person than we are about offending our holy God. I'm wondering why many people think this isn't a big deal.
