The Straw Dog
Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23).
The term “straw dog” is given to false caricatures of something or someone for the purpose of tearing it down. In building a straw dog, an object or person is described in negative terms and then uses those fabricated terms to tear it down and build a “new” model.
I have received straw dogs in the mail. For example, one church flyer asked, “What do you think of when you hear the word church?” Surrounding the question were the following suggested answers: “for perfect people only, outdated, judgmental, un-welcoming, irrelevant, hypocritical, and boring.
Then an invitation was given to those who currently do not attend one of the Great Churches in Parker County to try out this new relevant and exciting church.
After my blood pressure returned to a normal level, I began to think more deeply about the flyer. The first thing that came to mind was John 4:23. Jesus declared to a Samaritan woman the truth concerning worship which is fundamental to the church. He said the Father was the one who seeks worshipers. The Father doesn’t need slick advertising to attract worshipers. The direct implication is that those sought by others may not be genuine worshipers.
Next, Jesus described genuine worship. He said that genuine worship is in spirit and truth. Notice that spirit is not capitalized in most English translation. Jesus was not specifically referring to the Holy Spirit in this text. He was indicating that true worship must be wholly genuine. It must include the entire person, body, and soul. It is comparable to the Bible’s call to the church to love the Lord with your whole heart, soul, and might/mind (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:34ff).
Further analyzing the flyer, I looked at its question. “What do you think when you hear the word church?” The fact is it doesn’t matter what you or I think about the word church. God has given us His definition. The church is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18). The church is the bride of Christ (Revelation 21). It is the church for whom Christ died (Ephesians 5). The word that is translated church is a compound word. It means the called-out ones. God referred to Israel as those whom He chose (Deuteronomy 7). The first martyr of the Christian Church, Stephen, called the people in the wilderness, Israel, the church (Acts 7).
The church of Jesus Christ is not for perfect people. The church is made up of those who have acknowledged that they are sinners in God’s sight (Acts 2). The church cannot be outdated. Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16). The church is not judgmental. The Bible declares that God alone is judge (Romans 12). The church is not unwelcoming. The church is commanded to be hospitable (Romans 12; Hebrews 13). The church is not irrelevant. The normal means of salvation is through the church that proclaims the gospel (Romans 10). The church is not hypocritical. The church does not play at worship, but worships in spirit and truth (John 4). The church is not boring. The church worships the Holy and Sovereign God who has revealed Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, coming before Him requires humble awe and fear (Psalm 96; Isaiah 6; Hebrews 12). In fact, the entirety of the Bible reveals a God of majesty. It is impossible for genuine worship of the one true God to be boring.
The best thing that I can say about such so-called church mailings is that I assume those who produced them are seeking to invite non-believers to church. There is no need to build a straw dog to do it. But there is a need to ensure that those who are invited will experience God’s people worshiping Him as He has commanded to be worshiped! We dare not invite people to be entertained or to think that their needs will be met. Likewise, we dare not organize our worship for non-believers. Biblical worship is for God by His people. May you be filled with the joy of worshiping God in spirit and truth every Lord’s Day.
