The Church of 7-11

 I don't know about you but one of the highlights of my youth was walking with my friends up to 7-11 every weekend and getting beef jerky in some form or a slurpee. Later the slurpee turned into a Big Gulp and then a Super Big Gulp as my choices in life became so much healthier. The great thing about 7-11s is that they were on every street corner and you could be in and out within a few minutes. The problem is that what we were eating and drinking was probably killing us. Such is the nature of fast food. It's very tasty and convenient. It doesn't require much time or work to get it.

Many churches are like 7-11s. They're convenient for numerous reasons. 1. They're offerings are palatable to almost anyone. The type of Christianity that is offered isn't much different from what most people think Christianity is. It's tasty to most people, not just regenerate Christians. 2. It's served up quickly at your convenience. You don't need much of a time commitment to them. You can come and go as you please and it doesn't matter if you miss this or that lesson since it's all pretty much the same thing you already know anyway. 3. Along those same lines, there is little to no work required in thinking through hard biblical things that are taught to you because nothing hard from the Bible is taught unless it's already an aspect of what most people believe. 4. They're everywhere. You can find churches that will give you fast food Christianity on every street corner. They're a dime a dozen (or should I say they're 7 in a 11?). They're easy to reproduce everywhere because there isn't much that goes into them. 

In contrast to 7-11 churches are what I would call the church of the home-cooked meal. This church is not common and it isn't really open to just anyone, since it exists primarily for the committed Christian. It requires much of his time and energy to engage in the whole counsel of God, some of which is extremely hard to hear and digest. It takes the preparers of the Word much time and energy to bake and prepare that food. If you miss a study, you've missed an essential point in a longer argument that may cause you to misunderstand the entirety of the issue. It therefore requires a time and effort that 7-11 churches simply do not.

Many people say they would rather have a home-cooked meal, and yet, it is clear that although that is ideal in their minds, they are not willing to put in the time and effort to really get one. Fast food is just too convenient and is an easy fix for their cravings. They know what they're getting when they order it. Homemade food may not be what they like that night. They may eat something served up by the preparers that they don't find tasteful. It's easier to just grab that five-day old pizza under the heat lamp. You know what it tastes like already and there is no further commitment than just shoving it in your mouth. 

I think that's why fast food has replaced the home-cooked meal, not because anyone thinks it is better for you but because everyone thinks its a sufficient substitute. Fast forward thirty years later and we're all sick and dying early because it really wasn't.