by Allen Dvorak
“One latte with soy milk and three shots of espresso, no foam, extra hot with Sweet'NLow.” Starbucks will customize your coffee any way that you want it. In fact, the premier coffee shop offers you 19,000 different ways to enjoy your coffee. Is that excessive?
It is merely a sign of the times claims a recent front-page story in USA TODAY (weekend edition; March 5-7, 2004) entitled “You want it your way.” The author, Bruce Horowitz, also reveals that many businesses in the food industry have greatly increased their selection of products to accommodate picky American customers. Tropicana will sell you orange juice with high, medium or low pulp consistency. You can also choose the low sugar and/or the enriched calcium options among the 24 different types of orange juice that the company offers. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, which offered only 34 flavors in 1977, now sells 250 flavors. I don’t care about the nut-free, gluten-free or even the kosher ice cream options, but — 250 flavors — that’s progress!
It seems that everyone has jumped on the Burger King bandwagon. “Have it your way” was BK’s slogan and we Americans have heartily embraced the concept… and not just with our food. We want our cars customized right down to the individualized license plates with the cryptic message that the distracted driver behind us is still trying to figure out as he rear-ends us. Pay attention to advertising and you will notice that, while quality of product is obviously still a selling point, choice is king. “Don’t make me fit in a box; I want it my way!”
I am convinced that this same attitude prevails in religion. Granting that churches have not been as quick as some businesses to pick up on the consumer trend, it is undeniable that some churches are employing the same strategy of “choice” to attract members. The same church may offer a formal worship service and also a casual service. You can choose between the “traditional” service with “old-timey” music or you can attend the more contemporary service with the Christian rock band. The choice is yours and many churches want to do whatever it takes to make you, the religious “consumer”, happy.
Interestingly enough, God doesn’t seem to share this concern about individualized worship. He gave specific instructions about the nature of worship that pleases Him (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16.; John 4:24; Hebrews 12:28; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 1 Corinthians 14:33-35) rather than what pleases the worshipper.
God didn’t provide lots of “roads” to salvation, just one (John 14:6) and that one path is restrictive (Matthew 7:13,14). Men can “carve” their own paths or “invent” their own means for salvation, but they are deceiving themselves. God does the saving of men from sin and His means is the ONLY plan that will be recognized in the last day. Get your coffee any way that you want, but recognize that, if you want to be saved, you are going to have to accept God's plan!