A Church Visit

While I was visiting my mother in Pennsylvania last week I attended a nearby Baptist church. Here's my report:

1. The building is pretty new, on a big plot of land in the country. They used to be located in the heart of the city, but moved to this site some years ago. You have to climb a "giants despair" type mountain road to get there. It was an all-white congregation.
2. We walked in during the reading of the day's Scripture. It was from the ESV (a pleasant suprise).
3. This being the Sunday after Independence Day, there was a lot of apparently obligatory talk about how this nation was founded on Christian principles. The pastor, who was actually on vacation, stopped in to make this familiar argument at length before allowing the guest preacher to take the floor.
4. Also, he said something about "performance driven Christianity." He was ag'n it. That made me perk up a little. Another good sign.
5. Music was standard rocky-praise led by a proficient band, but no one really took part until the final song, America the Beautiful, when suddenly the congregation (even the men) began singing robustly.
6. Which reminds me: a large flag hung on the wall front and center (right behind the drum kit), but there wasn't a cross in sight. I don't say there has to be a cross, but get the flag out in the foyer or something, rather than let it be the one "symbol" allowed in the sanctuary. Just my opinion.
7. Guest speaker was a missionary from Argentina. Since the vacationing pastor took up so much time with his patriotic history lesson, the guest speaker had to rush through his message. It was based on 2Cor 4:1-7, and the conclusion was that that we should be more like Paul, who was clearly a right-thinking dude. Then the familiar "invitation" at the end.
8. Oh yeah, there was a a long riff in there about the world vs. the church. You know, the world. Them others. Not us. We kinda don't like them much, but then again we're supposed to love 'em, and then they're supposed to like us and come to our church in its remote field on top of a mountain. If they don't, well, that's just the world for ya.
9. I brought my sister to church with me, and she hadn't been to church in years, so I was hoping for something much more, well, stirring. It seemed very clean and exurban, and remote from reality. Not awful, not devoid of all worth, but rather weak tea. These folks are trying hard, God bless 'em. You walk away thinking, is this what has lasted 2000 years? Does this really "represent" what Christ is doing in the world today? Is that all there is?