Sociologist George Ritzer coined the term “McDonaldization,” to refer to the principles of the fast-food market applied to society at large. When used for the church’s life, it means that church life is a privatized, quick-fix faith rather than discipleship or apprenticeship in the Christian community. As a result, it diminishes the significance of long obedience in the right direction.
Church comes packaged for fast consumption. You sit down on Sunday morning with your latte purchased at the coffee shop, usually at the entrance, and then you consume the service like a theater with your buttered popcorn and extra-extra-sized soda.
We have industrialized church to make us feel at ease with the experience of worship; our live-streamed service is so live that as long as you keep tithing, we are perfectly ok with you staying at home on Sundays. So, sit for 45 minutes, make business contacts to extend your professional career, and leave your faith at the exit door. Then, see you at the buffet for lunch!
Nothing in this model resembles, approaches, or nears a robust biblical faith, whether phrased with the rationale of evangelism or Gospel-centeredness.
We are to taste and see that Jesus is good, which means worship is not a fast consumption, but the hard work of making melody in our hearts to Christ and one another, of listening and repenting, of grieving our sins and exalting in our Savior. All of this demands the loyalty of men and women at all baptized stages of life to taste and see Jesus, not as a consumer, but a called inheritor of grace.
The McDonaldization of the Church is an abomination, and woe are we if we allow that philosophy to be seen as normal or if we act indifferent to such things. Christians are slow eaters: we allow the Word to enter and chew on it day and night. We taste and see that the Lord is good, which means we experience and objectively acknowledge that God is who he says he is and will not be mocked.
If Jesus is truly all-glorious above, then the saint must be all-enthralled below. So come, let us worship and give of ourselves—body and soul—before the throne of God for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever
