• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Church Leadership Easter Bunny Churches

Easter Bunny Churches

Posted on June 4, 2019 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment


I have experienced too many churches that are like chocolate Easter bunnies.

The chocolate bunny looks so enticing with the shiny foil wrapping on the outside, but often when you unwrap it you find that the chocolate is waxy and the bunny is hollow.

We are in an age when churches feel pressure to be trendy and culturally hip to attract people in. We rely on large screens, loud music, stage decorations, and pop culture references to give people an experience that will leave them wanting more.

There is nothing inherently wrong with these things as long as what is under the wrapping is what it should be and isn’t hollow. But if the “experience” is all there is, we will not accomplish the mission that Jesus called us to do.

When there is little or nothing on the inside, the chocolate bunny analogy is a perfect illustration. Like a Ponzi scheme or a house of cards, it is hard to sustain the growth when the foundation is weak or non-existent. Eventually, the structure becomes unstable and will collapse.

The glitz and technology will not keep people coming in for the same reason that I am unlikely to ever buy a chocolate Easter bunny again.

As always, it is what is on the inside that counts.


Filed Under: Church Leadership

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

I have the opportunity to go to Istanbul, Turkey this summer to minister to Syrian refugees. If you would like more details about this trip, please use this link Mark McIntyre - Istanbul, Turkey Please note that this trip is fully funded, but I would appreciate your continued prayer. The trip will take place June 27 - July 6, 2025.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Remember the real enemy – it may not be who you think

1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our real enemy is the devil who prowls around looking for those he can devour. Unfortunately we, as church members, sometimes aid him in his devouring.

What if we lived out what we say we believe?

A woman beginning her ninth decade laughs when she is told that she will bear a son. Her husband is ten years her senior which adds to the seeming impossibility. In response to her laughter, God asks Abraham a question, “is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14)

That same question remains for us.

No Love

Love without qualifications

We are commanded to love, that love is not to be conditioned upon any response. Can we do this?

Question 19

What is the misery of man’s fallen condition?

But those of us who are in Christ and have accepted his provision for us have had that guilt removed. We are no longer under condemnation (see Romans 8:1). We can begin to rise above the misery of this life and experience joy in our relationship with God.

Forgetting what lies behind

So while we may not totally forget the failures of the past, we can live knowing that we are not stuck and those failures don’t define us.

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
July 2025
SMTWTFS
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031 
« Jun    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2025 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in