In the days when we lived in an agricultural economy, Farmer Jones’ wife would lift a few eggs from the chicken coop, grind some flour in a hand mill, and then bake a Birthday cake.  After a few centuries, society moved to what we call a ‘goods economy’. So now Mrs. Jones would walk to the village shop, buy some eggs and self-raising flour, and use these goods to bake her Birthday cake.  Later, society evolved into what we call a ‘service economy’: Mrs. Jones could now drive her Range Rover down to Marks & Spencer, where she could buy a pre-packaged Birthday cake straight off the shelf. But the 1990s saw another profound shift in society. In the new so-called ‘experience economy’, Mrs. Jones phones up a company like choc-o-bloc or McDonalds. She books an entire Birthday party experience for 30 screaming kids, and the company throws the Birthday cake in for free. Mrs. Jones has no longer any idea how a Birthday cake is made, or how much it costs.

In today’s world, people don’t pay for goods or services; they buy experiences. When we buy a coffee in Starbucks, we aren’t really paying for a cup of hot milky liquid. Our money is exchanged for the experience of café culture. Look at the marketing literature for Disneyworld, the latest gaming platform, or a BMW car. The promises being made to consumers all focus on the concept of an experience. We live in an “experience economy”.

This way of thinking has infected how many Christians think about a local church.  There is an expectation that settled, well-run churches can exist in pre-packaged form (built by people who do that sort of thing), allowing the rest of us to sample the experience they offer.  Many young Christians sit loose to their current church and avoid any attempt to get tied down by concepts like membership. Elders who talk about membership are treated like timeshare salesmen, trying to trap the unwary into a deal that will limit a young Christian’s freedom for decades.

But freedom turns out to be just another word for loneliness. Northern Ireland is notorious for the swarms of disillusioned Christians who move from church to church, searching for a better experience.  And in fifty years time, I believe that the problem of Christian consumerism could lead to the demise of Christian witness in Ireland.

Why do I make such an extravagant claim?  Well, building a local church is a bit like baking a cake.  It takes hard work, skill, and years of learning. The art has to be passed on from one generation to the next.  If everyone acts like consumers, then in a generation there will be no one left who knows how to bake the cake. Churches, like ships and computers and everything else, will be made in China. But unlike material goods, churches cannot be imported. Unless they are built locally, they won’t exist.

"Let them eat cake" said Marie Antoinette, revealing her complete lack of understanding of the social crisis that engulfed France in 1789. “Let others do church” may be the epitaph of a generation of Christian consumers that took the existence of local churches for granted.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

You need to let him get to the end before you'll see what I mean. The bit about "the One" is like something straight out of the last book of the Bible....

When I was a student I assumed that the world was a safe place: no one got sick or died. Relationships didnt end in heartache. But maybe you have learned quicker than I did that real life isn't like that. Sometimes life can overwhelm us, and we feel like we are drowning. If you are feeling like that, why not read Psalm 42 (and No. 43 - the two Psalms go together)?

How should you respond when someone accuses you of being intolerant because of your christian faith? I sometimes respond by asking a question in return: "Tell me, if something is important and true, shouldn't people be told about it? If someone discovered a cure for pancreatic cancer, how would you feel if they kept their private truth to themselves?" The logic is irrefutable, so you can then say "OK, what right have you to say that Christianity is unimportant and false, without even debating it with me?"

The Christian’s answer to fear is a deep-rooted conviction that you are loved by God, and that He has your best interests at heart.