Flash Mobs ... Now Cash Mobs! What's Next?

According to Wikipedia, a flash mob is "a group of people who assemble suddenly in a place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression." Usually the mob is gathered via various forms of social media such as Facebook and/or Twitter. The word was first coined in 2003. Since that time, many videos of flash mobs have gone viral.

Now there is a new kind of mob at work ... it's called a cash mob. Again, citing Wikipedia, a cash mob is "a group of people who assemble at a local business and all buy items from that business." The whole purpose of doing so is to support the local business ... and by extension, the local community. The first cash mob can be traced back to 2011.  And according to the local Lancaster newspaper, the first cash mob appeared in the city of Lancaster this past Sunday when a group of about 100 people mobbed a local downtown merchant for one purpose .... to buy! 

The emergence of these mobs manifests that our society just loves to go after whatever is "new and exciting!"  As a result, there is always a new fad just around the corner. Yesterday it was flash mobs ... today it is cash mobs ... what will tomorrow bring, "gash mobs" with people hitting a city block, gashing tires as they go? Or perhaps "trash mobs" consisting of people hitting an area to clean up trash (many areas could really use such a mob!)? Or maybe "mash mobs," where a group of people get together and mash some grapes or potatoes (for what purpose I would not know!)?

The church is not immune to this chasing after fads (does WWJD ring any bells?). One concern (of many) that I have for today's church is that in chasing after all that is new and exciting ... we have lost a grip on the old and life-changing. I am talking about God's Word and the truths of the gospel that it reveals to us. Please take a moment and read the following quote from pastor and author Kevin DeYoung: 

"The only thing more difficult than finding the truth is not losing it. What starts out as new and precious becomes plain and old. What begins a thrilling discovery becomes a rote exercise. What provokes one generation to sacrifice and passion becomes in the next generation a cause for rebellion and apathy. Why is it that denominations and church movements almost always drift from their theological moorings? Why is it that people who grow up in the church are often less articulate about their faith than the new Christian who converted at forty-five? Perhaps it’s because truth is like the tip of your nose-it’s hardest to see when it’s right in front of you. No doubt, the church in the West has many new things to learn. But for the most part, everything we need to learn is what we've already forgotten. The chief theological task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or to be relevant but to remember. We must remember the old, old story. We must remember the faith once delivered to the saints. We must remember the truths that spark reformation, revival, and regeneration" (The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism). 

Hmm. Perhaps we need to get back to that old, old gospel and allow its beauty and truth to renew our souls, invigorate our hearts, stretch our minds and strengthen our faith!

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj