Recent events have convinced me we are in the midst of a Christian zombie apocalypse.  Far too many of the Christians I meet appear to be zombies.  I try to engage them, but the vacant stare soon convinces me to back away lest they figure out I’m not one of them. 

I’m not much of a zombie fan.  The television and movie portrayals are too gory and fanciful for me.  I’ve seen enough, though, to recognize zombie traits.  Zombies stagger around, mindlessly driven by their need to use a living person’s brain to fuel their not-really-alive existence.  I’m convinced the zombie emphasis in the media is indicative of something deeper going on in our culture, even Church culture. Where are the living, breathing, thinking believers this world desperately needs?

Christian book stores, if you can find one, have a corner for theology, which the ancients called the “mother of all sciences”, while there is row after row on how to be happy.  There are books on happy marriages, happy children, happy jobs.  All based on the idea that God wants you to be happy.  Someone, please stumble over to your Bible and find me that promise.

Certainly, God cares for our hurts and He wants to meet our needs. His promises of provision, however, are for those who have died to self to live for Him.  He has no promises for those who seek Him for selfish and temporary reasons.  His call is to take up a cross, and follow.

Where are the thinkers of contemporary Christianity?  Billy Graham is still with us, and he faithfully calls us back to the Bible and repentance.  Chuck Colson tried to challenge believers to be salt and light, but his voice is silent.  Also gone are Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis.  Pray that the Lord will give us voices like this again, voices to challenge believers to rise above the mindless worldliness that focuses on materialism, self-actualization, and small and petty self-pleasing theology.

In the midst of all this zombie-like searching for pleasure and happiness, has it occurred to anyone that perhaps we are not to be happy in this broken world?  Do our pulpits still ring with that thought?  Do we remember that we are not to love this world, that love of the world excludes the love of God?  (Jn. 15:19, 1 Jn. 2:15)

You’re not dead yet.  Let go of living for yourself, walk into the light, follow Him and live for His purpose.