The sermon can be used to prop up the idol of personality, where the crucified Christ is not preached, but instead the pastor is glorified. Baptism can be used as a means of control and self-congratulatory growth for the church, where baptisms are tallied because they look nice on our ministry scorecard, and individual members bask in the feeling that big things are happening. We can sing songs, take Communion, and sit under beautiful preaching while harboring the world in our hearts. These aren’t just minor missteps in our style or approach, but debilitating distortions of the rituals of
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