My wife and I went to one of those good-time rock-and-roll mega-churches (well, Mrs. randog did and I dutifully attended on Easter and Christmas). A couple of years ago we attended Christmas services, and I walked away feeling empty. Sure, the rock band played, and they had a couple of plays, but afterward I argued that the sermon (all ten minutes of it given by a pastor in flip flops and a Hawaiian shirt) was full of inconsistencies. I felt that the pastor had gotten it all wrong.
We went home after a post-service Christmas party and I turned the tube on. There was a televised catholic mass and I had my wife sit down with me to see a proper Christmas service (I was raised catholic). We both felt better after that, and we've since left the good-time, rock-and-roll church (and have heard since that many others have done likewise).
And I walked out of our parish church during Easter mass - a sermon on the Resurrection as a symbol - all about your resurrection, my resurrection, our resurrection. I drove to the next town and took communion there, and I’m still Catholic at a parish we love, but you can find a bad church in any denomination.
At the church we left, they still have the self-conscious, swishy priest who glares at restless toddlers and babies who fuss for a few seconds (all K-5 children are strongly encouraged to go to the children’s room where they play instead of listening to the children’s lesson there, creeping new age-ism, contempt for tradition, an in-your-face gender neutrality and elevation of laity, and a grand embracing Parish Theme - Sharing Our Stories. We went there on Ash Wednesday because it was the only service we could get to, and it was just as bad as it had ever been.
But if that was all I could find, I wouldn’t be Catholic any more.
Mrs VS
We live in a society that actively promotes "me, myself and I". It's all about feelings and not infrequently, Catholics grow 'bored' with their Sunday liturgy and seek something livelier. Yet another aspect of introspective feelings.
Those Evangelical pastors who take their faith seriously, occasionally end up discovering the Truth. One such pastor was Alex Jones. In his attempt to deliver to his congregation a Sunday celebration resembling the one celebrated by the early christians, dug deeper and into the Early Church Fathers. The result? Read his story below.
A twenty minute, useless message for which people did not even bother to remove their coats. It was nearly bereft of scriptural reference or deep insight, It was like running at high altitude not enough air to survive on. The previous night when I went to my church this is what I heard. (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2005/212_Fathers_Bring_Them_Up_in_the_Discipline_and_Instruction_of_the_Lord/)
Im sorry you were going to a health, happiness, and prosperity church those give true Gospel based churches a bad name. I suggest desiringgod.org if you want to see what a gospel based church can be!