The Privatization of Piety

Pastor Peters at Pastoral Meanderings has an excellent post on misdirected piety. Read it all, but here's a brief quote:

Money is not our problem. Buildings are not our problem. Even hostile governments are not our problem. What is our problem is our weak and vacillating piety -- treating the mighty things of God as a meme to illicit sentimental response and depriving our faith of the very means of grace that encourage, uplift, and comfort us with the fruits of Christ's work of salvation. The sad reality is that the privatization of piety -- distinguishing that individual piety from the Church and what goes on there around the Word and Sacraments -- has left us with a private faith that is both content to live alone and excuse for doing what is easy and convenient over what is right.

The privatization of piety leads to enthusiasm. A right understanding of piety returns us to the Church where God comes to us in Word and Sacrament. It reminds us that the emphasis of our faith life is God for Us.