The following is the introduction from the book I am currently working on writing.  God Boxing is just the working title of the book, and subsequently of the first chapter as well.  Please, everyone, leave me some feedback and ideas.  Thanks.

Introduction

          As we advance and improve ourselves, as it seems to be in our nature to do so, we tirelessly strive to make things better, faster, easier, smaller, less expensive, and something with which to make our lives more convenient.  We can look at all of our technological toys and advancements to see the advent of this thought process in every day items, like iPods, computers, cell phones, and a myriad of other things.  We can also see this pattern appearing everywhere in our everyday affairs, with get rich quick schemes, instant weight loss programs, fast food, high speed internet, and so on.  Whatever it is, people want results, they want them faster, they want them now, and generally with little effort on their part.  Sadly, I see this same pattern appearing throughout the modern church, and the body of Christ.  It appears that with the development of schemes for instant "this" and instant "that", somewhere along the way we have developed the idea of instant Christianity.  Incidentally, this has turned much of the Church into something that I have coined the "holy ghost vending machine," insert a prayer and salvation is yours.  In this regard, too much emphasis is being placed on the act of salvation, the simple act of accepting Christ, rather than the actual working of faith and true repentance in one's self towards the goal of actualizing one's own salvation.  In turn, this is breeding a mentality within the Church that more is better, and is bordering on turning the Church into a free enterprise, where the belief rides that "the more people that can be saved means more people in attendance, which means more tithes, which in turn leads to more money for the church."  It seems that people want to put no more effort into their walk with Christ, and the salvation of their eternal souls, then they do in their short walks and thirty minute exercises with Chuck Norris in their pursuit to lose weight.

            The Church has put God into a neat little box, pretty and packaged, ready to sell to the masses.  They have made salvation their sales pitch, and God their product.  God is no longer the omnipresent God that our fathers and forefathers once knew, but something with which to supplement our daily lives like a once a day vitamin.  Somewhere amidst this almighty mess the church has become more politically correct in an effort to become more presentable to the world and its constituents.  Yet, it should not be the goal of the church to make ourselves more presentable and acceptable to big businesses, the media, sports, or education; however, over time this has become the aim of the Church.  We have become diplomats instead of prophets and missionaries preaching a message, and our message is no longer an ultimatum as it should be, but a compromise.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ"  (Galatians 1:10)

            Many of us try to put a limitation on God, to put him within a set of boundaries and definitions that we have established in order to make our relationship with him easier, and more capable of lending itself to our own understanding.  Though, ultimately this kind of relationship is hollow and artificial, based on a set of limited definitions applied to a God that is limitless in power and scope.  Though, some cut God out of the Picture entirely, removing him from where he once was, as is evident in our morally deteriorating society, government, and embodied politics.  Also, Christians and non-Christians alike play a game of "pin the tail on the deity" in an effort to explain or un-explain that which they do or do not understand by blaming it on God.

            All of this "God boxing" is a problem, a self inflicted wound that will not go away on its own.  As we move on and the world gets bigger, God will subsequently become smaller in our daily lives, reduced by men.  I fear that if we are not mindful of the situation, we will subtract God from the equation altogether.