I just finished watching an episode of the new TV show Public Morals. The show is about the gangster world of the 1960’s in New York and how all the cops were on the take. Before saying any more, I want to quickly add that I don’t recommend this show to anyone. But I was able to pull something worthwhile from this week’s episode.

There was a scene in this week’s episode where all the gangsters and cops were at the wake of one of the mob runners who had been gunned down. During the wake, the mob boss of New York knelt at the coffin to tell the dirt bag what a louse he was for beating his wife and then he made the Catholic sign of the cross, kissed his rosary, and left. And all I could think of was, “That’s what’s killing the average church in the U.S.” Most parishioners are just like the mob boss. They go to church, sing the hymns, listen to the sermon and then go home to live as they please. They may not make the sign of the cross or kiss their rosary but they might as well have.

I’m convinced that the vast majority of people who attend worship these days are such hypocrites that they are not only killing their churches but they are damning their souls. It’s time that our churches raise the bar, hold people accountable, and quit begging people to attend worship or give an offering. You don’t have to ask real Christians to worship or give. That is what real Christians do. Instead, people do like the mob boss and pretend to be a Christian while killing their church.

What worries me the most is that too many church people will see that episode and never ask themselves, “How can that guy do that with a straight face?”

Question: How would you hold church members accountable and live like real Christians should? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.