Closed for Christmas (part II)

On MoJ we've often discussed the tendency of American society to elevate the nuclear family over broader conceptions of community.  I don't mean to belabor the story of megachurches closing for Christmas Sunday, but I can't resist after reading the New York Times coverage.  First, the granddaddy of all evangelical megachurches, Willow Creek outside Chicago, seems to be reveling in its ability to think outside the box:

Staff members at Willow Creek said they had had few complaints from members about the church closing on Christmas. Said the Rev. Mark Ashton, whose title is pastor of spiritual discovery: "We've always been a church that's been on the edge of innovation. We've been willing to try and experiment, so this is another one of those innovations." 

Second, even the churches who have simply cut back on the number of services offered on Christmas are offering some perplexing explanations:

"We're encouraging our members to do a family worship," Bishop Long said. "They could wake up and read Scripture and pray and sometimes sing a song, and go over the true meaning of what Christmas is, before opening up their gifts. It keeps them together and not running off to get dressed up to go off to church."

His church offers streaming video of the Sunday service, and Bishop Long said he expected a spike in viewers this Christmas. "They have an option if they want to join their family around the computer and worship with us," he said.

So the church is just a convenient collection of worshipping family units?  If the technology allows it, there's no reason why one worshipping family needs to go to the hassle of assembling with other worshipping families.  I guess someone should tell the Christians in China that their lives would be a lot easier if they started being more "innovative."

Rob