Loud rock music, smoke machines, giant blue glowing crosses. Not exactly what a person would expect at a church service.

But it is the new wave of church services, targeted at young adults ages 18 to 30. Like any good business, the church is moving along with the times, finding new and hip ways to attract the young blood.

Many of these services now allow people to show up in T-shirts and jeans rather than having to dress up and be uncomfortable for two hours.

While some of these new approaches are seen as positive, a lot more aren’t. The services are, for the most part, targeted at college students who attended church but since going to college have stopped for one reason or another. While I have no beef with recruiting new blood into a dying organization, the way it comes across seems highly suspect.

Many people look for answers in their life because multiple experiences have them questioning what they know, and they turn to the church.

But this new approach seems to be little more than an attempt to prey on college students. Churches are luring them in with bells, whistles and free travel mugs.

Organizers of these groups claim there is a message of worship and praise, once you get past all that other stuff. But shouldn’t a church service praising God not have to have all that? Should something as serious as a religious activity really be using bright lights and slick advertising to trick people into coming in the door? There are of course those who would say as long as the message of praise gets through, that is the important part. This is, however, the key point. If it takes all of the pieces of hype and glitz to get people to attend, then the message is already lost. If the message and praise were important these people would already be attending church on their own.

I think back to the “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets that were all the rage a few years back, and wonder just what Jesus would do.

I think Jesus would break down crying that his name was used to turn a profit for selling small pieces of fabric. I also am inclined to think he certainly wouldn’t approve of his message being used as a backdrop for rock music and free things to bribe people to listen to his story.

After all, what would we think if an organization such as the Ku Klux Klan came to campus recruiting members using popular bands and giving away free things, when all you have to do is listen to their message? Chances are they would have a full-scale riot on their hands for using such underhanded tactics to gain members.

I’d be the first to admit that Christian churches could use an update.

Of course I think those first few changes should include a focus on not hating people, and accepting all differences. It’s great that some religious groups are paying more attention to the younger generation, and not just brushing them aside as they have had a history of doing. It’s just too bad that they feel the need to try and trick people into entering in and losing the most important aspects of religious worship.

Blaine Moyle is a senior in English from Des Moines.