“Cotton Candy Christianity”
Text: Hebrews 5:11-6:1a
2/1/2026
In the name of our God who feeds our souls, dear friends in Christ. One my all-time favorite comic strips is one called “Baby Blues.” I even used to have one of those daily flip calendars of it. I remember one in particular that sounded just like my own children. The little girl, named Zoe, is sitting at the dinner table and she says, “Mommy, may I be excused?” Mom says, “Are you sure? If you leave the table now, you won’t get any dessert.” Zoe responds, “Oh... How about if I stay, but this stuff on my plate gets excused?”
Is there any good parent who hasn’t had to fight this battle? Mom tries to put a balanced meal on the table—one that’s good for the kids, one that will help their bodies grow healthy and strong—and invariably there will be certain foods that the kids will try to weasel out of eating. For some, it’s a long list and for others it’s shorter. And the battle goes on. Oh sure, everybody will have certain foods they don’t particularly like. But I’m talking about the type of kid who would forego almost every fruit and vegetable and reject almost every kind of meat and potatoes or rice. Ah, but they always have room for dessert... as long as you don’t sneak anything healthy in there!
Why do parents fight those battles? Isn’t it because we know our children need a balanced diet if we want them to be and stay healthy? There are all kinds of diseases and anemic conditions that are caused by nutritional deficiencies. That’s why parents push their kids to eat what’s good for them.
It seems to me that we face a similar problem in the Christian Church. God has supplied us with a healthy diet for our souls, but like children we sometimes try to avoid what will make us, and keep us, strong in our faith. I’ve coined a phrase for this. I call it “Cotton Candy Christianity.” Cotton Candy is sweet and tastes good, but there isn’t much substance to it. It’s all fluff and mostly sugar. It’s fun to nibble on as you walk around at the county fair. But you’d be a fool if you tried to survive on it. And yet, that’s precisely what our sinful nature wants to do when it comes to God’s Word and Sacraments. We want the fluffy, sweet theology that sings about a God who is our buddy, a God who doesn’t condemn our sinful behavior and a God who never says “no.” Our sinful natures would rather avoid the stuff that’s more difficult to digest. Things like God’s means of grace and His righteousness apart from our works and His gift of faith which we receive without any decision on our part. Those are doctrines of God that have substance and are healthy for us to “chew on.”
Evidently this is a problem that’s been around a long time because the writer of Hebrews addresses it in our text. In essence, he tells us that some Christians would prefer to act like little babies. They don’t want to consume God’s healthy, balanced meal for the mature soul. Verses 13-14 say, “for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature...” Jesus wants our faith to mature. But that can’t happen if we’re avoiding the healthy, spiritual food that God has prepared for our souls. And that’s what happens when we chase after the fluffy, sweet, cotton candy theology.
Many years ago, one of my relatives was having a problem with her child’s eating habits. So, she went to her pediatrician and said, “I can’t get my child to eat regular food. The kid will only eat cookies.” Do you know what the doctor said? He said, “Then feed her cookies. At least she’s eating.” Why would he say that? I suppose that doctor saw this Mom’s exasperation and figured this would end her battles. Which it did. But was it healthy for the child? From what I could see, I don’t think so.
But you know what? That’s exactly what happens sometimes in the Christian Church. I don’t care what denomination you look at; you’ll find it. Some more than others. It happens with the average person in the pew and even among Pastors and theologians. And it creates all kinds of battles in the Church. God’s Word presents us with difficult doctrines for us to digest, and inevitably someone will start whining about it. They’d rather have the cotton candy version. And like that doctor, all too many of us have thrown up our hands in exasperation and said, “Ah, give it to ‘em. At least they’re eating.” Forget the fact that it makes people spiritually anemic and weak. Forget the fact that it stunts the growth of their faith. Forget the fact that it makes us susceptible to all kinds of infections from the sinful world and Satan.
Can I give you some practical examples? Some churches have given in to the request—no, the demand—that women be allowed to become Pastors. {And by the way, our Synod is constantly being bombarded with this demand.} God’s Word says “no.” But instead of serving up the solid food of God’s Word for people to digest, they figure that it just ain’t worth the battle. Give ‘em the cotton candy so they’ll stop whining. Believe it or not, there people in our own Synod who say the same thing, even though it’s contrary to what God’s Word teaches. We should be feeding our people with the mature food of God’s Word, not the cotton candy theology.
What about homosexuality? I know of Christians, including some Lutherans, who feel it’s unloving to call homosexuality a sin. They figure that a homosexual will never darken the doors of our church unless we tell them that God accepts them just as they are. That, however, is the cotton candy version. The truth of God’s Word may be hard to digest, but the Bible says this choice of lifestyle is a sin that needs to be repented of just like any other sin. Yes, God loves homosexuals. But He loves them too much to leave them entangled in their sin. He wants to heal them. But they, like all of us, have to recognize their sins and ask for forgiveness.
Another example can be seen in the different approaches to the Sacraments in the Christian Church. The mature food of God’s Word teaches that in Baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and faith is created. And in Holy Communion the body and blood of Jesus Christ is actually present in the bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins. That’s some “meaty” doctrine to chew on. However, some churches have an easier, cotton candy approach. They avoid the difficult doctrines by saying that nothing happens in Baptism. It’s simply a public confession that you’ve decided to accept Jesus as your Savior. And in their minds, Christ isn’t really present in Holy Communion. It’s just an opportunity to remember and celebrate His death for us on the cross. How sad. By doing this, they’re depriving themselves of the rich, mature food that God offers to feed our faith and forgive our sins in these Sacraments.
This cotton candy approach is what leads all too many Pastors and congregations in our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to abandon the practice of “Close Communion.” St. Paul tells us that a person can harm their soul if they take Communion without being properly prepared. Why would we want to take the chance of helping a person do something that might harm them spiritually? On the surface, this doctrine is hard to understand. It takes time to study and digest why we ask people who don’t have the same confession of faith to refrain from Communing with us. Ah, but some of our people say, “I don’t like that.” So, we have Pastors and congregations who have given up trying to teach the mature food of God’s Word on Communion. Instead, they serve up the cotton candy version that says, “Give ‘em what they want. It ain’t worth the battle.”
Can we get really personal here? Over the years in my sermons and in private conversations I’ve had to say some hard things that cut right to the heart. Things that confronted sin in the lives of our members. As a result, some people don’t like what I have to say. Some get upset or angry with me. Folks, I’m just the waiter. I dish up the meal that God has supplied. Yes, I can add a little spice in my delivery or my style of preaching but it’s His meal for you. And if you don’t like it, or refuse to sit at His table to receive it, please don’t get mad at me or at our church. Your issue is with God. He’s the One who has said this is good for you. I would be an unfaithful servant of God if I gave in and preached cotton candy theology to you while leaving His banquet of mature food untouched and undigested.
Well, I’ve set before you some pretty meaty stuff for you to chew on. I pray that you’ll take it home and digest it and let God’s Word nourish your soul. So, are you ready for dessert yet? I hope so, because God’s Word is filled with its own sweetness called the Gospel. It’s not just a bunch of fluff. This sweet dessert of God has deep, nourishing substance to it. It’s kind of like an apple pie. Not only is its sweet, but it’s also good for you because it contains fruit. The sweetness of the Gospel is that God sent His Son to live and die upon the cross for you. The sweetness of the Gospel is that if you will confess your sins to Him, they’ll all be forgiven and all the bitter guilt, shame, and condemnation will be gone.
When I was a boy, my Mom would stand on the front porch and call us kids home for supper. It didn’t matter how naughty we had been that day; Mom always had a nutritious meal waiting for us. Maybe we didn’t always appreciate the meat and vegetables she prepared. That didn’t stop her from urging us to eat it anyway. That’s true of God’s Word. No matter how sinful we may have been, He keeps calling us back to His table to be fed. The sweetness of the Gospel is that even though we sometimes turn away and don’t receive His Word with appreciation He still keeps calling us back. God knows what’s good for your soul and He always has a nourishing meal waiting for you to make your faith strong and healthy. And He also has the sweetness of the Gospel always ready for you. He invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good!” So come and eat the balanced meal of His mature food for your soul and you will be satisfied. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!