The term industrial complex is a technical term used to describe the intertwining of money, business, social systems, and politics. These zones converge upon one another in such a way that they influence one another, and to varying degrees, control one another. There are a variety of industrial complexes. A few commonly discussed ones are the military industrial complex, the political industrial complex, and the prison industrial complex.
    Like other industrial complexes, the Christian industrial complex is also an elaborate machine of different, but imbricating, parts. The cohabitation of Christianity and capitalism in free market nations presents a unique opportunity, and a sinister threat, to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The unique opportunity is the ability to use large amounts of money, business, technology, media, laws, and other societal structures to advance the gospel and kingdom of God. The sinister threat, however, is the temptation to water-down the absolute truths and commands of God's Word to get more benefits from the industrial environment. Hence the endless stream of preachers-for-profit, seeker-sensitive apostasy, sloppy agape/greasy grace, coin-operated prophecies, and other types of evangelical entrepreneurs getting rich off Christianity. And yet one area in which we often miss the sleight of hand is on the subject of family.
    The subject of family is where I have seen, and still see, many leaders water-down what Scripture says. Ponder how families are unusually important to a church (or ministry, or Christian organization). One church I worked at many years ago dubbed itself, A Family of Families. Many churches are precisely named, Family Life Center or Family Life Church. This is curious, considering how the church is consistently described and named and nicknamed in the New Testament.
    Many churches in the West place family on the central platform--not necessarily for noble Biblical reasons, but because the church, as a legal moneymaking organization, cannot survive without the steady cash flow families and their social networks provide. Therefore, by branding themselves as the ideal place to nurture your family, especially young families with little ones, they simultaneously keep the business afloat and prospering.
    In one church I interim pastored many years ago, the decision-making board wanted the church to take over a nextdoor daycare (they were renting a small adjoining building the church owned). The daycare owners could no longer do it and asked if we would be interested in taking over. The decision-making board was strongly in favor of Yes. Why? In their words, "To bring more families to the church."
    Notice the language. They did not say, "To introduce them to Jesus" or "To try to win their hearts to God" or "To transform their lives" or something similar. They did not use evangelistic or discipleship language. Sure, somewhere in the back of their souls I think they wanted that too, however, evangelism and discipleship were not their most urgent thoughts. The church desperately needed more money, and in western Christianity, that means the church needed more families.
    Perceive the intense intersectionality of money, business, technology, media, laws, politics, and other societal structures in western Christianity. It is a multibillion-dollar industry, not to mention the possibility of fame, personal riches, and godlike admiration. It is a multidirectional industry, the influence can go in any and all directions. When the church is unidirectionally influencing everything around it, without being corrupted and compromised in return, the church advances in supernatural power. But when the influence comes back at the church, and she is corrupted or watered-down by it, the church loses power, loses authority, loses credibility, loses God’s blessing, loses its lampstand, becomes Ichabod.
    The basic unit of the Christian industrial complex is the family, specifically the family’s money and social network. You can see, then, why a pastor or ministry leader faces great temptations and liabilities in how he/she deals with families. Leaders who succumb to the fear of losing members, losing money, and losing social networks usually deal with families using toxic positivity and family absolutism (family idolatry). They avoid or water-down Jesus' own words on the subject, like Matthew 10:34-37, Mark 3:31-35, and Mark 10:29-31. They avoid family-humbling scriptures like Ezekiel 20:18,19 (who wants to hear about false rules and false gods in the family?), Judges 14:4 (what parent wants to hear they might be wrong about God's plan?), and Numbers 14:31-33 (what parent wants to face how their own sin has caused their children to suffer?).
    Leaders who navigate the industrial complex faithfully present to families the full truth of God, a variety of scriptures across the entire Word, and at least try to help them process those scriptures and how they might be applied. Acts 20:27 (ESV): ...I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.