After six months as the online host for ChurchRater.com, I will be stepping down from this role.
It's simply been too much: balancing work, seminary, preaching, blogging and efforts on my own book (reality: no efforts lately) has been a growth experience, but too much to juggle in a healthy way. My wife thinks some of the screws are starting to come loose… I think she’s right!
I’m thankful to the Off The map Crew and to so many who regularly posted at ChurchRater.com and look forward to seeing where the site goes with the next blog host.
Now, hopefully I can spend a little time at my own blogs...
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at www.EmergingChristianity.blogspot.com
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Tuesday
Hindus to Buddhists: Usurping Caste...
I was in Seattle over the weekend of November 5th (my one year anniversary!). Jen and I attended The Revolution Conference through Off The Map. Truly an amazing event.
An Indian (India Indian) evangelist named Sunil Sardar came to talk about alternative ways he and his movement are trying to undermine the Caste System. One of their methods is helping members of the upper castes convert to Buddhism from Hinduism. Right now, Christianity is seen as a "lower caste religion" because the "untouchable" Dalits are swarming to Jesus by the hundreds of thousands.
Until the upper castes reject the inhumane system, they will not even consider Christ. So the first, most natural step in affecting their worldview is presenting Buddhism to them, where there is freedom to choose what to do and believe.
Christians evangelizing Hindus to Buddhism? Heresy! I love it!
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at http://emergingchristianity.blogspot.com
An Indian (India Indian) evangelist named Sunil Sardar came to talk about alternative ways he and his movement are trying to undermine the Caste System. One of their methods is helping members of the upper castes convert to Buddhism from Hinduism. Right now, Christianity is seen as a "lower caste religion" because the "untouchable" Dalits are swarming to Jesus by the hundreds of thousands.
Until the upper castes reject the inhumane system, they will not even consider Christ. So the first, most natural step in affecting their worldview is presenting Buddhism to them, where there is freedom to choose what to do and believe.
Christians evangelizing Hindus to Buddhism? Heresy! I love it!
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at http://emergingchristianity.blogspot.com
Rejection Hurts
As I was Googling “Christianity” and “Church” recently, I stumbled across www.RejectionHurts.com, “an online community where people can share their personal stories of how they felt unwanted or alienated by organized religion.”
The site is produced by the United Church of Christ and includes all sorts of testimonies from the Church-Burned.
Now, I can’t fault UCC for this evangelism tactic. In fact, I think it’s in pretty good taste. But what I love about my own website, www.ChurchRater.com (shameless self-promotion here!) is that we’re not run by a church and we don’t demand happy endings. We acknowledge that for many, many (too many) people, the “church experience” ends with wounding and bitterness.
Reality isn’t always rosey and I GUARANTEE there is no church or denomination that has found “The Answer” to not hurting people.
I’d encourage you to check out www.RejectionHurts.com and think about what is and is not affective or valuable for seekers and those in spiritual recovery…
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at www.emergingchristianity.blogspot.com
The site is produced by the United Church of Christ and includes all sorts of testimonies from the Church-Burned.
One post reads…I love the idea of this website and the tone it takes. However, after reading quite a few of the posts, I realized that almost all of the stories resolved with a “and then I found the UCC Church!” happy ending.
“…one Sunday, my mother convinced me to go to church with her. Everything was fine until the sermon. It was about the ’signs of death in the church’. According to the sermon, the worst was divorce and that those that divorce are going to hell. I was furious. I had done nothing wrong, and I was being told I was going to hell. I turned to my mother, told her I was leaving and would never again set foot in that church…”
Another says…
“…we attended a loving church for over a decade, but when the congregation discovered my homosexuality, I noticed that I had begun to become somewhat segregated from the rest of the church community, and when the clergy began distributing propaganda about the “detestable wickedness” of homosexuals, and similar literature that was blatantly homophobic and hateful to lesbians and gays, I simply quit going to church and over a year I had adopted a rage-filled, agnostic approach to God and religion…”
Now, I can’t fault UCC for this evangelism tactic. In fact, I think it’s in pretty good taste. But what I love about my own website, www.ChurchRater.com (shameless self-promotion here!) is that we’re not run by a church and we don’t demand happy endings. We acknowledge that for many, many (too many) people, the “church experience” ends with wounding and bitterness.
Reality isn’t always rosey and I GUARANTEE there is no church or denomination that has found “The Answer” to not hurting people.
I’d encourage you to check out www.RejectionHurts.com and think about what is and is not affective or valuable for seekers and those in spiritual recovery…
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at www.emergingchristianity.blogspot.com
Friday
The Nature of Good & Evil...
From the Mouths of Babes
Two young boys at a Montessori school were involved in a serious discussion about whether "bad guys" existed or not.
In Montessori teaching, they don't let the young children play bad guy/good guy at school, or emulate superheroes or play with guns.
One of the boys insisted to the other that "bad guys did NOT exist!"
The other boy was saying "they DID exist," very adamantly.
The boy who believed in bad guys turned around and said to his teacher, "Bad guys do exist. My dad told me."
The teacher responded, "what did he tell you?"
"Well," he answered, "my dad said a person stole money from a bank and he was a BAD GUY!"
By this time the whole room was listening intently. Their teacher was conflicted: will I admit that bad guys exist or not? she thought.
"Are bad guys real?" the disbelieving little boy asked.
The teacher answered, "I think sometimes there are people who make bad decisions, or bad actions, or bad choices... but that does not necessarily make them a BAD GUY... it means they made a very bad choice..."
Ellie, a three-and-a-half year old girl who was listening jumped up: "Yes! Like George Bush!"
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at EmergingChristianity...
Two young boys at a Montessori school were involved in a serious discussion about whether "bad guys" existed or not.
In Montessori teaching, they don't let the young children play bad guy/good guy at school, or emulate superheroes or play with guns.
One of the boys insisted to the other that "bad guys did NOT exist!"
The other boy was saying "they DID exist," very adamantly.
The boy who believed in bad guys turned around and said to his teacher, "Bad guys do exist. My dad told me."
The teacher responded, "what did he tell you?"
"Well," he answered, "my dad said a person stole money from a bank and he was a BAD GUY!"
By this time the whole room was listening intently. Their teacher was conflicted: will I admit that bad guys exist or not? she thought.
"Are bad guys real?" the disbelieving little boy asked.
The teacher answered, "I think sometimes there are people who make bad decisions, or bad actions, or bad choices... but that does not necessarily make them a BAD GUY... it means they made a very bad choice..."
Ellie, a three-and-a-half year old girl who was listening jumped up: "Yes! Like George Bush!"
please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at EmergingChristianity...
Wednesday
Falling From Grace...
We found out recently that the youth pastor at a church my wife once attended quite a few years ago was found with exploitative and pornographic materials on his work computer.
As this scandal unfolds, unconnected pieces from years past - unanswered questions, puzzling circumstances (unnamed abuses and assaults in a small, rural town) - begin to fit together and paint an even darker image.
That night, Jen wept and I choked back tears and nausea. “I trusted him,” Jen said in shock.
He was a friend and confidant to her - a good natured peer, 25 years old. I didn’t know him well, but had liked him when I met him.
So I don’t really know what to feel. I’m angry, as young ladies close to us have been victimized not only by this sad predator but by a church that allowed a young man to lead a co-ed ministry without proper supervision or accountability.
But I’ve seen the same at churches I’ve attended. This type of tragic negligence is nothing new…
Forgive me while this anger burns a little while.
...please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at EmergingChristianity...
As this scandal unfolds, unconnected pieces from years past - unanswered questions, puzzling circumstances (unnamed abuses and assaults in a small, rural town) - begin to fit together and paint an even darker image.
That night, Jen wept and I choked back tears and nausea. “I trusted him,” Jen said in shock.
He was a friend and confidant to her - a good natured peer, 25 years old. I didn’t know him well, but had liked him when I met him.
So I don’t really know what to feel. I’m angry, as young ladies close to us have been victimized not only by this sad predator but by a church that allowed a young man to lead a co-ed ministry without proper supervision or accountability.
But I’ve seen the same at churches I’ve attended. This type of tragic negligence is nothing new…
Forgive me while this anger burns a little while.
All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
Psalm 14:3
...please read more about my thoughts on the evolution of Christianity at EmergingChristianity...
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