"Diana" <dianaiad@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:SgyFj.6837$Oj5.4750@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Daniel S. Vieira" <email-in-sig@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:13ucuu5j0qd0d00@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Diana wrote:
>>
>>> Dan?
>>>
>>> I had to look a couple of times to make certain that it was you
posting
>>> this. It seems somewhat out of character. Goodness, what a grump!
>>
>> Why? That I care that what p***** for "church" these days is more of a
>> media-fest, feel good, humanocentric approach to "god" than anything
>> resembling the Gospel?
>>
>> The American Religion isn't the Gospel of Christ, it's the Gospel of
Man.
>> We've discussed it to death here, you might want to go to Google
groups,
>> look up "American Religion" and read our critiques of it.
>>
>> Anyway, Happy Ostara!
>>
>> Dan
>
> I think that, in many of the events you give us, there is a great deal
> more about the Savior and the Atonement than you give them credit for,
is
> all I'm saying.
Sorry to butt in here, but Dan truly provided a community service. LOL!
Lets noodle this one out. If you are a regular member of a true thriving
church, do you need any of these ads?
Even if you just moved into town, and are in need of a "Bounce House",
free
breakfast and live rock-n-roll by some 2nd rate amateurs, don't you think
that you would have already scouted this sort of "ministry" out earlier
rather than on the most attended day of the year?
Visitors are and should be consumers, yet I'm struggling with how my tax
deductable church donation is somehow furthering the Kingdom by awarding a
once-a-year attendee with a Nintendo Wii just for showing up. Are they
there to win a game console so that they can go home and indulge in 24/7
first person shoot-em-ups and play Grand Theft Auto courtesy of Woodland
Hills Church? Or are they there to get saved? I'm 100% confident it is
the former, and also strongly confident that if by some accident they did
come to get saved, there wouldn't be much reason to given the din of the
screaming guitars and raging drum solos for Jesus. I just can't see St
Paul doing his best Alice Cooper routine before a screaming throng of
Romans
in the Colliseum so that some might be saved, yet that is exactly what
church organizers are betting on.
If Texas is the buckle of the Bible Belt, the city of Austin would be one
of
the sizing holes in the belt because I swear, judging by the crowds last
night, Lot must be my next door neighbor. (OK, I'm taking a bit of
literary
license). There wasn't a "church" in the entire area (save the small OPC
I
attend) that didn't have some sort of fertility symbol rich children's
event going on (aka 'Ishtar egg hunt', chicken eggs courtesy of a
prolific
bunny named Peter). As for me, I'm highly offended. As Dan points out,
here is a church that instead of advertising the foundational elements of
the Christian faith on the Passover week, chooses to spend its marketing
and
advertising budget on advancing ancient Babylonian fertility rites for the
neighborhood children. (I'm sure the government schools cover the
obligatory temple prostitute rites for us)
Can anyone explain to me how gathering up colored plastic eggs hidden in
the
parking lot and the landscaping of the local "church" is supposed to lead
anyone to Christ? Did I miss something in my EE cl*****?
I also am intrigued by the "blended wor****p" offered at 1st Presby of
Grenada Hills. Who thought that this was a great idea? Traditionally the
Big Box Hallelujah House have a CCM service and a "traditional" service
ostensibly because one group can't stand the other's choice in wor****p.
So
when they promise to "blend" the services, are they trying to piss
everyone
off? I'm sure when the house band puts the amps in overdrive this might
be
the first time in a long time that granny can hear the music without a
hearing aid - and ***** about it being "too loud". Unfortunately they
might
also prove that there is indeed the Brown Note. Hopefully she is wearing
an
adult diaper when this takes place.
I like the CP Lutheran's "Unique Multi-Media Wor****p Service". Sort of
like experiencing Woodstock on a big screen TV without the mud and rain.
So I went to www.theshepherd.org to see this spectacle of the glowing
tomb.
Honestly I don't know what possessed the artist to make a bright light
****ne
from an EMPTY tomb, I sort of expect to see some willowy green alien
from
the "Invasion From Mars" movie slowly emerging from this glowing tomb,
smoke
billowing out as a creepy frame, the alien slowly raising his hand in a
Vulcan greeting...background music making a slow crescendo before Alfie
the
dog breaks free and jumps up on the alien, the alien then shooting rays
from
its eyes va****izing the poor sheep dog.
Actually, if they had that as a website animation, I would have gone
regardles if there was a FREE Continental breakfast.
Furthermore, I fail to see why anyone wants to romanticize the crucifixion
by backlighting the cross, or a tomb. It was a messy, bloody, horrible
event that was detailed by the disciples by the long description "...and
he
was crucified." Even they didn't want to revel in the act of His death.
I
look at these pictures and wonder if some dope is going to think that this
is beautiful and they would contact a landscape designer to rig up the
same
backdrop in their own yard. "Honey, its a beautiful sunset, lets take
that
bottle of wine, and go out and spend a romantic evening under the torture
device." It looked so attractive and inviting in the church brochure.
[ Personally I am convinced that it wasn't St Helena's cross, but an olive
tree where Christ and the two thieves were crucified.]
I might want to add. You can always tell a healthy church when the
parking
lot is about the same level on Resurrection Sunday as it is on anyother
non-summer Sunday. When they are parking in the grass and need to bring
in
shuttles, you are guaranteed that it would have been better to be on the
golf course than inside.
I hope that my rant here has made Dan's community service appear to come
from a giddy optimist in comparison.
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