Detoxifying Churches
My blogging friend Ryan Hale has a very good blog up about Churches who Wound.
Do you know any like that?
Here is the core of Hale's piece:
I'll admit it right now; the meanest people I've ever met in my life are Christians. And those people will manipulate everything & everyone to get some power in the church because it gives them an avenue of legitimacy to just run over people. Stories are legion of deacons who are almost the Anti-Christ in charcter & action. I remember one WMU lady in particular . . . never mind.All of those things wound people. It is real. It hurts. And it is killing churches because they are losing numbers every day.The answer is that the churches need to seriously evaluate themselves. It means taking a long, hard look at what it is, why it is, how it got there, & where it wants to go. It means detoxifying itself --- a very painful process. It means talking to the community, former members, people who dislike the church & even people who simply "heard rumors" & then face up to its image & history. For many churches, it will mean public apologies & private weeping over past sins.
You can read his entire blog at
www.thatbaptistaintright.blogspot.com
Do you know any like that?
Here is the core of Hale's piece:
I'll admit it right now; the meanest people I've ever met in my life are Christians. And those people will manipulate everything & everyone to get some power in the church because it gives them an avenue of legitimacy to just run over people. Stories are legion of deacons who are almost the Anti-Christ in charcter & action. I remember one WMU lady in particular . . . never mind.All of those things wound people. It is real. It hurts. And it is killing churches because they are losing numbers every day.The answer is that the churches need to seriously evaluate themselves. It means taking a long, hard look at what it is, why it is, how it got there, & where it wants to go. It means detoxifying itself --- a very painful process. It means talking to the community, former members, people who dislike the church & even people who simply "heard rumors" & then face up to its image & history. For many churches, it will mean public apologies & private weeping over past sins.
You can read his entire blog at
www.thatbaptistaintright.blogspot.com
posted by foxofbama | 9:57 AM
11 Comments:
"Post a Comment On: asfoxseesit"CB Scott tumped big Time at bl.com"
1 Comment - Show Original Post
" Anonymous said...
I wish you would indentify yourself cause your petty insouciance is starting to get on my ever lovin nerves.
We can have some sort of mutual respect if you would come out of the shadows.
Excuse me-whomever YOU ARE-you need to practice what you preach-for some reason-you chose to reply to my above post anonymously-
Look-If it's okay for you to reply to me anonymously then it's also okay for me and everyone else to do the same-It's plain to see that the vast majority of comments on your blog are done in that mannner-
So,if you wish to continue getting comments on your ramblings then you better keep on allowing anonymous replies-Or else,you will end up replying to yourself.
10:30 AM
Why did you delete my comment instead of replying to it?It must be easier for you to take the easy way out by deleting a comment that disagrees with you instead of tackling the subject head on-
5:40 PM
Third times the charm?You can delete but,you can't delete forever-Mr/Miss Moderator.
Delete yourself and save us all the trouble
' Anonymous said...
Delete yourself and save us all the trouble
10:45 AM
Finally-I found someone who shares my opinion-
Are you listening to your commentators Mr./Miss Moderator?
This comment is for further deletion purposes. You may delete it now mr./mrs. moderator. I have no further comment. (p.s.--That is a comment)
" Anonymous said...
This comment is for further deletion purposes. You may delete it now mr./mrs. moderator. I have no further comment. (p.s.--That is a comment)
5:59 PM
Maybe-Ladies and Gentlemen-If the moderator of this blog would give a straight answer to our questions then there wouldn't be a need for Mr/Miss Moderator to delete.
Let's all please try to speak to the topic of the blog at hand or just say nothing, especially you commenters how wear sheets over your head.
I realize this is not the place for this comment, but it is where I think the moderator will read it.
Suggestion: Instead of all the quotes, etc. from others, why don't you start something really interesting, like your views on the candidates and how they square with your beliefs? I think you could really have an active blog if you'd move more along those lines.
Anyone can go find what "those in the know" think about things, but it would be refreshing to have a free exchange of ideas from the "nobodies" (tic) of the world!
I'm a "nobody" and I'll bet there are lots more out there that would like to engage in some intelligent dialogue!
"I'm a "nobody" and I'll bet there are lots more out there that would like to engage in some intelligent dialogue!"
I totally agree with you-I have been trying for some time to get the moderator of this blog to give me just one straight answer-evidently mr/miss moderator of 'asfoxseesit" needs to get his or her dictionary out and look up the definition of the word straight answer and then I ,you and the rest of us nobodies would finally get some honest talking going here!
My dictionary tells me a straight answer is one that doesn't have any curves in it
and your point is? You are incapable of a straight answer? You have to ramble all around the mulberry bush? While you have the dictionary open look up "evasive".
I tell you what is evasive; that is your identity.
That is what my funkinwagnalls tells me is the definition of evasive==anonymous
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