Dave Phillips offers these thoughts:

I think the thing that annoys me the most about big organized, corporate churches is their literal worship of “Type A” personalities. Modern mega churches today are structured like American Corporations and just like those corporations they honor and promote certain personality types and set them as “example christians” when what they are truly doing is reducing the complexity of the human christian pallete down to a bland stereo type.

“Type A” personalities tend to be great public speakers, organized, disciplined, focused, driven, etc., etc. and these are the type of people who manage to fight their way (or brown nose their way) to the top where they can show case the skills that God has given them. I honestly believe that their are some guys out there that becasue of their God given focus, discipline and drive are able to never masturbate, or even kiss their fiancee until they actually get married to them (Lord knows that I wasn’t one of them). I think they are very rare but they do exist. However, there are the rest of us minions who are different personality types, like the creative, passionate, expressive, artistic type who can write the most beautiful worship song to the Lord but maybe struggles with self control partly due to his personality type. He is looked down upon and expected to keep up with the skill set of a Judah or Dougy. I am not excusing peoples faults but hoping that we all realize that there are some people in this world who will probably never “get the victory” over masturbation (SIDE NOTE: not referring to myself, marriage really did the trick for me) and it will be a life long struggle for them just as Judah and Dougy have their faults in different areas that they will probably always struggle with. Even the Apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” that God refused to remove to challenge him.

I remember Ken Malmin (who I would consider a “Type A” personality) speaking in a class and mentioning that he has always had a hard time connecting with people on an emotional level, or at least communicating that with people, and that he has greatly offended some people with this fault and it has hampered his effectivness in ministry. This is largely due, in my opinion, to his “Type A” personality which is very analytical, math oriented and generally less emotional. I figure he will always struggle with that. He may get better but he will probably always struggle with it. Now, do we want to place ourselves in the place of God and decide which is the greater sin,:the causing of the stumbling of a brother through your lack of ability to connect or a little private pocket pool in the privacy of your own bathroom. I am not making a judgment here I am simply trying to point out that we all struggle with different things on different levels and it starts to become a slippery slope when you start picking the faults that are “godly faults” and the ones that are not.

For leaders (especially youth leaders. Remember Jesus’ words about the milestone and causing a little one to falter) to stand up on a stage and rub the fact that they were victorious in a certain area (whether it be true or not) because of certain strengths that were God given to begin with in the faces of their parishoners with the end result of making them feel like a pile of shit becasue if they “really” loved God they would measure up is completely repulsive to me. In my mind it would be no different than having all the thin girls in the audience come up on stage and brag about how because of their love for Jesus they have been able to control their appetites while leaving all the poor little fat sinners down in their seats steaped in self loathing because their talent set doesn’t included a little more self control but if they could only love Jesus a little more, abide in the vine, and maybe get hyped up at a few more Generation F****** Unleashed sessions they would “get the victory.

As you have probably guessed, we are desperately trying to tap into the Disenfranchised-Christian market in Seattle.

Thus, in keeping with our City Church theme, here is an advertisement for a Generation Church Conference:

Click Here

I look forward to your comments.

This blog must have found it's way to Seattle, because in the last three days I have received several stories regarding The City Church. The City Church is a small church run by a former City Bible elder. It is essentially City Bible's Seattle counterpart. Here is an excellent email that offers a small but accurate glipse into the life a young man in an Evanglical Church.  

I have no idea who it is thats behind this blog but I have to give you mad props. I was not raised in an evangelical home. I became a Christian in the 10th grade and dived into the life of an evangelical Christian youth. Eventually.. I found my way to The City Church located in Kirkland, Washington which is pastored by Wendell Smith. His son Judah Smith is the pastor of the youth church which is known as Generation Church.

I was a GC'er for a while before I became so profoundly disillusioned with it. I see that you had that video of Judah talking about sex with his wife Chelsea at Generation Unleashed. I can tell you that Judah frequently would slip in sexual references about him and his wife into his regular Generation Church sermons and the kids pretty much eat it up. Judah considers his speciality to be sexual purity and I remember he released a tape series on that subject that was sold in the church's bookstore and that I remember listening to at the height of my involvement in GC.

Judah is adored by the youth who become GC'ers and they are fanatically devoted to him… its actually pretty scary the look you see in some of these kid's eyes when they are listening to Judah preach. Maybe I am just bitter or something but GC seems very cult-like when I look back on my time there. Honestly.. I remember so much time being spent talking about the chastity of the young people attending GC and the amount of money they were tithing to the church. Some of the most passionate preaching I saw took place before the offering.

One of the creepiest Judah Smith quotes and I swear on a stack I'm not making this up. This was in a video montage of what happened at GC Camp which is a retreat that takes place every summer that the youth are pressured into attending (I never did)  Judah Smith was preaching and he said,"History will be kind to us. You know why? 'Cuz we gonna write it!" and he said this deafening cheers and thunderous applause.

The straw that broke the camel's back though took place when one of the youth cadre leaders gave me a call before I went into work because I had confided in one of his cadre members that I was in the throes of a major depression. This is an issue I've been dealing with and continue to deal with off and on.. its a legit mental health issue. Anyway.. the youth leader calls me and he knew exactly what was causing my depression. He blamed it on an addiction to pornography and excessive masturbation! I was about 21 at the time and I thought it was easily one of the stupidest things I'd ever heard in my entire life.

Just to set the record straight, I'm a 28 year old single male and I struggle with pornography and masturbation. And to be honest, I don't anticipate this struggle will end anytime soon. That said, I'm not depressed. And to suggest that there is a link b/t pornography and depression is incredibly harmful to those who truly are suffering from depression.

A reader sends in this City Business Advertisement:

 CBC (the Bible one) want's to hear your story. Here's what THEY are looking for:

"Stories of God's power…of holy phenomena, healing, provision, of sons and daughters who return home. These we want to know." (http://www.citybiblechurch.org/ )

Well, CBC (the Business one) let's send ‘em in.

Have you ever thought "I have a story"?
Have you every said "Get This"?
How about wondering "Will anybody believe what I am about to say"?

It's great therapy, so write it out and send it over. Be Creative (think Hank, Stank, Crank), be Bold (think Hank, Stank…) but mostly, be Funny (think…yeah, you got it).

Here's the address: MYSTORY@CITYBIBLECHURCH.ORG

Also, just for fun, send a copy on over to tithingisgood@citybusinesschurch.org. Who knows, maybe your story will end up on the front page of this blog…  to be ridiculed by our hardened critics.  

And so, as the song goes "Let's give them something to talk about".  

I am late getting to this topic, but as many of you are already aware, Mel Gibson was recently arrested in California for drunk driving. During his arrest, he spouted off as many anti-semetic remarks as he could remember at the Police Officers arresting him. The incident prompted many in the media to argue that his film The Passion of the Christ was really just a thinly veiled attack on the Jewish Community.

Probably the most compelling reason comes from conservative writer Charles Krauthammer:

In Gibson's movie, Satan appears four times. Not one of these appearances occurs in the four Gospels. They are pure invention. Twice, this sinister, hooded, androgynous embodiment of evil is found . . . where? Moving among the crowd of Jews. Gibson's camera follows close up, documentary style, as Satan glides among them, his face popping up among theirs — merging with, indeed, defining the murderous Jewish crowd. After all, a perfect match: Satan's own people.

Andrew Sullivan has been on this case from the start and is claiming Mel Gibson represents all Christians, and he is just another reason the Religious Right is out of touch with morality. However, a Christian reader offered these thoughts to Andrew:

I have to say I'm disappointed in your attempt to connect Mel Gibson's recent anti-Semitic DUI episode with Christians who happened to enjoy The Passion.

All of the evangelicals I know, my parents included, were sickened by his DUI and the anti-Semitic remarks. Christians liked the movie because it displayed all the agony that Christ experienced in order to save us from our sins….not because some of the “bad guys’ happened to be Jews.

It’s an unfortunate fact, but the Jewish political and temple leadership were responsible for carrying out Christ’s death. Along with the Roman occupiers. If anything, his film seemed to paint Romans as the most brutal people to ever exist. But the heroes of the New Testament are also Jews, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul, etc… Evangelicals love Jews and realize the heroes and fathers of our faith our Jewish because they know their Bible.

I tend to agree with this comment. Christian's loved the movie, because the Christian Faith is so un-represented in Hollywood. There aren't a lot of quality reverent Christian Films being made. And when Mel Gibson finally did make a good film glorifying Christ, the Evangelical Community was thrilled. Though I was a little skeptical about the hypocrisy of a Christian Community that lambasts Holllywood for violence and sex, and then openly supports one of the most violent films of the year. In the end, Christians liked Passion of the Christ, because it genuinely portrayed their Faith; not because it blamed Jews.

(Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan from whom I stole this entire post.)

Here's an interesting article from the Burnside Writers Collective. The author discusses where Christianity and Capitalism may be incompatable.  You may disagree with his leftist stance, but at least the author is following his beliefs. And if anything, the article is proof that liberal Christians exist. And naturally, they live in Portland, Oregon California.

Money Quote:

Here again, though, is where the alarm bells go ringing loudly in my head. For I have never, in all of the years that I have been attending Christian churches, heard the link made between the greed that Jesus and Paul talk so much about and our economic system of capitalism, especially the unbridled, unfettered brand that is currently in use by the West (or the North), which systemically seems to refute, point-by-point, everything Jesus has to say on the subject.

This is a highly unpopular opinion, especially in evangelical Christian circles, and it is causing me to re-examine where I attend church (I won’t let the door hit me on the way out), and in what setting I would be most spiritually fed.

FWIW, I tend to agree with this guy. I'm a big supporter of capitalism because it rewards hard work and diligence. But it also rewards greed. And I'm not sure the greed aspect of capitalism jives with the Bible. And it would be nice to hear a Pastor point that out once in a while.

One more thing, if you find politics and religion annoying, which I often do, check out Jordan Green's excellent selection of Music Videos from YouTube, which is also on the Burnside Writers Collective. It's a website for everyone.

Lastly, let me say it's gotten to the point where before I link to articles, I think of who's going to respond. And on this one, FICM is going to hate it, and JimneyCricket will likely think it's as beautiful as Beethoven's Ninth.

If I can diverge from religious topics, last night I caught a sneak preview of the new movie Little Miss Sunshine. The film follows a troubled family that travels from Albuquerque to California in order for the youngest daughter to compete in a beauty pageant. Shortly after embarking on the trip, the family's Volkswagen Van breaks down.

The movie is a genuinely funny dark comedy. But frankly, the scenes that moved me the most involved the Van. Due to my Aunt and Uncles love affair with the Volkswagen Van and my father's forays into decrepit vehicles, I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescents pushing Volkswagen Vans around Portland. And anyone who has owned one of these vans for an extended period of time will enjoy the film.

Here is a Trailer to get you excited.

The movie is rated (R) for offensive language, as the grandfather in the film is rather outspoken. Thus, if the F-bomb makes you squeamish, you might not like it that much. 

But I loved it. And when the film comes to your neighborhood, I suggest you check it out.

Update:

John Adams points us to a site where they are offering free screenings of this movie in Portland, Tomorrow August 3 and next Thursday, August 10th. Click here to print out Reservations.

FWIW, I showed up at the screening in DC 45 minutes early and barely made it into the theater. I ended up sitting in the front frow. I think these showings are first come first serve, so you may need to get there early.

Jack sends along a great link:

http://www.theophilus.org

Here's a bit about the site:

Travel with Theophilus as he begins to discover that following Jesus sometimes runs afoul of serving his church.

Grow with Theophilus as he changes  from a "church member" to one who is truly devoted to Jesus and follows wherever he leads.