Over the past six months, several readers have asked me to blog the film Jesus Camp. 

Jesus Camp is a documentary about a fundamentalist Evangelical children's camp in North Dakota.  The doc follows the lives of several families and their experience at Jesus Camp. Many of the children in the movie were also home-schooled, so it felt a little like watching a review of my life.

I thought the film was fine. I wasn't particularly entertained, because I lived Jesus Camp, so they weren't teaching me anything I didn't already know.  The movie is an accurate glimpse into the life of a fundamentalist Christian, and with one exception, the documentary is fairly balanced.

However, as I was watching the film, I kept wondering what these kids were going to think of the movie in 10 years. And one quote at the end of the film stood out. The leader of Jesus Camp, Becky Fischer, offers this opinion of the influence of her camp:

Some extreme liberals, they have to look at this and start shaking in their boots. The intensity you see of these kids, there's no doubt, they've got to be watching this and going "oh my goodness" I didn't know this was possible. What are these kids going to be like when they grow up?

As someone who was homeschooled in a Christian home, raised in a fundamentalist evangelical church, and went on field trips to protest outside of abortion clinics, well… I tend to think they might grow up to be just like me. 

A 29 year-old college graduate, living in Washington DC, working as a lobbyist, whose biggest concern at the moment is how far the Oregon Ducks are going to advance in the March Madness Tournament. 

You see, luckily, one thing I took from my childhood was the ability to think for myself, and 29 years later I have come to the conclusion that Evangelicals are more obsessed with their own power than with actually spreading the message of Christ.

So rest easy liberals, manipulation only lasts so long.

Here is a great article in the Portland Mercury that discusses a Portland Evangelical conference called Restore America.  The conference is centered around motivating Christians to become more involved in Government.

Restore America was founded in 1999 by David Crowe, with the sole intention of getting evangelical Christians to become more involved in civic affairs—like voting. Much like the American evangelical movement as a whole, the organization has relied on two arguments: that America's Founding Fathers meant for the country to be officially Christian, and that modern Christianity is "under attack!"

This second point is repeated throughout the entire conference, with a host of assailants getting the credit for doing the devil's work—activist judges, secular humanists, Hollywood, homosexuals, and Muslims. This paranoia comes despite the fact that evangelicals were—until last November—in control of every branch of government, and reportedly make up the largest voting block in the country. But when you believe in a religion that places high value on martyrdom, you'll start seeing persecution lurking around every corner. I asked Crowe about this, and why evangelicals think that anyone who disagrees with them politically is attacking their religion.

"Isn't it possible that people can disagree with you without it being a persecution of Christians?" I asked.

"Oh, no. Christianity is definitely under attack," Crowe responded.

Yeah, Christianity is under attack by Christians who believe more in personal wealth and power than in helping the poor.

Some have wondered what the members of CBC were thinking during Frank's "Stop, stand, gap, hedge, tide" sermon from February 25th. Well, I happened to stumble across a comment on City Bible's website about that very message:

I did read your scripture references & found Isaiah, Ezekial & Jeremiah to be replete with such references, their prophetic message is so awesomely truly even here in 2007. Your message spoke to me on a personal & local & global level. Personal because the very next afternoon, my 30 yr. old, prodigal daughter got a drunk driving ticket at 3 p.m. in the afternoon. And it was prayer that kept the flood waters from drowning me; Jim & Bev Randolph, Sue Palmer, Pastor Larry. GOD bless them abundantly. Because HE lives all fear is gone… Globally because there is such a strong tide of sentiment against Israel and against Christians, against the Name above all names, because the political leaders are blind to what's going on. appeasement will not bring peace. Only prayer will overcome that enemy. On a local level we need prayer for the seamy side of Portland to be more regulated, the babylon attitude of those merchants who peddle alcohol, gambling & sex needs to be bridled - as well as the internet. For over two years the devil has been waging warfare against me that I should fail but I stand firm and have a few prayer warrior friends. We take turns standing in the gap and praying for a hedge of protection. Prayer is the real connection we have with GOD, it is our expression & appreciation of THE LORD, it is the building block or our relationship. It is standing in the gap as a protector & defender of the LORD'S WORD and carrying it to the people. Raising our hands in praise & worship is so GOD can more easily see us. Imagine, you are walking into a crowded room, looking for someone & you see that person. What do you do, you call out the name & wave your arms and say, over here, over here.
Posted By:  Janet Turner
On:  3/8/2007 7:47:17 PM

I don't get how people can say that "standing in the gap" is working when it's obvious that what this girl needs is an AA meeting, and not more shouty prayers. It wouldn't surprise me if the cause of her drinking was her mother's zealous devotion to crazy church behavior!

I love how she included the internet as one of the evils that need to be curbed. Yet she posted her tirade on that exact "vice". Irony? Hypocrisy? Or just damn funny?

Hmmmnnn…It's definitely funny.

Following Christ exclusively can be a lonely proposition in terms of human fellowship. After years of going to church, listening to yet another sermon filled with churchy platitudes, anecdotes and not even a hint of solid spiritual food, but rather just another moral message of the week, reasonable persons find themselves asking "is this all there is" or perhaps relegating the faith to irrelevancy and putting in their church time out of habit or for appearance / conformity's sake.

I guess it's not quite so bad in a so-called "charismatic" church, but man it can be like going to a wake in a mainline, non-charismatic, traditional denomination church. Questions abound concerning various church traditions and practices, but there never seem to be any answers forthcoming, rather, honest and straight forward answers. Pastors can get really testy when a visitor asks "what the hell was THAT about?!?"

Sitting through a church service one time, the teenage liturgist (?) stepped onto the platform with a clear pitcher filled with water, poured it into a clear bowl on the altar, and said "these waters are symbolic of your baptism, please take a moment to remember your baptismal vows and keep them". Since that particular denomination practices infant baptism by sprinkling, I asked the pastor just what vows a month old infant took that they were supposed to remember and keep? The pastor launched into a foggy explanation of their baptism and confirmation process, which seemed to suggest that baptisms in that church took some 14-15 years to complete, that is IF the infant grew up to complete confirmation and joined the church, thus confirming their infant baptism. Stickler that I am, I asked where I could find scriptural support for the practice? Obviously perturbed with my line of questioning, the pastor terminated the conversation with "our members like it".

That was just one of a hundred traditions I observed that left my head spinning and asking God "where's the beef?!?" Finally, sitting through yet another dead religious service because I thought I had to ('forsake not the fellowship of the saints' and all that crap), the Spirit whispered a question to me: "My son, what do you see?" I replied "I see a pipe organ Lord" and He followed up with "that is correct, this church worships the pipe organ". The Lord's Q&A with me during worship services there lasted many months, each one opening my eyes just a little bit more, until finally I could no longer stand even a moment in such a religious service. How I prayed for release! "Please don't make me go there any more Lord", but there was no release, as my wife was still of the "go to church" mindset. So I labored to fix what I saw were the problems and errors to improve my situation, but there was NO effecting change. Fasting, prayer, intercession, warfare, prayer walking, anointing pillars, doors and pews with oil, absolutely NOTHING helped, in fact, it got worse for us there. It felt to me like the place was trying to expel us! Like forces were rising up to oppose us. Finally came the day that KK saw what I had been seeing and the Spirit directed us: "GET OUT OF THE WAY AND LET IT FAIL". We left that place and never went back.

It's been 6 or 7 years now since I last attended a religious service in the IC, other than the obligatory appearance at mom-in-law's church when we visit family. Even that is like fingernails on a blackboard for me. Still, that's better than the family squabbles and hard feelings of stiffing mom's church service.

The deprogramming (pruning), trials (dunging), hostility of religious people, and teaching by the Holy Spirit has been a roller coaster of pain and joy in my own transition from religious slave to being a free son of God. What no one told me however, is that coming out (Revelation 18:4) is lonely and that submitting to the Lord's teaching will completely alter your perspective of life in Christ. Buildings, denominations, religious services, the covering of clergy, buying and selling of religious warez, ALL become irrelevant to Christ, because they all serve to obscure the view of Jesus and interfere with simple relationship with the Father in Christ. In time, a person simply learns that it is not "Jesus AND … ", it is simply "Jesus".

On the path of growth, there are really few mileposts by which to gage how far a pilgrim has come. Persons on the path simply know they have to press on - there is no option of going back to religious slavery once you've been called out and begin following Christ exclusively. Like Peter said "where else would we go, Lord? You alone have the words of life" … Once you've tasted the bread of life and tasted the living water, how can you go back to religious stew?

Well, the other day I saw a milepost … while channel-flipping, I stumbled onto the TBN channel and saw about 5 minutes of some program where several dozen people were sitting around a grand piano, on gold fabric wing-back chairs, with gilded coffee tables, flowers, banners and bows all about, listening to some elderly man who was a baritone singing an old hymn. As he sang, the hand not holding the microphone was lifted shoulder high, and the look on his face was enraptured. All the people listening to him were alternately looking heavenward, with hands raised, smiling ear to ear non stop (like their teeth were waxed), or occasionally singing a few words along with the man. When the song was over, the man hugged the host, cried, mouthed a few words about the lost or the 2nd coming (I don't recall), but the emotionalism was right on queue - he held it together for the song performance and then made an emotional plea when it was over.

And there I sat, feeling so completely disconnected from what I was seeing on the TV, like I was a visitor from another planet. For just a moment, I wondered if there was something wrong with me because I wasn't having a religious / spiritual experience even remotely similar to the people on the TV. Why wasn't I smiling ear to ear, hands raised, singing along with the man? Why wasn't I moved at all? And then I thought about it as a musician - you know - evaluating what I saw as a performer. It wasn't a particularly moving song or performance - frankly, I couldn't understand most of the lyrics - not only were they unintelligible, but they were churchy, and therefore no longer relevant to me. And then it occurred to me that I was watching a performance from NOT only the singer, but everyone who was listening to him - everyone whom the camera focused on was a performer - they were all putting on a "charismatic" show for the camera … While I do not doubt that the people on the program are believers, even spirit-filled, I can't relate to them because the practice of their faith has become a performance, AND the exercise of their faith requires a religious vehicle (a service, TV show, etc.) to carry it out.

Hebrews 11:9 "By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise."

After coming to the realization that following Christ has made me a foreigner here, I resumed channel flipping. Not sure, but I think I caught an episode of Celebrity Death Match. As a foreigner, it's all fiction, so may as well watch something funny.

Sam

Here is an article submitted by David Mackin:

Speaking of Lev 27:30, One Prosperity Pastor I Know says, "If the priest were to ask us to give ten percent of your seed before you sow your field that would be difficult because the seed is the most precious and you would probably feel that you would need all your seed to sow your field. Everyone just close your eyes right now….what is the seed that God would have you give?"  
 
Because of the fact that what he says here about Leviticus 27:30 has nothing to do with this verse or its context, I have to say that, in my opinion,  his "Seed Harvest Offerings" is nothing more than another excuse from "the Word of God" to raise money annually for his church. For him, and other prosperity preachers, the Bible (especially the OT) has become a black bag of fund-raising tricks for the entrepreneurial imagination of the pastor turned fund-raiser.  
 
Who is to say what aspect of the OT financial system is binding upon Christians today and which ones are not? What does the NT say about each claim? Does anyone care to look? Is it the fund-raising pastor who makes such decisions - especially if his church is deep into debt? If so, then why don't we obey the following OT "principles" and giving "patterns"? Are they not "the Word of God" just as much as any other verse?
 
1. Since the levites, at least initially, were given the tithes because they were NOT able to own any personal property in Israel (Numbers 18:20-22), would that not mean that the only pastors who qualify for the tithes are those who do NOT own any personal property - let alone investment properties?! 
 
2. Since the tithe in Leviticus was a tithe of grain and produce (Leviticus 27:30), would it not be more "biblical" if we gave pastors a bag of groceries so that they wouldn't have to go to Safeway for themselves?
 
3. Since the Israelites were not to tithe on their new fruit trees until the fourth year since they were considered unholy until then (Leviticus 19:24), why would that not tell us that when a Christian gets a new job, that he doesn't have to tithe on his pay checks for the first four years?
 
4. Since king David raised millions of dollars for the central temple through war, and his son, Solomon, used taxes to do the same, why doesn't the NT temple, the Church, become militant as well as exercise the power to tax its members? Would that not be operating according to the "Bible pattern" shown by these famous kings of Israel?   
 
5. Since the tithe in Deuteronomy was to go only to the central temple in Jerusalem (12:11), why would that not mean that Christians do not have to bring their tithe to Jerusalem until after the temple is rebuilt again on the Temple Mount (according to Dispensationalism)?
 
6. Since the Law, at least later in Israel's history, required the Israelites to add a twenty-percent surcharge to their tithe if they exchanged it for money (Leviticus 27:31), why would that not be the "divine pattern" for Christians to pay more in their tithe if they decided to pay it in money instead of cattle or produce?
 
7. Since the people were to tithe to the levites and the levites were to tithe to the priests, and the priests were to tithe to the high priest and his family (Numbers 18:28), should that not tell us that the senior pastor should receive none of the tithes of the people but only the tithes from his church staff or elders?
 
8. Since Abraham did not tithe on his regular income or possessions, but only tithed from the war spoils of his enemies he just defeated in battle (Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:2), why would that not mean that Christians, as the "children of Abraham," are only required to tithe on whatever belongs to others?  
 
I could add to such a list ad infinitum. Once pastors open the door to using specific fund-raising ideas out of the OT, instead of sticking with Paul's general teaching on voluntary offerings in the NT (2 Corinthians 8-9), they turn God's Word into a black bag of fund-raising tricks. They are continually coming up with "new revelations," "deeper truths," along with more "Bible patterns" and "divine principles" from under the Law.
 
Pastors will bring in outside speakers in order to make their fund-raising gimmicks appear to have more credibility. They claim, "The Lord showed me…" when the Lord did not show them! By doing so, they completely distort the Bible until their congregations forget that they are under a New Covenant of grace - not a covenant of tricks or gimmicks subjectively selected from a bygone day to cast a giving spell over an ignorant and gullible people. Unlike the Bereans, most do not study the New Testament every day to see if what their pastor is telling them is really true (Acts 17:11).

This is the question blogger Jim Wallis asks. He asks this question in response to James Dobson's letter criticizing the National Evangelical Association's fight against global warming. Dobson's letter states:

More importantly, we have observed that others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children.

Wallis questions Dobson's assertion and asks:

Is the fact that 30,000 children will die globally today, and everyday, from needless hunger and disease a great moral issue for evangelical Christians? How about the reality of 3 billion of God’s children living on less than $2 per day? And isn’t the still-widespread and needless poverty in our own country, the richest nation in the world, a moral scandal? What about pandemics like HIV/AIDS that wipe out whole generations and countries, or the sex trafficking of massive numbers of women and children? Should genocide in Darfur be a moral issue for Christians? And what about disastrous wars like Iraq? And then there is, of course, the issue that got Dobson and his allies so agitated. If the scientific consensus is right - climate change is real, is caused substantially by human activity, and could result in hundreds of thousands of deaths - then isn’t that also a great moral issue? Could global warming actually be alarming evidence of human tinkering with God’s creation?

Wallis concludes:

So, today, I am inviting you to have that debate about what the great moral issues of our time really are. Again, let’s ask a leading evangelical university to invite us both and host a public debate, and perhaps ask a major evangelical publication to co-sponsor it. Let’s have that debate, Jim, and see what America’s evangelicals think the great moral issues of our time really are. How about it?

This could be PBC's shining moment in the sun.

(Thanks: Andrew Sullivan)

 Here is a comment from Anna, who decided to go see the CBC machine in person:

Mole report:

Ok, so I just had to go in person to hear the rest of this sermon. I enjoyed the worship. It really was about the Lord and who He is, and I could tell that many of the people enjoyed that place of simply being in God’s presence and focusing on Him.

Then Doug got up and the whole thing shifted. He said something like, “Aren’t you glad we have a mighty God. If you need something from God, now is the time to pray. If you need finances, or healing or whatever, ask Him.” It totally went from all about God to all about me. Aarghh! (quoting FICM)

Then came the tithing speech with reference to Nehemiah, with a statement read in unison about how we give and God will help us build our wall.

There was the video CBC advertisement — I kid you not. Marc Estes introduced a family who had gone through a health crisis, and the families around them helped them practically and financially. This is wonderful, and what the church is supposed to do. But to advertise it like auto insurance??? Join our church and you will be taken care of. (Unfortunately, just like auto insurance, the church only “insures” those with minimal risk. See what happens if you have mental problems.) Aaargh again.

Finally after those video announcements, came the sermon. It was basically a rehash of the previous week. I’m still scratching my head as to how PF came to his dream interpretation and how he could apply those scriptures to it. This is why:

Ravines are not places you should hang out, especially in dry climates. The first good rain, and that ravine turns into an instant riverbed. I’m glad that PF was rescued in his dream, but if that were my dream, I would probably consider it a warning that I was in a precarious place. I would not think it was a place to stay and build and invite others — especially if you are praying for “rain.”

Now the passage in Isaiah, when read in context (as FICM pointed out), is all about the Messiah and His zeal to provide salvation. In fact, in that verse “when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” — the word “lift up a standard against him” is the translation of just one word: nus. My Bible dictionary says that in this passage it means “the speedy and onrushing manner in which the Lord escorts His Redeemer.”

Does this sound like it’s all about us, and how our prayers hold back the enemy? NO!! It’s about the fiery zeal of God to redeem those He loves, through the person of His Son.

And finally, the whole passage in Ezekiel is about judgment. “I looked for a man…” is basically, where is someone who will repent? Where is someone who will fall on their face before God and ask for mercy like Moses did?

Not once did I hear about the love, the majesty, the fear of God. Not once was the focus upon Him. Not once did I hear about Jesus Christ (who He is) and Him crucified (what He has done). The whole focus was egocentric. It’s the paradigm of CBC, as evidenced by their worship transitions, their advertisements and their sermons.

This appeals to selfish Americans, but it is not the gospel in which the Holy One targets our self-life for execution.

Ok. I’m done. Sorry for soapbox once again.

Well Anna, I'm glad you enjoyed the worship.

FICM offers some thoughts on what the leadership at City Bible must do in order to restore its standing as a Christ-like church:

The leadership of CBC must recant and repent of the “doctrine” of tithing, and for the mishandling of the people’s money. This means some or all of the following:

* They must acknowledge that it is part of the Levitical Law and as such the church is free and shouldn’t be held in slavery to it. They should set people free to give as the Holy Spirit leads them.
* They must repent and cease teaching that God’s blessing resides on those who are “givers” to the church. (And conversely that those that don’t give are cursed.)
* They must stop asking for money. Period. Any giving should not be part of the regular service. They can make arrangements for people to give discreetly outside the service.
* They must ask the members of CBC for forgiveness for misleading them in false doctrine.
* They must also communicate this repentance to their affiliated churches in MFI, including the removal of books and literature pertaining to giving and God’s blessing related to giving.
* They must apologize for raising money to pay down the church debt and then using the funds for other projects.
* They must prioritize the church budget away from an egocentric system (large staff, nice building, plasma tv’s, multimedia), and spend the majority of the general budget on projects that impact their local community.

I would also ad that I think Pastor Frank Damazio and the majority of the pastoral staff should offer their resignation and the church should appoint Ben Trolese as Senior Pastor.

jb,

It appears, sadly, that despite all the good coming out of GC Utica it still isn't enough. You would think with the 80 youth on fire for God (and not dating) that CBC would feel comfortable with the spiritual leadership in New York; that however does not seem to be the case. Look what I just found in their bulletin:

NEW YORK CITY CHURCH
If you are interested in being a part of the New York City Church plant team or just want to come hear more about the vision, please join us on either Sunday, March 18th, from 1:30 - 3:00PM or Monday, April 16th, from 6:30 - 8:30PM, in the Upper Conference room.  Lunch or light hors d'oeuvres will be served.

I don't have any of the details on this other than what you just read (and I don't think I'm welcome at the "lunch"), but regardless CBC is clearly getting involved in a N.Y. Church plant…and there is only one way to take that: Clearly, the church leaders in New York are not doing a good enough job so CBC has to step in.

I am curious that they refer to it as "New York City Church", which makes me wonder if it is actually a City Church Seattle plant that CBC is just helping out with…well…either way it should be a good time

UPDATE 3/5:

Just to clarify, for those who are new to the blog… I may be a bit of an idiot.

You see, when I read that CBC was starting a New York City Church Plant, what I read was a New York – City Church Plant…I thought they were planting a City Church in New York…That is why I chose to bring Utica into things. I now realize my mistake.

Utica and CBC-NYC, please accept my apology.

I would like to take a moment to thank all 100,000 visitors to this site. I know there are many options out there, so we really appreciate you coming to visit us. I would also like to take a moment to share with everyone this letter of thanks we have written to CBC:

Dear City Bible Church,

It looks like we have reached another milestone: 100,000 unique visitors. And we just want to say thank you for your continued un-support of our site. Because of the way you try to control everyone, you've driven our site to new levels and have inspired us to continue mocking you for all you do…so…thank you.

It appears, based on Frank's last sermon, that your church will be ending sooner than ours…that is unfortunate…but don't worry, even after you are gone we will still find ways to make fun of you. The blog must go on.

So, congratulations to us…and don't stop telling yourself …"All press is good press"…

- The City Business Church Team

Let's raise a glass and toast to the next 100,000 visitors…or if you wish, you can try to "stop, stand in the gap, build a hedge and turn the tide. Can I hear an amen?"

"Amen!"