There was one main paragraph that stood out to me while reading SPES donation letter:

God has already opened some remarkable doors, including providing an awesome facility for our services and office needs. In spire of this miraculous provision of God, the vision to plant a church in New York City Still has enormous financial needs. For example, children's ministry, audio/visual equipment, a sound system, computers, copiers, office furniture, facility overhead, and relocation cost.

Truthfully, we must raise over $60,000 before we can begin our public services.

$60,000 before they can begin public services? Whatever happened to a few people meeting in an empty building with nothing but their Bibles and a word from God saying "Go start a church"? When did the church plant model change? $60,000? I know Manhattan is expensive but maybe you should cut down on costs a little?

Also, lets not forget that "Eternity" is a business. They charge churches to come out and learn how to put it on. They profit from it. It's not a charity. So…when the letter starts out by saying:

I am writing in regards to the most exciting adventures of our lives, the Eternity Production will be moving its headquarters this summer, from Portland, Oregon, to New York City!

Once you skip pass the overdramatic beginning (most exciting adventure of our lives? I mean I'm excited about this, but not THAT excited), you see that he starts by talking about moving the Eternity Production…moving his business…to New York…and he wants others to pay for it? Is there something wrong with our Christian culture that would help support a play ripped off by someone claiming to be a Senior Pastor? Or is the flaw with SPES thinking that people will actually support this move? I don't know. It seems like if you tell people "Now is the time God is calling us to ____________" people will support you (and I will get ripped for being an A-hole for complaining about it.)

Attention Senior Pastor Ed Schefter and all others involved with the Eternity Business "plant", if God is calling you to go just go. Don't worry about the copier (the have Kinko's in NYC), don't worry about a sound system (30 people can sit close enough to hear you speak) and don't worry about office furniture (I've got some folding chairs I would like to donate), JUST GO.

I suppose the other side to this is that they are just trying to be organized and dreaming big, nothing wrong with that. It just seems like by asking for all this support they show a lack of faith…no, not lack of faith…maybe its greed…I don't know what exactly it is…maybe I think this because from their website I read:

"As you get off the subway at the corner of 23rd street. you will see the New York City Church flag waving in the breeze. As you walk down the block into the entrance, you are greeted by friendly warm people THERE TO HELP YOU FIND THE COFFEE BAR…"

That's right, the coffee bar. I'm sorry, I just don't see the picture of a pastor just wanting to follow God's call when his church starts up with a coffee bar. If he needs $60,000 to move his business that now includes a coffee bar count me out.

Unless, of course, by "Coffee Bar" he means:

"Heather, throw another pot on".

Here is a link to see the letter that SPEC sent to "Lurker" recently. And this is a copy of the email Mr. "Lurker" sent to us explaining the letter:

There are 4 jpgs:

1.  Front side of the letter (with identifying information blanked out.)

The letter was sent to my home address, but my former church's

name was included in the address, so I know that my address

information had to have come via their mailing list.  I had left the

church by the time the Eternity play arrived and never attended the

play, so my address information could not have been obtained via

Eternity in any way.

Also, note that the form letter addresses me as "Pastor."  I was a

mere peon at a large church.  I can only assume that everybody

on the mailing list was addressed as "pastor".

2.  The back side of the letter.

3.  The pledge card, including handy-dandy credit card possibilities.

4.  The envelope the letter arrived in (note "Not For Profit" stamp and

Oregon return address), plus the return envelope (note "Place stamp

here").

Someone on this site tipped my off to the fact that Eternity is an award winning play, so I went and did a little searching. Here is a short bit from s.p.e.s.'s website:

Years later, this burden to reach the lost inspired Pastor Ed to write and produce the Telly Award winning production Eternity.

I had never heard of the Telly Awards so I went to see what I could find. Here is some info from the Telly Awards website:

FEES:

The Telly Awards Early Entry Fee is $60 per single entry and $150 for a campaign entries. If appropriate, a piece may be entered in multiple categories: the entry fee is due for each category entered.

Q. How many winners are there per category?
A. There may be several winners in a certain category or there may be none. Winners are chosen based on the content of their piece; there are not a set number of winners per category. Judges evaluate entries to recognize distinction in creative work-entries do not compete against each other-rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit.

ACCEPTANCE:

Each entry from the United States chosen as a Silver or Bronze Winner will be billed $150, for which they will receive one statuette and one commemorative certificate. Each International entry chosen as a Silver or Bronze Winner will be billed $175, and will also receive one statuette and one certificate. By charging only Winners for their statuettes, we are able to keep entry fees low and defray the costs of the competition. Additional statuettes can be purchased by Winners.

This is what I gather about the Telly Awards:

1. Anyone can enter. You just have to pay Telly for that "honor". (for instance, this blog could be a Telly Award Nominee rather easily if Justin and I didn't spend all our money on beer).
2. Anyone and Everyone can win…and I suspect everyone usually does.
3. If you win you have to pay even more…actually…not really an award when you have to pay for it, is it?

This reminds me of the time Rob and Cheryl Morton took all their boys down for a Home School Convention and had us enter categories that we had no business competing in. Categories such as Artistic Photography or Creative Poetry. At the end of the event I remember taking home a number of "Participation Ribbons" …participation…again, not really an award, is it? Well, at least we didn't have to pay extra.

Anyway, congratulations to Senior Pastor Ed Schefter and Eternity for becoming an award winning play…or at least an award winning COPY of a play.

 First let me say Locutus, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Now let's get on to the New York City Church…or more appropriately, p.e.s. (I do believe that stands for Pastor Ed Schefter…I know…we're off to a great start). When Lurker first sent us the link to the New York City Church he promised "blogging material for months to come", well that is probably a stretch…wait…NO IT ISN'T. I'm quite sure "Senior Pastor" Ed Schefter is going to give this blog the boost it has needed. And to start we get to pick apart The Story.

Ok, at this point let me make a few disclaimers. I don't personally know "Senior Pastor" Ed Schefter. I have never dealt with him, and am not really qualified to talk about him personally. However, we can blog about anyone from CBC on this site and inevitably someone will come to their defense…with one exception…"Senior Pastor" Ed Schefter…we are yet to have someone stick up of him…hopefully that will change soon.

*Update, after some thought, Tim Nashif is probably the only person who gets less respect from the CBC faithful than Ed Schefter…"Senior Pastor". My apologies Ed, I had you at #1, but I think #2 is more appropriate.*

Now, rumor has it that a family member of ours is going to be joining the NYCC team and by looking on the website a couple old friends of mine are also going…I was advised to leave this topic alone, but that wouldn't be fair to our readers. Hopefully they can understand that I am the same ass-hole I was a week ago, it's just that now I'm picking on a subject a little closer to home. I wish them the best of luck, may God bless and prosper your trip, none of this is meant to be a personal attack against you.

Right… back to "The Story". I'm skipping ahead to where Ed talks about the Eternity play because that's the part the first caught my eye. We've discussed this play at length in the past so if you need to get caught up click here then here and here. Here's what Ed has to say:

In 1994, Heather and I got married, and at that time both felt the desire to have four children, and a call to Senior Pastor some day. Shortly after, Pastor Frank, encouraged me to write an evangelistic drama for our church, and at first, I really had a hard time with it. After going away to pray about it, I came up with the concept for ‘Eternity,' and a year later we did our first Eternity Production at Bible Temple, later to become City Bible Church. Eternity was so successful that soon after, other churches wanted to do the same.

Ed, you little sh*t. I'm sorry, but honestly, when I read that that is the first thing that came to my mind. I started rolling on the floor laughing and saying "Ed, you little ____". Is he for real?

"AFTER GOING AWAY TO PRAY about it, I CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT FOR ETERNITY"…you have got to be kidding me, right? He doesn't actually believe that "a play about people dying and either ending up in heaven or hell" was his concept does he? That little sh*t. And to follow that statement up by saying "other churches wanted to do the same" is absurd…No Ed, that's what you and City Bible Church did.

Unless by "concept" he means "decided to steal the play 'Heavens Gates Hells Flames', rename it, and do a better job at marketing" than he is full of it. I guess I can see how a guy like Ed would be able to lie himself into believe that it was his idea, but I certainly hope that no one else buys it. J.R., Andy, anyone?

Furthermore, the fact that he says "After going away to pray about it…" should disqualify him from "Senior Pastor" status right there. Its one thing to lie, but it's a whole nother thing to make God a liar. Ed, God didn't tell you to steal another church's play and take credit for it…it's not in His nature.

I'd be concerned if this was the guy leading me…how could you take him seriously? Here is how I picture a conversation between "Senior Pastor" Ed Schefter and Anyone Else going:

SPES: I just heard from God, he wants us to move to N.Y.C.

AE: Uh, Ed, was this the same God you talked to about the Eternity play, or a different one?

SPES: What are you talking about, there is only one God.

AE: That's what I was afraid of. Count me out.

One last quick note: What is the deal with Ed's love for the term "Senior Pastor"? If you read through all his material you will see he gets real exited about it. Also, I'm not so sure the average person in NYC is gonna know who Frank Damazio is…so all that name dropping probably won't do you much good once you leave Portland.

Anyway, best of luck, we here at City Business Church hope you can provide us with many more years of blogging material.

A reader writes:

Hello from a lurker.

I recieved a fund-raisng mailer concerning the New York City Church (the Ed Schefter thing) today, and I decided it was worth de-lurking.

At one time I attended a church that brought in the Eternity play. I discovered the City Business Church blog while looking for information on who City Bible Church was and what the Eternity play was about. As a matter of fact, the information I found was a final straw in leading me to decide to stop attending my former church.

Apparently, Ed must have obtained (been given? stole?) this church's mailing list, because I received this fund raising letter about New York City Church from him today. (My former church is going to get a nasty letter about releasing private information.)

However, I thought you could get good mileage out of the letter. It is pretty classic. I'm trying to figure out how best to get the contents to you. But, in the meantime, the letter lists a New York City church website which should provide you material for your blog for months to come.

www.newyorkcitychurch.org

This letter makes me happy for so many reasons. But mostly, I think because the reader is right, the New York City Church website should provide blog material for months to come.

  I came across a rather interesting website recently called Evil Bible . I found it interesting because I think the author of the site brings up some valid points that should be addressed, especially in his Bible Contradictions section.  In it he asks this question:    

"If the Bible was divinely inspired, then why would it have so many really obvious contradictions?"

I don't have an answer for him, but maybe you can help. Here are a few of my "favorite" examples:

     59. Seed time and harvest were never to cease
          Gen 8:22
         Seed time and harvest did cease for seven years
          Gen 41:54,56/ Gen 45:6

     76. Christ was crucified at the third hour
          Mark 15:25
         Christ was not crucified until the sixth hour
          John 19:14,15

    130. Poverty a blessing
           Luke 6:20,24/ Jams 2:5
          Riches a blessing
           Prov 10:15/ Job 22:23,24/ Job 42:12
          Neither poverty nor riches a blessing
           Prov 30:8,9

     Think not that I come to send peace on earth: I came not to send
     peace, but a sword.
     - Matthew 10:34

     … all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
     - Matthew 26:52

—————————————————————————-

    Thou shalt not kill
     - Exodus 20:13

     Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his
     side… and slay every man his brother…
     - Exodus 32:27

—————————————————————————-

     Lay not up for yourself treasures upon the earth…
     - Matthew 6:19

     In the house of the righteous is much treasure…
     - Proverbs 15:6

—————————————————————————-

     Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.
     - Matthew 5:22

     [Jesus said] Ye fools and blind.
     - Matthew 23:17

On another note, I really appreciated his donation section: I may want to steal it.

Buy me a Beer!

    Writing stuff for this web site and debating theists in my discussion forum takes up a lot of my time and makes me VERY THIRSTY.   If you like my web site and want to buy me a beer, you can do this by donating money to my beer fund.

Suggested dontations:

$3.00  A domestic beer at a local pub.

$5.50  An import or microbrew at a nice restaurant.

$10.00 A 12-pack of beer

$20.00 A case of beer.

$50.00 A quarter keg

$3,700,000 A small microbrewery

$17,345,675,659  Controlling interest in Anheuser -Bush

For the record, I do not agree with his position, but think he has many valid points worth discussing.

The man behind Blogging the Bible, David Plovitz, recently held on online chat, where he answered this question:

Arlington, Va.: What's been the most surprising thing in blogging?

David Plotz: The most surprising thing. Hmm. I guess it's how morally complicated the book is. When you hear "The Bible," you think: morality, righteousness, the goodness of God, the holiness of it all. And then you read the stories themselves, and they're incredibly confusing, morally. The Bible, at least the Hebrew Bible, does not offer clear guidance about how we are supposed to behave. What kind of lesson do you learn from the stories in Joshua, where God orders the wholesale slaughter of the other tribes in the Promised Land?

What is so demanding, and exciting, about the book is the way it pushes you to face moral complexity, and not settle for the simplest, easiest lesson.

I agree.

Mr. Plovitz also makes this comparison about King David.

New York: I was wondering if reading the Bible has given you insight into contemporary politics.

David Plotz: There are some stories where the modern political analogies jump out at you — I am thinking particularly about King David, who is so much like Bill Clinton in his appetites, his sins, his loves, his faith, his brilliance, his empathy.

Ha! Bill Clinton as a modern King David. I'll be honest, I've never thought of that before. I'm kind of skeptical; I may have to go back re-read 1 Samuel.

I've watched this music video twice, and I can't tell whether it's serious or not?

I think it's a joke, but I'm not sure.

God Hates the World

Update:

I thought this was a joke, but after doing a little research, I think it's legit.

http://www.thesignsofthetimes.net/index.html

http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/index.html

These people are genuinely insane.  

Just came across this blog by a Jewish man who is reading the Bible for the first time and blogging his reaction.

He writes:

My goal is pretty simple. I want to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based. I think I'm in the same position as many other lazy but faithful people (Christians, Jews, Moslems, Hindus). I love Judaism; I love (most of) the lessons it has taught me about how to live in the world; and yet I realized I am fundamentally ignorant about its foundation, its essential document.

I think he's sticking with the Old Testament, but it's still a pretty entertaining project.

He's currently on the Book of Job, and he has this take:

While not reading Job, I apparently developed a gross misconception about what it was. Like everyone with a pulse, I knew the basic outlines: God bets Satan—a gentleman's bet, no cash at stake—that His most upright servant, Job, will remain faithful even in the face of catastrophe. God and Satan afflict Job, and he endures patiently.

But as I am learning from the first few chapters, I seem to have wildly misunderstood the story in two ways. First, I assumed the book was the story of Job's trials—an endless series of unfortunate events, punctuated by Satanic (and divine) laughter. In fact, God and Satan wipe out Job by the middle of Chapter 2. The next 40 chapters are just argument. Second, because I believe clichés, I thought that Job would be patient (see: "patient as Job"). He's the opposite of patient. He's frustrated, enraged, petulant, and agitated about his situation. He can't believe how badly he has been screwed, and he's desperate to fix it, right now.

It is well established in society, that you can make fun of any group, as long as you are a part of that group. Thus Jews can make Jewish jokes. Blacks can make black jokes. Retards can make… well, you get the point.

I don't really fit in any of these groups, as I am practically as white as an albino. And I have about as much ethnicity as Don Imus. (Idiot)  However, I was homeschooled. And as such, I feel the homeschooled community permits me to make fun of other homeschoolers. Or at the very least post columns from other people making fun of homeschoolers.

In a recent column from the Sports Gal, she recaps The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman. In it she discusses some of the dates The Bachelor went on and subsequently makes this jab at homeschoolers. (or more specifically her husband makes the jab, but whatever…)

This date went pretty well and even ended with some smooching and another rose, which means we'll get to see more of BBBD in future episodes. Also, you're not going to believe this, but the girls back at the house were being catty and tearing BBBD to shreds. You knew that was coming. I did like one girl, the brunette who looked like a skinny Monica Lewinsky and admitted that she was home-schooled and saving herself for marriage. That's when Bill screamed out, "Surprise, surprise … a home-schooled virgin, those two things never go hand in hand!" It's really pathetic that these moments delight him so much.

Ahhhh… to quote Homer Simpson, "It's funny because it's true."

From my experience, homeschooling is probably the best birth control out there. Way better than any ridiculous Abstinence Pledge.