…word on the street is that Dick Iverson has selected the pastor to replace him as leader of MFI.

The rumor is that he decided to choose from his Executive Committee, which includes Frank Damazio, Wendell Smith and Bob MacGregor.

And the person he chose is…

…(drum roll please)…

…Bob MacGregor.

I claim a victory for City Business Church.

I've decided to take Anna's advice and expand our FAQ's by responding to a few comments that we often receive here. I doubt that many actually read the FAQ's but regardless, I'll answer them anyway:

(Comment 1) You are so hurt, you poor things - striking out blindly in your pain.

Upon first glance it may appear that both Reformed Pope & Catalyst are very bitter and angry towards City Bible Church and Frank Damazio…of course if you stick around long enough you'll see that we really aren't all that upset. We just find what they teach to be wrong, and "We aren't going to take it…"

Of course, saying that someone is "striking out blindly" due to hurts and bitterness is a defense technique (used by many Christians) called deflection. The goal here is to take the attention off the original subject and deflect it to another issue. As I always say in these kinds of situations…I'm more than happy to talk about my issues, but that is a topic for another day…now, back lets get back to you…

(Comment 2) Before you criticize these leaders publicly, you must go to them personally.

Did it. Loved it.

I have attempted to set up a meeting with Pastor Frank Damazio of City Bible Church in Portland, OR, He refuses to meet with me. You can read our email exchange here. In addition to the meeting attempt, I sent PF a letter listing my concerns about his teachings. I have successfully met with 2 other elders from CBC…and had one writing posts on this blog for a short time…That discussion can be read by clicking on the following 6 links: Dear _______, Dear Howard, Howard's Response, How Howard Saved the World (Part 1), How Howard Saved the World (Part 2), and finally, Addressing the Mob. In addition to ALL of that I have had a few months worth of email exchanges with another elder @ CBC (I have not posted those emails, because I told him I wouldn't. You can, however, read his defense of the "Faith Harvest Doctrine" here…start at the bottom and work your way up).

We also received a kind letter from CBC's lawyers…we were able to work out that dispute…You can read those posts (best post ever) here.

So, before you run to your Matthew 18 defense, please know that we have had a lot of contact with City Bible Church. Oddly enough…we still don't see eye to eye…I guess the next step would be for us to cast Frank Damazio out of the congregation, but I bet he would still keep coming.

(Comment 3) Every leader is appointed by God, therefore they are exempt from human evaluation - Do not touch God's anointed!

I have to answer this comment with a question of my own: What makes someone "God's anointed"? Who gets to set that bar? Are any and all "pastors" to be considered "God's Anointed"? What about small group leaders or mentors? I would also like to ask that any and all people who use this line of defense need to think real hard about it, before they start talking about our political leaders…my oh my, how many Christians wanted to bash ole Bill Clinton when he was in office…If PF is one of "God's Anointed" then so was Bill Clinton…and Hillary in '08 will be as well…enjoy that one.

(Comment 4) Satan is the accuser of the brethren, so when you accuse a leader of any wrong-doing, you are just satan's pawn.

Satan is the founder of the Prosperity Doctrine…when you follow that teaching you are just satan's pawn. How's that for a little Rosie-Dosie?

(Comment 5) Don't you have anything better to do than sit around criticizing people who are attempting to do God's work?

No…although things have slowed down lately so maybe I'm getting a life…probably not though.

Also, if you want to learn more about my personal life, you can go to my family blog, which I am far more proud of than this site. Look at how happy everyone is and tell me if I am letting bitterness ruin my life? And as always, you are welcome to contact me directly if you have any other questions or concerns…and I am happy to meet with anybody who wishes to do so.

Johnpaul Morton (Reformed Pope)

Mortonjp14@hotmail.com

A new survey by Lifeway Research found that many young adults have stopped going to church. 

Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 — both evangelical and mainline — who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research. And 34% of those said they had not returned, even sporadically, by age 30. That means about one in four Protestant young people have left the church.

And why do young people stop going to church:

Among dropouts, nearly all (97%) cited life changes, such as a move. Most (58%) were unhappy with the people or pastor at church. More than half (52%) had religious, ethical or political reasons for quitting.

For myself, I don't go to church because the environment in most evangelical churches feels completely fake. It feels copied from the Willow Creek playbook. "How to waste two hours of your life and still be sanctimonious."

The best service I've been to in recent memories was a chatholic service in an urban area of DC. The worship was fabulous, and the sermon really spoke to me. I loved it! But I'm not Catholic, and I have little interest in converting (that child-sex thing and all), so I find myself still looking for a church that is real.

Our Blogs BFF, Chris Snethen, is leaving Oregonlive and starting up his own independent blog called The Vig.

Here he explains his decision to leave Oregonlive:

Applying the principles of The Dip to my writing, things became pretty clear. There's no future in writing about politics. There are a ton of blogs out there focused on all things politics and mine was just another voice in the ether. I mean it was nice and all to be called the 19th most influential blog in Oregon politics earlier this summer (true story), but really…who am I kidding? There are others locally who's views I read and take far more seriously than my own. Besides, as I said back in May, there are only so many different ways I can say "this sucks, I'm voting for Obama." And really nothing has changed

So what to do? It's became clear I need to start my own site.

I've been reading Chris since 2003 when Oregon Live asked undecided voters to blog their decision making process for the 2004 Presidential Election. And I really identified with what Chris was going through. I'm convinced he has a great future in writing. So check out his new blog, I promise you'll like it:

The Vig 

We're almost halfway to a half-million hits.

So thanks.

An LA Times reporter loses his faith while working the Religion Beat:

Here's how he got his faith:

At the climactic service Sunday, Mike Barris, a pastor-to-be, delivered an old-fashioned altar call. He said we needed to let Jesus into our hearts.

With my eyes closed in prayer, I saw my heart slowly opening in two and then being infused with a warm, glowing light. A tingle spread across my chest. This, I thought, was what it was to be born again.

And here's how he lost it:

IN the summer of 2005, I reported from a Multnomah County, Ore., courtroom on the story of an unemployed mother — impregnated by a seminary student 13 years earlier — who was trying to get increased child support for her sickly 12-year-old son.

The boy's father, Father Arturo Uribe, took the witness stand. The priest had never seen or talked with his son. He even had trouble properly pronouncing the kid's name. Uribe confidently offered the court a simple reason as to why he couldn't pay more than $323 a month in child support.

"The only thing I own are my clothes," he told the judge.

His defense — orchestrated by a razor-sharp attorney paid for by his religious order — boiled down to this: I'm a Roman Catholic priest, I've taken a vow of poverty, and child-support laws can't touch me.

The boy's mother, Stephanie Collopy, couldn't afford a lawyer. She stumbled badly acting as her own attorney. It went on for three hours.

"It didn't look that great," Stephanie said afterward, wiping tears from her eyes. "It didn't sound that great … but at least I stood up for myself."

The judge ruled in the favor of Uribe, then pastor of a large parish in Whittier. After the hearing, when the priest's attorney discovered I had been there, she ran back into the courtroom and unsuccessfully tried to get the judge to seal the case. I could see why the priest's lawyer would try to cover it up. People would be shocked at how callously the church dealt with a priest's illegitimate son who needed money for food and medicine.

My problem was that none of that surprised me anymore.

I encourage you to read the whole thing. A lot of our readers are going to see themselves in this article. I know I did.

(H/T Andrew Sullivan)

Here's an amazing story about a potential mugging in a Capitol Hill neighborhood near my house. Recently, a hooded man came into the backyard of a dinner party, pointed his gun at a young girl and demanded money:

The five other guests, including the girls' parents, froze — and then one spoke.

"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, blurted out. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"

The intruder took a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry and said, "Damn, that's good wine."

Then he tucked the gun into the pocket of his nylon sweatpants.

"I think I may have come to the wrong house," he said, looking around the patio of the home in the 1300 block of Constitution Avenue NE.

"I'm sorry," he told the group. "Can I get a hug?"

Rowan, who lives in Falls Church and works part time at her children's school, stood up and wrapped her arms around him. Then it was Rabdau's turn. Then his wife's. The other two guests complied.

"That's really good wine," the man said, taking another sip. He had a final request: "Can we have a group hug?"

The five adults surrounded him, arms out.

According to a new blog rating system, this blog is PG.

We get the PG rating, primarily because we use the words "ass" and "hurt".

Of course, if the system could detect bitterness, then we'd probably get that coveted "R" rating.

(I know… I know… it's slow around here. I'll try to pick up the pace after America's Birthday.)

My second favorite baseball team, the Washington Nationals, is holding a Faith Night this August in which Christians will be encouraged to attend the game.

When the Nationals take on the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 5, fans who pay an extra $10 will be able to stay after the game and visit booths from Christian colleges and shops, meet characters from the "Veggie Tales" Christian video series and hear a concert by the band MercyMe.

And, as always, the real reason for inviting Christians to the ballpark is to get their money.

"If somebody comes to a team owner and says, 'We can drive an additional five [thousand] to 15,000 people to you, and you have no cost and no risk,' that's a no-brainer for a club owner," says Brent High, president of Third Coast Sports, which will run Faith Nights at 10 major league stadiums this season.

Faith Night is causing the DC folk a bit of consternation, because the evening doesn't include all Faiths, only Evangelical Christians.

However, in my opinion, this is really just a cruel joke on Christians. The Nats are horrible. The ballpark, RFK Stadium, is decrepit. And the weather in August is brutal. They can call the night whatever they want, but a Nationals game at RFK in August is really Hell Night, not Faith Night. Ask anyone who's made the mistake of sitting through that cess pool.

Consider this an open thread to discuss any topic you like.