According to the local media, our dear little City Bible is holding a conference next month dedicated to helping homosexuals. The conference, called Love Won Out, shows gays how not to be gay.

This is the natural follow up to City Bible's legislative efforts to keep gays single. Once you ensure homosexuals can't get married, the next logical step is provide them with an avenue toward matrimony, namely, heterosexuality. 

That said, I tend to cut City Bible some slack here. They clearly believe homosexuality is a sin, and so this conference isn't really anything new.

I have a good friend who is gay and grew up in a conservative evangelical environment in Southern Oregon.  She is constantly defending Evanglicals to her gay friends.  She is comfortable being gay, but also doesn't harbor any bitterness or anger.  She grew up in the church, so she understands why some Christians believe homosexuality is a sin. She disagrees with them, but she's cool with it.

(Fun side note: I met this lovely young lady when we both worked for the same firm in Washington DC. And when I found out she grew up in the church, I started singing Oh Ancient of Days to see if she would recognize it. She did, and promptly joined in for the seond verse of "Every tongue in Heavan and Earth shall declare your glory." We've been great friends ever since.)

So, if City Bible wants to hold a "Don't be gay" conference on their property. Whatever. I don't really care. No gay people are going to attend anyway. It's just going to be a bunch of Conservative Christians re-affirming what they already believe. No different than any other event up there. 

Of course, I wonder if City Bible is going to charge attendees of the conference to park. I mean if you're going take advantage of Believers, I see know reason that gays shouldn't get the same treatment. Charge those homos the same price to park as you do the Holy Rollers. Let's be honest, City Bible sees all people the same, as dollar signs.

(Also, I recongize that I'm in the minority on this one. Most of our readers still think homosexuality is a sin, including my brother and co-blogger Johnpaul.

 Whatever.)

I stumbled across this article in yesterday's Washington Post about a fortune teller (Uwanawich) who was convicted of theft for promising to stamp out curses for her clients.  The facts of the case reminded me of certain a Malachi 3 obsessed pastor.

Here are the facts:

Authorities say Uwanawich, 63, defrauded vulnerable middle-aged women by persuading them to hand over tens of thousands of dollars to crush devastating curses.

The relationship began in December 2004 at Lakeforest Mall, when Uwanawich approached the woman, who was depressed, and handed her a flier promoting her psychic powers.

During meetings at Uwanawich's apartment, the woman, who is of Chinese descent, was told she and her family had a curse that dated to the building of the Great Wall of China. Evidence of the curse came in the form of an egg Uwanawich cracked in front of the woman that had blood and hair and smelled horrid.

I'm not saying the similarities are exact. But I know pastors who speak of curses, promising great wealth if you tithe and calamity if you don't.  So what's the difference?

Of course, you could never convice a prosecutor to go after a pastor for promising great wealth. But I wonder if a CBC member who tithed and didn't receive financial blessings, if they could sue for fraud?

Anyone want to try?

A reader comments:

I am still in the system (CBC member and faithful attendee).

The reason why I read and join with this blog, because I want to be an open-minded christian.

There are so many things that I disagree with CBC, with the leaders, with their ideas & teachings, with church politics, etc. Once, I went to a district pastor and discussed about these issues. And I expressed to her that I actually have been praying for the past 5 years if I should leave CBC, but I never received any confirmation in my heart that I should dismember myself from CBC.

I understood that my dissatisfaction of the church will not be a valid reason to leave the church, I knew that if dissatisfaction was the main reason to leave a church, then I will always find dissatisfaction in other churches as well.

To me sticking with CBC is not a matter of loyalty to an establishment or to its leaders, but it's more like practicing of my personal conviction, and being an "individual" rather than a "group".

I have to thank LT, Larry Asplund and Ken Ross They are inspirational people, thanks for your dedication at PBC and allowing students to think for themselves and giving so much room to grow instead of dictating them what to do and what to believe.

I also appreciate this blog, for helping us to be real, honest and courageous to face the fact that we are all human, and we are in need of His grace.

Interesting. 

I tend to think that by attending CBC, you are implicity supporting their "prosperity doctrine". But I appreciate the ability to think for yourself and that's about the most I can hope for.

That said, I think dissatisfaction is a perfectly good reason for leaving a church. The whole, "you willl always find something wrong in a church" mantra,  is just a manipulation tool used by "bad" churches to keep you from leaving.

This is from CBC's bulletin from April 29^th:

We are pleased to announce that our own City Christian School has received accreditation from the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. This is the highest level of accreditation possible in the Northwest and we want to thank our principal Ed Mason and his staff for all their hard work to make this possible.

I can't imagine this was a very easy task to accomplish. I know when I attended the school it seemed they were a long way away from accreditation. So, congratulations Principal Mason and company, you have done a great thing.

I do wonder now…does that mean a CCHS diploma is now worth more than a PBC degree?

Regardless…good job City Christian Schools.

I've been thinking about the often-asked question:

How many people have you led to Christ?

And I started to wonder what the Bible says about leading people to Christ. Admittedly, I have not done any book studies on the subject, nor have I taken a class on it, but I can't seem to think of any instances where the Bible gives out special kudos to individual people for leading others to Christ. From my limited understanding the "Scripture" says something more along the line of:

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." I Corinthians 3:6-7

So, if those that "lead people to Christ" (plant and water the seed) are nothing according to the Bible why the big ta-da in Christian circles today? If "leading" were that important, shouldn't there be a scripture saying:

These are the special children of God for they have done my work:

Luke from Cyprus for leading 15 unto the Lord…

Stephen from Jerusalem for bringing forth 207 unto the Lord…

and Ed from Lower Manhattan for scaring 10,000 upon the alter of thy God…

but it doesn't say that does it? No, it says they are nothing. Nothing. All that hard work and the Apostle Paul just goes and ruins it. "You are nothing"…actually he said "I am nothing"…such humility…he wouldn't make much of an apostle today, would he?

I can, however, come up with Scriptures that discuss individual people leading others away from Christ.

Scriptures such as: Mathew 23:15

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."

So, I wonder…what is the big deal with "leading people to Christ"? Shouldn't the real question be "How many people have you led AWAY from Christ"?

Does anyone want us to start a list of people that the pastors of City Bible Church and The City Church Seattle have led away from Christ???

Just Thinking.

 I like to think of this blog as a lighthouse, shining bright for all to see; steering wayward Christians away from the Rocks of Damazio. Many times, a sermon gets cloudy, like a fog rolling in, and that's when Catalyst and I run up to the top of the tower and light a way to shine through the darkness. Ahh…the life of a lighthouse keeper.

Look now, a storm is approaching from "The Domes" as we speak…

From CBC's April 21-22, 2007 bulletin

Today's Thought

In the last two weekends we have had over sixty people respond to Christ and many prodigals return to Christ. We took in 120 new members on Super Sunday Night, baptized another twelve new converts and prayed over 37 new small group leaders who are starting new groups. Thank you, CBC, for reaching and loving people.

I also presented in video our history thus far in "Taking Church to the People." You will see this video in the services again this weekend. Our new Vancouver Campus will open Sunday night, June 3, with a 5:00 and a 6:30 pm service and a huge party. To help cover the final set-up cost for the building and the additional overhead until the new campus can grow into this new location, I'm asking everyone to help us raise $350,000.

We are one congregation meeting in multiple locations. Vancouver, like 217, is your campus, an expression of your faith and vision to take church to the people. This new venture will take all of us stepping up, giving, praying, and serving. We will all inherit the eternal fruit of souls, lives changed, marriages saved and young people equipped to face this generation.

Please take the pledge card and let me know what you can do between now and June 10, our first Sunday service. This is an eight week window of giving. Put the card in the envelope along with whatever you are giving today. Our God is our provider and He will open windows of provision for each and every person. Thank you! You are an awesome church!

-Pastor Frank Damazio

Catalyst, quick…light the lamp.

To help cover the final set-up cost for the building and the additional overhead until the new campus can grow into this new location, I'm asking everyone to help us raise $350,000.

Final set-up cost and additional overhead?????? That costs $350,000…what were the initial costs? And "additional overhead" maybe instead they should cut back instead of just spending the money.

Vancouver, like 217, is your campus, an expression of your faith and vision to take church to the people.

"An expression of your vision"…who's vision…certainly not the congregations? Frank, did you take a poll before you decided to expand your business to Vancouver? Was there a vote that I am unaware of? No…that's because it is your vision, Frank…not your church's.

And just like that, the light beams out to the darkness.

You may be thinking, $350,000…that's not all that much, right? Well wait a minute…let me do my job here (lighthouse and all)… How many campuses does CBC plan to have…9…how many do they currently have? 2…and Vancouver makes 3…

This isn't going to stop. Besides your annual November through December "Faith Harvest", you are going to be continually hit up for money to pay for new campuses. All so Frank can self-fulfill a prophecy over him saying he would one day "Pastor 10,000"…I guess if he can fulfill his own prophecy he might actually earn his "self proclaimed ‘apostle of the city' title.

Watch out for those rocks…if you have any concerns with the future of CBC stick with us here at City Business Church…

We'll be your candle on the water.

From City Bible's April 14-15 Bulletin:

Imagine being one of the few in Pastor Frank's recent dream: trapped in a deep canyon surrounded by steep clefts with no visible means of escape. Hearing rushing flood waters rapidly approaching–a breathtaking, fearful, heart racing experience. He had the peace of mind to quickly analyze the situation and PRAY! "Help, Yahweh-the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master; hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open your ear! Listen to my cries for mercy."     (TMB)

This reminded me of a prophetic word to our church in 1984. "In the time of trouble, in the time of adversity, in the day of storm and hardships, when you feel overwhelmed by the pressures of this life and you feel like you want to pull back and fall away. You want to lay down your armor and your sword, — don't stop now, and don't pull back… Don't rely upon that which you feel or see with your eyes. Draw near unto God."

Overwhelming flood waters may rise to drown us with physical, mental or emotional distress or frustration. What rising waters threaten you today: debt, strongholds, apathy, broken relationships, sickness, family issues, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, immorality, or unbelief? Instead of focusing on the flood, believe-pray-intercede and see the floods retreat! "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14 (NLT)

I'm really quite curious about why they keep bringing up Frank's dream. If its for real, then it sounds to me like some bad things are about to happen to CBC (or just Frank). Probably not something I'd want to parade around.

Also, is anyone else bored with obvious prophecies such as the one above? I mean, really, "When things get tough, don't give up"…that's not a prophecy…that's a Hallmark Card of Encouragement. Furthermore it leads me to this rant:

I am sick and tired of having people treat God like he is the Staples Easy Button. He's not. Lets get real people, God created the earth, He created all the people and all the animals and all the Schefters in this world. HE set the rules in motion…and you know what? He set up consequences or rewards for every one of your actions…that's right…there are consequences for YOUR actions. Stop waiting for God to clear up the problems you created, go out and work on fixing things yourself. Don't just sit around whining to God about your problems. Yes you should pray but don't stop there. Pray and do, people…pray and do.

CBC wants you to believe that the only way to solve your problems is by asking God to take them away. Why do they do this? I'm not entirely sure, but I would guess it's because they want to be in control of your life. When they tell you "Just pray about it" if God doesn't miraculously solve all the problems that YOU created for YOURSELF they have built a crutch for you to lean on and then they can pressure you into whatever they want (giving more money seems to be their go to).

All to often while at CBC, when I would go to my pastor for advice they would say "Just pray about it" to which I would think…"I am praying about it, I have been praying about it, I need real advice here"…but none ever came.

In my opinion, outside of death and sickness (and perhaps  "bad childhoods"), life is what you make of it.  For every action there is a reaction. For every decision you make there is either a consequence or a reward…but it's your decision:

What rising waters threaten you today: debt, strongholds, apathy, broken relationships, sickness, family issues, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, immorality, or unbelief?

I've written out their list of "Rising Waters" and next to them I've put what I like to call "The Boat". In addition to prayer, when you face these "rising waters" try:

For Debt - Try a Budget

For Strongholds -Try Self control

For Apathy - Try a Red Bull

For Broken relationships - Try taking responsibility.

For Sickness - Ok, you can push the button on this one.

For Fear, Worry, Anxiety, or Depression - Try Prozac

For Immorality - Try Self Control (again)

For Unbelief - Try…Ok, they stumped me with this last one…go ahead…push the button.

My point is this: Although life is not easy (and anyone who tells you differently is selling something) you don't have these problems because God has decided to curse you. You have these problems because of bad life decisions. Sorry. The cold hard fact (and feel free to disagree with me on this point) is that God is not likely to take away all your problems, that would be classified as a miracle and we don't see to many of those around here do we?

I believe in the power of prayer, I just hate seeing it used as a crutch. Don't just pray…pray and do.

Now that was easy.

Here's an example. 

An email from Frank Damazio of City Bible Church to his congregation.

Dear Congregation,

I am sending you this email as there is an urgent need facing us today - right now.

You may be aware that Senate Bill 2, which grants minority status protection to individuals based on their sexual orientation, has a very narrow ecemption for churches. The bill does not have any exemption at all for "non-sectarian" religious organizations like rescue missions, independent schools, or ministries that want to require their employees to follow certain moral standards.

This bill will be addressed in the House Rules Committee on Monday. This is the last place any amendments can be made to the bill, and the seven Representatives on the committee must hear how important it is to protect churches and religious organizations.

Here's how you can help:

First, call the Rules Committee. Let members of the House Rules Committee know that they should follow the example of other states like Vermont and Nevada, and not infringe on the rights of religious organizations.

Second, let others know about the dangers of SB2. Oregonians have to know that this bill will be decided early next week. We are looking for volunteers to fill two-hour shifts making calls to citizens in targeted distrcts today (Friday), Saturday and Monday. We will be asking other citizens to please call their Representatives and ask him or her to protect churches and religious organizations.

Calls will be made from Gateway Communications, near the airport, in Portland. Please call and sign up to make calls.

Third, pray fervently. Remember, "The Lord can control a king's mind as he control's a river; he can direct it as he pleases (Proverbs 21:1)." We pray that God will turn the hearts and minds of our leaders toward godly decisions.

As soon as you read this email, please call the committee. Then call your friends and ask them to call. If you are able, I strongly urge you to contact Gateway and volunteer a few hours to make phone calls.  Remember, even one person can make a difference. Your call and prayers do count.

Thank you for standing in the gap and turning the tide.

Pastor Frank Damazio.

Nice of Frank to allow Gateway Communications to use his congregation for their political purposes.

I wonder how much Gateway pays him for this service?

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.

I just think it would be wise, if we would stop, stand in the gap, build a hedge and turn the tide. Can I hear an amen?

- Frank Damazio exhorting the congregation in his sermon last week.