Christians have been getting a bad rap on this blog, and I just want to share a story I heard about a lay pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma who helped a bunch of Indian/Kuwaiti Immigrants escape slavery from a local manuracturing plant. The men were forced into a kind of virtual slaved labor, with almost no help of escape.

The story picks up here

Thankfully, a couple of workers were able to sneak out (leaving the factory without permission was forbidden under armed guard) on a Sunday and they slipped into the nearby church to participate in worship and escape the oppressive conditions of Pickle’s prison. Mark Massey, a lay minister there, connected with the men and befriended them in spite of their broken english and seemingly suspicious demeanor. Eventually, he learned of their plight and began to smuggle them out into his own home, vacating his house so that dozens of Indian workers could find a safe place of refuge while he contacted local organizations to collect food and resources for the men. meanwhile, he also recruited the only lawyer he knew for the cause, an attorney who humorously admitted that prior to this case, he couldn’t even spell “immigration.”

What stuck out to me was an encounter between massey and some of the workers one night when he was helping them to escape the factory- two of the men had brought their friend who told Massey, “I’m hindu- but will you help me as well?” and Massey replied, “of course- that’s what the gospel is about.”

The whole story is spelled out in an episode of This American Life. It's a fascinating look at a pastor in a mid-western town who shortly after 9/11 sacrified his life to help a bunch of Middle Eastern men. And why did he do it? Because it's what Christ would do.

I just want to point out that there are a lot of good Christian out there. And frankly, we need to help tell their story. Because, if not. All we're gonna get is "The Glories of the Prosperity Gospel" and "How to Raise up a Standard to Fight a Tide of Sexual Immorality."

Just want to point out a nice little blog by Erik Kowalker:

http://kowalkerjourney.com/

This is what a blog looks like when the author actually cares. 

Anyway, he has an interesting take on why people aren't bringing their Bible to Church. 

"In visiting quite a bit of churches over the past several years, I can attest to what Oregonian journalist Nancy Haught observed. What ever happened to people bringing their Bibles to church?!?!I think their are two main reasons why people do not bring their Bible to church: The Bible verses for the sermon are either in the church bulletin or on the PowerPoint screen on the stage. My gut tells me that over the course of time, this practice of showing a verse here and there via somewhere else other than the context of the Bible book, just might hurt rather than help people in learning the Bible. So, next Sunday, keep your Bible home…you won’t need it."

Because evidently, I can't get enough of these lists. Here is some stuff Educated Black People Like: 

- Moving to Atlanta

- Howard University

- Neo Soul 

- Correcting Others

- Talking About Uneducated Black People

And the best thing educated black people like is: 

- Mega Churches

Here's my favorite part:

Attending services is very stressful on the EBP because it is difficult to concentrate on “the word” and not talk about others. However, Mega Churches have a solution for this problem – the overflow room. The church’s staff of ushers, all wearing white gloves, usually directs those that are inappropriately dressed to the overflow room. Yes, it says “come as you are”, but please don’t go out and buy and outfit that is club-worthy to wear to church.

When it comes to tithing, EBP are very careful to always give the full 10% as it serves a dual purpose. Tithing gives them the opportunity to follow the scripture and it also allows them to show off their salary to the finance committee without actually “showing off.”

I don't really know if this is  true, as the only mega church I attended was 99% white people, but I still laughed. 

It's Sovereign Grace Ministry month here at City Business, so here is another blog from someone who left her church.  What's especially great about this blog, is the beautiful young lady includes the different email exhanges she had with her pastors during the time she thought about leaving. 

Here's the email she received after she finally convinced the pastor she was leaving:

I suspect that the way you are thinking you would never have been present to hear Paul's letter to the Galatians being read to the congregation.

Hahaha… Good one, pastor, Good one. You got her. PWNED!

If you have time, read through the entire email exchange. It's the classic passive aggressive approach to pastoring. "I love you.  But because you want to leave the church, you are walking in sin. I want to you help you resist this sin. Oh, and the church is the bride of Christ."

A few readers have tipped me off to a couple new blogs that are dedicated to discussing the imperfections of Sovereign Grace Ministries.

One reader is a former City Bible member, and here is her family's experience at this church:

We attended the Tucson Sovereign Grace church for 2 years. We had so much fun in the beginning because people were so friendly, the pastors were so "humble" (unlike cbc) and we just loved it.

then we had an "observation" – a good reformed word for "issue" with the pastor and met with him several times and found that the humility shown across the pulpit no where to be found. the pastor lied to us, the associate pastor lied and wouldnt even hear our issue, instead turned it around and called us sinners and accused us of having marriage problems.

There have been 10 families that have left this last year – most for the same reasons as us. this church is only about 150 people btw so a huge exodus.

Tucson SGChurch is now having all their members – reup their membership and in order to be a member, they have to sign that they are in total agreement with the entire doctrinal statment of the church and one of the items is "I will read my Bible every day" I will try to get a copy of this from a friend there – she hasnt signed it yet.

If you're not a member, you will get NO care – no care group membership allowed, you're not allowed access to the phone directory – this is a very social church, we all wanted access to that.

I want to touch quickly on this issue of "false humility". I had a somewhat similar experience with the pastor of a church I attended in college.  When I first attended the church, I thought the guy was great and very humble. And then a few issues came up with his children, in which I got stuck in the middle. (Basically, his oldest son, who was seventeen, ran away from home and ran straight to my place to crash on my couch for a week. My college roommates thought this was highly entertaining. Myself, I was annoyed.) Anwyay, the more I got to know the pastor, the more I realized he was actually a pretty arrogant man.  And not a particulary good pastor. I didn't stop going to the church, but I did cut back my attendance a fair amount. As such, I tend to think the humility in most pastors is just a well-rehearsed act. But I digress…

As near as I can tell there are several SGM churches all over the country. And here are the blogs that discuss these churches.

http://www.sgmsurvivors.com/

http://sgmrefuge.com/

I love seeing other congregations blog about their church and its leaders.  Pastors are there to serve you, not you them.

While cruising around the "blogosphere" last Friday I ran across Mark Conner's Space. If I'm not mistaken (and I very rarely am) Mark Conner is Pastor of City Life Church and is also Sharon Damazio's brother (aka Pastor Frank's brother in-law). Anyhow, there was one post on Mark's Space that stood out to me: Fun & Games with the Media.

As it turns out, a local paper wrote a story about a Physiotherapist who was sexually abusing his patients over a long period of time. In the article there is a headline that states "Churchgoer's `insidious' acts wreak trauma" and at the end of the story there is a comment by this Physiotherapist's defense lawyer saying "Ms Hartnett said he was a dedicated Christian who regularly attended the City Life Church in Wantirna."

Mark Conner (and some of his churchgoers), seem a little peeved that this article connected this man with their church. Mark has this to say

Firstly, this man's behaviour clearly indicates that he is not a 'dedicated Christian' and secondly, he does not regularly attend our church. He obviously has visited our church at some time over the years – like 1000s of other people have. Unfortunately, the journalist didn't check their facts but didn't hesitate to incriminate Christianity and the church. How sad and how wrong.

Mark goes on to post a letter that someone from his congregation wrote to the paper complaining about this lack of journalistic integrity. This letter brings up good and valid points…however, I was struck by the attitude of Mark, and many of the others who posted comments, and their attempt to salvage their image. I, of course, couldn't resist writing a comment of my own which lasted on the site for about 1 day before being deleted. Here was the comment I had written:  

Reading through this I had the same feelings as Anon [a comment previous to mine] did. I started getting sick to my stomach listening to everyone who was trying to distance themselves as far as they could from this "sinner". Obviously this guy made some major mistakes…he hurt a lot of people…and legally he should be punished…but does God love him any less? Does God love you more?

How quickly we forget our own sinful nature…You who are without sin can keep casting those stones, however, I tend to think that LOG in your own eye is going to come back to bite you.

And Mark, I find it incredibly hypocritical that in the very same blog you put down a newspaper for twisting the facts and then do the very same thing yourself.  Shame on you.

Your quote at the start of this blog makes it sounds as though you have no idea who this guy is or if he ever actually attended your church:

"Firstly, this man's behavior clearly indicates that he is not a 'dedicated Christian' and secondly, he does not regularly attend our church. He obviously has visited our church at some time over the years – like 1000s of other people have. Unfortunately, the journalist didn't check their facts but didn't hesitate to incriminate Christianity and the church. How sad and how wrong."

This sounds like the guy just slipped in and out of your church completely uninvolved and unnoticed and it is not until someone else calls you out and says

"I knew Brad and I knew he attended your church regularly and attended a small group from your church."

that you come out with the real story and tell us:

"I have spoken to our pastoral team who knew him and were involved in his situation."

We are all sinners. Some of us are saved by grace and others are in need of that grace, but none of us can boast in our own salvation. I'm ashamed that a "Christ loving" church would be so quick to distance themselves from someone in need just to help save their own image.

When Jesus was on the earth He spent his time loving sinners and rebuking the church and yet now the Church spends their time rebuking sinners and loving themselves.

How sad and how wrong.

Mark Conner of City Life Church, let me ask you this: When was Jesus concerned with his image? When He was criticized for eating with "sinners" He sure didn't worry about doing any damage control.

I believe respect is something that you earn. Today's Christian Church doesn't get respect because they just don't deserve it.