Sometimes I just look at places of worship and just sigh. As much as they often process that they're welcoming to all and that it doesn't matter who you are you're welcome often they're not. I think that the honest truth is that the signs and banners should really say "welcome as long as you agree with the majority." I know that not every one agrees on things in any congregation. However, when someone comes into many places of worship that is different from the majority ethos, they are not welcomed. I feel that church has become more about labeling. "This is the progressive church." "That's the conservative." "That's the church with a female pastor." "She's a republican, he's a democrat." You know the things people say. I'm sure I've said it about places many time. I'd like to see places of worship be different. How about we stop labeling the people that worship with us. How about we offer places where everyone can come together and not be labeled. We're just people who want to feel connected to something that's bigger then themselves and want to work on this connection in community. How about we offer places were we admit our brokenness, pain and struggles and realize that screwing a smiling on our faces doesn't address the issues in life. Offer a place where it's okay to curl up in a ball and cry if you need too or that you can have a good ole belly rolling laugh with. Where we hold each other accountable for moving in our spiritual journeys and push each other out of a place of love and concern. Church could be completely different, people could be completely different. It's something I know I'd value because I don't need another place where I get the B.S. How radical and uniquely holistic that could be.
In a conversation with a more conservative Christian then me (take in mind I call myself a bed-wetting liberal and I’m also a big time Process Theologian) the person started rambling off scripture quotes (proof texting really) to make a point. I have never claimed to be a great memorizer of anything. And even though I have read the Bible many times and own many copies of the Bible, I am still not a person who can just pull out scripture references in mid conversation. I do have several verses that I turn to and love dearly but I can’t tell you word for word what John 2:5 or Ruth 1:4 says. This got me thinking, why do Christians really feel the need to qualify their faith based on the amount of scripture that they can recite from memory? While it may be very handy to be able to quote scripture in a variety of situations, I believe that this can be dangerous. Proof texting (pulling scripture, from any religion, to support an argument without careful and learned consideration for its cont
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