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What's So Uncool About Cool Churches
The Gospel Side ^ | September 23, 2012 | Matt Marino

Posted on 08/12/2013 5:32:45 PM PDT by luvie

Unintended Consequences: How the “relevant” church and segregating youth is killing Christianity.

I recently spent six-months doing a rotation as a hospital chaplain. One day I received a page (Yes, hospitals actually still use pagers). Chaplains are generally called to the rooms of people who look ill: People gray with kidney disease, or yellow with liver failure, discouraged amputees, nervous cancer patients. In this room, however, was a strikingly attractive 23 year-old young lady sitting up cheerfully in the hospital bed, holding her infant daughter and chatting with family and friends.

Confused, I stepped outside and asked her nurse, “Why did I get paged to her room?”

“Oh, she looks fabulous. She also feels great and is asking to go home,” the nurse said.

“…And you are calling me because?” I asked in confusion.

The nurse looked me directly in the eye and said: “Because we will be disconnecting her from life support in three days and you will be doing her funeral in four.”

The young lady had taken too much Tylenol. She looked and acted fine. She even felt fine, but she was in full-blown liver failure. She was dying and couldn’t bring herself to accept the diagnosis.

Today I have the sense that we are at the same place in the church. The church may look healthy on the outside, but it has swallowed the fatal pills. The evidence is stacking up: the church is dying and, for the most part, we are refusing the diagnosis.

(Excerpt) Read more at thegospelside.com ...


TOPICS: General Discusssion; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture; Worship
KEYWORDS: christianity; churches; disciples; ministry; worship; youth
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To: GeronL

Indeed. He IS the message!! The church is His body!


21 posted on 08/12/2013 6:04:39 PM PDT by luvie (All my heroes wear camos! Thank you David, Michael, Chris Txradioguy, JJ, CMS, & ALL of you heroes!)
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To: LUV W

I agree.


22 posted on 08/12/2013 6:05:33 PM PDT by mylife (Ted Cruz understands the law, and he does not fear the unlawful.)
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To: GeronL

I have no problem with that.
It is difficult to get your rig in over at the Baptist church.


23 posted on 08/12/2013 6:06:53 PM PDT by mylife (Ted Cruz understands the law, and he does not fear the unlawful.)
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To: mylife

My second baptism happened in a horse trough


24 posted on 08/12/2013 6:12:07 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: Hot Tabasco
Southern Baptist churches don't have a have s standing crucifix. I have never seen or even heard of a crucifix in a Southern Baptist church. I think most of us Baptist look on the crucifix as an idol.
25 posted on 08/12/2013 6:14:19 PM PDT by yellowhorse (6 good horses, 3 good women)
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To: LUV W

Supercool rock band church.


26 posted on 08/12/2013 6:18:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Who knew that one day professional wrestling would be less fake than professional journalism?)
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To: LUV W

27 posted on 08/12/2013 6:23:46 PM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: LUV W

28 posted on 08/12/2013 6:25:28 PM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: mylife

Aw shucks! I thought it was the colored sailor told to preach to the sharks and stop “de smackin’ o’ de lips” as they ate a whale.


29 posted on 08/12/2013 6:29:42 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
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To: All

Slightly off topic but how much is “ too much Tylenol “ ?? Enough to cause liver failure?

I’ve never heard of such a thing.


30 posted on 08/12/2013 6:30:29 PM PDT by warsaw44
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To: GeronL

***A church doesn’t need a cross. A church doesn’t need symbols.***

Ever see the movie CROMWELL with Richard Harris? He really gets upset seeing gold crosses in his church. Starts a Revolution against Charles I.


31 posted on 08/12/2013 6:32:21 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
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To: LUV W

I’ve mentioned it before here on FR on various threads, but my brother attends a mega church here in Illinois called Willow Creek. They are not allowed to mention the word “sin” as it may turn off their patrons “ie costumers” , they are all “pro choice”, the church is closed on Christmas, and they’ve had Bill Clinton out there several times as a guest speaker (and Dick Durban as well). This church is MASSIVE. The cops have to direct traffic on Sundays. I mean MASSIVE as in more parking then the Allstate Arena or Soldier Field, and the lot is full on Sundays.

They get bands there, entertainment, etc, but don’t mention the word “sin”.


32 posted on 08/12/2013 6:35:05 PM PDT by esoxmagnum (The rats have been trained to pull the D voting lever to get their little food pellet)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Nope.


33 posted on 08/12/2013 6:36:49 PM PDT by mylife (Ted Cruz understands the law, and he does not fear the unlawful.)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

If you try to replace worship of God with symbols and ceremonies, you deserve a good revolution. Although Cromwell proved that power corrupts, absolutely it corrupts.


34 posted on 08/12/2013 6:37:25 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: GeronL; LUV W; SADMILLIE; mylife; Jeff Chandler; fwdude; Hot Tabasco; Some Fat Guy in L.A.

To me a church should be like a hospital for the soul. If you lose your connection with God, you should be able to go to church to get plugged into the vine again, plain and simple, then be on your merry way again.

Christians to me are people who live life, wholesome, generous, active, holy lives. When confronted with difficulties, meet them head on with a grateful heart and with that still, quiet core of knowing that “All will be well”. Christians shouldn’t even have to wear a cross or proclaim Jesus, people will be drawn to him or her and start to ask questions and want to go that way, be free to be their innocent little selves. Haven’t you ever seen happy, glowing, people who don’t waste their time gossiping or assuming. But do what they love?

Roy Masters and Jesse Peterson are that way for me. There are others, but I know these two. They have helped me and maybe millions of others. Forget about how many angels dance on the head of a pin, or which is the correct translation of the bible. Use your own intuition, see for yourself because you are grafted to the vine and get your intuition directly, just enough when you need it. Jesus said call no man father. Go to the father yourself and if you have lost your connection find a church that will lead you back to it and let you free.


35 posted on 08/12/2013 6:39:18 PM PDT by abigail2
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To: LUV W

Jesus Christ and His being crucified for our sins are no longer taught in churches. Feel good about yourself is. I know one church who teaches teen-age girls how to cook.


36 posted on 08/12/2013 6:40:32 PM PDT by winkadink (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. George Orwell)
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To: LUV W

All that stuff about crucification, is, like, gross, man, we want something amazing, incredible and unbelievable, like Justin, what his name!


37 posted on 08/12/2013 6:45:25 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: abigail2

One of the reasons that a church I pick won’t have “fathers” or anyone who gives themselves a title that presumes importance. The people running the church are no more holier than the ones in the pews, the ones running the church are no less sinners than the people in the pews.

The services can take place anywhere, it doesn’t even have to be indoors. Any 2 or 3 can hold service in a living room or backyard on Wednesday night and it is no less “church” than Sunday morning in the building with others.

So I agree with you mostly.


38 posted on 08/12/2013 6:45:40 PM PDT by GeronL
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To: Revolting cat!

Justin Case, I meet him a number of years ago.


39 posted on 08/12/2013 6:46:53 PM PDT by eyedigress ((zOld storm chaser from the west)/ ?s)
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To: warsaw44

Tylenol overdose

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20051201/tylenol-overdoses-liver-failure

Mix with alcohol, and it takes less to kill the liver. No alcohol takes more, but it will work.

Some gals take an overdose to fake a suicide attempt, and then really end up dead a few days later.


40 posted on 08/12/2013 6:47:48 PM PDT by PAR35
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