Barneyisfat

(I found this post from my first year blogging, I never posted it, but I've decided to go ahead and post it now.)

"What the heck is going on in our churches that we revere the big Bible on the table but we ignore the broken woman in the pew? We polish the brass cross but we push aside the confused teenager?"

That quote is from my godfather, Bill Beatty. He is the associate pastor at a large United Methodist church that struggles a lot with appearances and avarice. I love this quote. It made my facebook page.

Well, what the heck is going on? And more importantly, what can I do to change it?

First, I'm going to gripe. (I realize this accomplishes so little, but really I do feel better after a good gripefest.) Kane First does a number of things that could be really great outreach oppertunities. We wash cars, rake leaves, and sit outside quality. These are, of course, not outreach events, but, rather - fundraisers. Yes, that's right. Every time we as the church are interacting with non-church people it is to try and get them to give us money. What silent message are we sending with that one?

I was reading a book about how to teach Sunday School and our teaching messages. Do people learn how to use computers by listening to a lecture about computer techniques, unscrambling the word MEGABYTE, and then be given a chance to turn on their computers at home after the instructer is far away. NO. Why does the church still teach in this fashion? Why don't we present Christ in a relevant fashion?

Being a first year student at a Bible College last year I didn't need in depth Bible studies from my church - I got those (graded!) every day. I didn't need the church for deep community - Every guy (almost!) that I lived with was a committed Christian. I needed help balancing a checkbook, escaping cafeteria food, and help with a malfunctioning car. I got a few meals during the year, but I also recieved a lot of in-depth Bible Studies and people interested in giving me deep community.

What do people need? People need help getting from brokeness to wholeness. Why do we have AA meetings? Because the church sucks? If we were each willing to be open and honest we could all come forward and share our brokeness with each other. (We could, what? BEAR EACH OTHER'S BURDENS!) I want to see a church where it's okay that you are an alcoholic, that you do drugs, have sex with many different people. It's okay, not in the sense that we hope you keep doing it, but, rather - it's okay in the sense that we don't recoil.

One of my Counselors in Training friends from Camp Glisson shared with me one day. We sat down and talked one day about her drug use, sexual encounters, and lack of belief in Christ as anything but a good guy. She was startled when I didn't flinch or recoil with each sin she laid on me. When I failed to faint after she admitted to having sex and using pot, she started bringing out the big guns and eventually everything was on the table. I was very real and told her that I felt that a lot of the stuff she had done were unacceptable, but that God loves her. I was able to share how God changed my life and be real. We had a real discussion about faith and love. I was the first person she talked to in her three weeks at camp who listened past the fact that she was having sex and doing pot. I'm the only one who didn't tell her all the reasons why those things were wrong.

The church needs to move past listing sins and get in the business of salvation.