Educat has an interesting discussion with a woman who is homeschooling and attends a SBC church complete with Starbucks. It is a thoughtful exchange and should be celebrated.
Kristen and Brandon and Greg have all written about church a lot lately. (Sorry for not linking, I am annoyed with my computer right now. Actually, annoyed with my classes and my guest-lecturer who bailed, and my online application that works badly, and my own lack of sleep.....)
But trust me, Bad Christian, the Parish and McCarty Musings are all having discussions (ongoing, really) about church. And they are good discussions.
But they raise something that I don't know how to admit. I am not interested in church. I kind of want to be, but when I hear my friends talking about going to church and maybe even doing church right, I realize that I am still not interested. I read about the SBC church with the Starbucks, and read that it is a place that welcomes the prostitutes and drug users, and I am glad for that. But when I think about going to church, I just feel, disinterested. SOF and I are looking for places to help others, and we continue to do that. But going to church leaves me cold.
Why is that? Anyone? I have no clue.
13 comments:
I'm feeling the same way. I haven't been in years, and I don't want to go. I want to be a good disciple, but I don't want to go get caught up in church politics.
A Starbucks in a church?
Beer drinking demons at that!
Yes, Starbucks. Starbucks. I love Starbucks. But not in church. Just as I love bookstores, but don't want them in church. But, JMG, church is just a different branch of the entertainment tree. Just more consumption, different place.
And before Anglican has a coronary, I will absolutely concede there are many, many churhces out there that are not this. My parents go to a very small church that is not about consumption and I know that there are many out there that don't.
Don't worry, I'm not going to have a coronary, at least not from your blog. I do have some thoughts to add to your discussion/inquiry about church, but they'll have to wait a few days. Kinda busy with some other writing right now. But remind me on the other side of this latest chapter, if I forget.
As for *$s in a church, or any other retail outlet, it continually amazes me that so many people don't see the connection with that and Jesus thrashing the money changers in the temple. What would Jesus do? I think it's pretty clear: He would turn over the tables and pour out the coffee. Or maybe he would turn it into wine, and that might not be so bad.
I had heard rumors from one of my students once upon a time about his congregation building a new church with a Starbucks. I didn't believe it was actually real. How can such blatant consumerism be promoted in the same place that teaches about the Christ and his disciples who lived simply and shared their possessions? Or do they not teach that any more?
I've been reading a little about the megachurch trend and it seems that it's all about "feeling good" just like when you get a new pair of jeans or something. The last time I checked, Jesus said that those who follow him should expect to suffer.
absolutely. money changers is right.
BTW, and I am sure Greg will love this, since all the conservatives at Jesus Politics love to use the "jesus throwing out the moneychangers" but only to support violence. Never to attack the problems of the moneychangers.
Sheesh.
I cannot have the Starbuck's conversation with my sister. Her church has one and I have tried to ask her if it doesn't sound at all odd to her that her Church has to have the hot name brand. She will not hear of it. To her, I am not the least cynical and it is not a spritual gift.
My dad went on Sunday and called me when he got home to tell me that their cafe has wifi now.
There's always more to "not get".
Wifi is certainly over the top, but what I want to know is whether the Churchbucks play that ubiquitous acoustic version of "Jagged Little Pill" while they dish up the coffee.
Maybe you should do what people in Berkeley do. When we first moved here, we actually got booed for sitting outside a Starbucks.
Or, if that's not forceful enough for you, maybe you should do what crazier people in Berkeley do.
Zalm, that story is really, really funny. Anglican needs to read that.
BTW, since you solve my last template issue, do you have any idea why Safari is the only browser that won't display my new comment hack correctly? Bastards!@
Whoa. I love Safari, but until I figure out what is causing Tiger to give me the spinning beachball of death every 20 minutes, I've been using Firefox. So I didn't see that quirk.
For what it's worth, it's also messed up in the same way everywhere else I visit that employs that hack. Kevin's, Nicole's, Educat's, Caleb's. It looks like it's ordering it alphabetically by commenter rather than chronologically.
I think this is more than a simple stylesheet issue, so it might be out of my league. If Safari is important to you, this might be something worth bringing up with the bloggerhack folks.
cool, thanks. I have been using Firefox for an issue with desire2learn, but have been kind of wedded to using Safari. It might be just easier to use Firefox. Same tab browsing.
I'd agree with Greg. Answers I have few of them. I think sometimes I go to Church in spite of my desires, in hopes that one day I'll REALLY desire going. I dunno.
You wrote:
But they raise something that I don't know how to admit. I am not interested in church. I kind of want to be, but when I hear my friends talking about going to church and maybe even doing church right, I realize that I am still not interested. I read about the SBC church with the Starbucks, and read that it is a place that welcomes the prostitutes and drug users, and I am glad for that. But when I think about going to church, I just feel, disinterested. SOF and I are looking for places to help others, and we continue to do that. But going to church leaves me cold.
Why is that? Anyone? I have no clue.
--Maybe you don't care about the church because all you read is criticism of it--
--maybe because you don't read the Bible and believe it--
--maybe because you are not clear about God's purpose for the church so it makes it difficult to know the difference between the real thing and those that pretend--
--maybe you don't love what Christ loves--
--Maybe you don't care about the church because all you read is criticism of it--
--maybe because you don't read the Bible and believe it--
--maybe because you are not clear about God's purpose for the church so it makes it difficult to know the difference between the real thing and those that pretend--
--maybe you don't love what Christ loves--
Seems harsh. My frustration with the church is all my fault?
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