Comments on Mapless: Cheeseburger, hold the Cheese?

Hello friend who I never see anymore!! ha Trying o...

2007-04-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hello friend who I never see anymore!! ha Trying once again to get caught up with you. I was at a lecture today...I sent you and Pam an email about Dr Perkins being in Portland this week...Pam didn't get it and I never heard from you so you probably didn't either....anyway, your post went along kind of what he was saying.......which was...here's my notes!
I'm not the best note taker but here's the gist of what he said today....
He opened with Amos 5:21-24
talked about a minimized gospel that has lost it's power in America due to racism/sexism
asked "where are the peacemakers? where is the church?"
to authenticate the gospel today--need to stop slaughter--show love
doesn't want to "bring back" the gospel of our founding fathers.....he would still be a slave
today-watered down, compromised gospel creating selfish Christians
missing out on the power of love
should be reaching out to the "least of these"

how's that for the longest comment I've ever left anywhere!!! ha

Thanks Paul! I left you a comment.

2007-04-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks Paul! I left you a comment.

thanks lily. I did a post on my blog, which refer...

2007-04-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

thanks lily. I did a post on my blog, which referred to yours and how much i appreciated your thinking...

and your choice of analogy :)

Hey Paul - Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate ...

2007-04-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Paul - Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate the kind words.

I think it's easy for someone in my position to dismiss "religion" as a bad thing - but that's not really what I'm getting at. I appreciate your clarification about "bad religion".

I like your "definition" of the work "religion" meaning "reconnecting". I looked up the origin of the word and this is what I got:

Conscientiousness, piety, to tie, fasten, bind.

Very cool.

"Maybe that does mean that we need to leave conventional gatherings but then we need to regather, to help each other not make our religion in our own image but to connect with Jesus and reflect him in our actions. Maybe it's like a burger with cheese and bacon."

Good point.

And yes, reconstructing is the harder part - the part I haven't really got a handle on yet.

personally i find your post much better than Bill'...

2007-04-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

personally i find your post much better than Bill's - the tragedy of course is that it may be read and linked to by a lot less. Whilst it is easy to make a pitch at the departing choir it is a lot harder to do what you are doing and try to reconstruct.

I am not adverse to religion, in its Latin form all it means is reconnection and to me that is something i need, reconnection with my humanity, reconnection with humanity and to reform and live out the image of the God I am created in.

I think i am adverse to bad religion, the inflexible, hard, self-rightous, unlistening, powerful, bullying, unthinking, possibly hypocritical kind. Altho i hold my hand up as being guilty of all of those things but i realise that is not true religion just me trying to feel better about myself.

The nub of it is I think that whilst we can depart from the religious practices we also loose something in doing so. Maybe we need to reform them and practice them again with people and invite people to join us - maybe it would look different and be explained different but would feel the same effects?

Maybe that does mean that we need to leave conventional gatherings but then we need to regather, to help each other not make our religion in our own image but to connect with Jess and reflect him in our actions.

maybe it's like a burger with cheese and bacon...

Thanks for the validation, Gary.

I'm glad y...

2007-04-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the validation, Gary.

I'm glad you are sticking with it (even just some) because your family is happy. Unfortunately I am the catalyst for my entire family leaving. Some days I wish I could have stuck it out.

Here's to finding "that thing".

I am asking the same questions, but am still frequ...

2007-04-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am asking the same questions, but am still frequenting Sunday morning events in those buildings with other believers. It is not a good fit for me, but my wife and son are relatively content there. We are not "members" or even regular attenders. It's almost like going there because I can't yet find any better alternative. I think we've only gone three four times over the past three months.

I colead a group of church refugees on Sunday nights, and that's a great group, but it;s still not quite what I'm looking for. I need to leave for that group right now, but I wanted to affirm that this is a really valid and extremely important question.

Comments on Mapless: Cheeseburger, hold the Cheese?

Hello friend who I never see anymore!! ha Trying o...

Thanks Paul! I left you a comment.

thanks lily. I did a post on my blog, which refer...

Hey Paul - Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate ...

personally i find your post much better than Bill'...

Thanks for the validation, Gary.I'm glad y...

I am asking the same questions, but am still frequ...

Thanks for the validation, Gary.

I'm glad y...