The Congregation on PBS

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Last week the local PBS station aired a show called The Congregation. This show was a look at a United Methodist church in Germantown, PA (a suburb of Philly). This church had a new senior pastor come in and during the time of the show one of the junior pastors “came out”. This was the woman who had her ordination creditanls taken away December 2nd by the United Methodist Confrence.

There were three things that bothered me about the show, one with protestantism in general, one about liberals (inclusives), and one about the lesbian (something she said).

1. This church was upset with the new senior pastor because he changed the order of worship. Rather than preaching at the end of their service, he did it in the middle. They did not care for his managerial style. Rather than dicitoral he worked more as a partner. And last, they thought his preaching was weak.

Now these issues were not held by the majority of the church, just by the most vocal. They ended up running him out of the church.

1. During of the services they aired on the show they prayed the Our Father. It started out, “Our Mother/Father who art in Heaven”.

Now wasn’t this prayer handed down to us directly from Jesus? This totaly changes theology. What about Sola Scriptura that all protestants hold to?

1. The junior pastor went though the ordination process knowing that it was against church law to be oradined. There is also a law against the ordination of any sexually active single person. So they do not just single out homosexuals. Now she sort of lived a lie but she rationalized it that no one every asked her the question.

Then she made the comment that I have heard repeatedly from homosexuals and those who support/promote this life style.

“This is how God made me.”

WRONG. None of us are how God made us. God made us to be perfect. As we are born into this fallen world, we are also born into the fallen nature of Adam. Not a single one of is how God made us. We all fall short, we all sin.

If we buy this arguement then we must accept those who want to have sex with children, with those who want to have sex with multiple partners, with those who want to murder, with those who want to steal. After all, isn’t that how God made them? For the arguement to work for homosexuals it has to work for all other deviants.

Thank you for letting me vent on this.

 

[Hesychios]

I saw most of that same show, I agree with all of your comments.

And I might add that if the clergy live a lie, the people will live a lie. Instead of following the Gospel to the best of their ability they follow each other in circles.

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

Isn’t it interesting the type of “congregations” the media wqants to do specials on?:banghead: God Bless

 

[Lisa_N]

I didn’t see the show. But reading through the synopsis, it further supports my decision to leave the Methodist church. This kind of thing is simply not atypical of the UMC although I understand some of the southern congregations are a bit more orthodox. But we went through the lesbian minister situation as well, although they didn’t defrock the one from our Conference.

I assure you John Wesley is spinning in his grave. One of the important things about the Methodists was their desire to become more and more ‘perfect’ in the sight of God. It was not the theory that I can do whatever I want because 'this is the way God made me." Baloney. That is neither scriptural nor is it anywhere in the Book of Discipline.

It’s sad to me because this is really a wonderful church as far as their response to world crises and natural disasters. The people that I worshipped with in my years in the UMC were very nice, kind hearted folks. But they were pretty much pick and choose when it came to scriptures. Any inconvenient passages were conveniently ignored.

I just got tired of the moral relativism.

Lisa N

 

[JimG]

“This is how God made me.”

I fully expect that the next group to use this rationalization will be pedophiles. No reason why adulterers shouldn’t already be using it. Don’t they just have a sex addiction? As for fornication, well, nobody even needs to make the attempt at self-justification anymore. It’s taken for granted. Don’t the sex-ed classes teach that “this is how God made me,” and there’s no use fighting it?
Oh wait–they don’t mention God. It’s just human nature.

 

[ktm]

“This is how God made me.”

I fully expect that the next group to use this rationalization will be pedophiles. No reason why adulterers shouldn’t already be using it. Don’t they just have a sex addiction? As for fornication, well, nobody even needs to make the attempt at self-justification anymore. It’s taken for granted. Don’t the sex-ed classes teach that “this is how God made me,” and there’s no use fighting it?
Oh wait–they don’t mention God. It’s just human nature.

I never understand this defense of perverse behavior. Instead of “the devil made me do it” we now have turned it around 180 degrees and it’s “God/nature made me do it.” Really sick and twisted if you ask me. God didn’t pull down your pants – you did. Good grief, exercise some self-restraint.