After several years outside of their circles, I went to my parents' church over my vacation. Here's my rundown of the ~30min sermon:
--Pre-emptive strike at science and philosophy to discredit any opposition before it starts.
--Sexism (with vague swipe at feminism)
--Homophobia
--Transphobia
--An endorsement of capitalism
--Worm theology; it is actually part of their Statement of Faith -- a core, binding document -- that humans live under God's condemnation by default!
@sumpnlikefaith Did…did we grow up in the same church?
@iamwill1w9 @sumpnlikefaith
It's reading things like this which makes me realise how blessed I am. The UK church (all denominations) is deeply flawed and many folk can be hateful in their personal views, but never have I ever heard hatred from the pulpit.
I *have* seen homophobia on the corporate level. eg. some local churches signed a very homophobic letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury last year and guess what? Those churches are the ones which are dying.
@iamwill1w9 I agree, and it's a heartbreaking truth. I'd like to believe that a backlash is coming and that more Christians will take a stand against the hate. I believe it's happening on a grass roots level worldwide and in the UK we're seeing more inclusivity in more churches all the time. The penny seems to have dropped and we're literally just waiting for powerful old bigots to die in order to affect real and lasting change.
It's a long slog but the USA *can* do it too. @sumpnlikefaith
@stueytheround @sumpnlikefaith I think that what the Episcopal Church is doing is on the right track. If people are looking for expressions of Christianity in the US that are more likely on a better track, I suggest they start there.
I attend a wonderful Episcopal Church here and work with young adults to help them have a safe, affirming place to explore faith without the pressure of being anyone other than the best of who they are.
But that kind of religious space is rare.
@iamwill1w9 @stueytheround And the church thrives on this "the way we've always done it" mentality, without any kind of awareness of how recent its patterns actually are.
So it keeps protecting itself from the changes that might redeem it.
@sumpnlikefaith @stueytheround Exactly. When the organization becomes the end itself, they’ve already lost.
@stueytheround @iamwill1w9 Yes, the ones here who have embraced this perspective here are dying too.
I mean, in many cases the machine might still be running, but that's all it's got.
@sumpnlikefaith @iamwill1w9
Who, among non-Christians would want to go anywhere *near* such hateful people?
"This is how they will know you belong to me: that you love one another."
If all they see is hate, they can't see Jesus. It's that simple.
@stueytheround @iamwill1w9
--Love your neighbour as yourself.
--Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
--But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
I mean, it's like it's a whole theme or something...
@sumpnlikefaith @iamwill1w9
Ever notice that Jesus answered the question "Who is my neighbour" but never "Who is my enemy?"
@stueytheround @iamwill1w9 Ha ha! Good point!
@stueytheround @sumpnlikefaith Yep. I understand. Unfortunately, much of American Christianity was deeply influenced by anti-intellectualism, racist ideologies, and patriarchal systems in a nearly irredeemable way.
There are some beautiful exceptions in the US, but not enough. As much as I appreciate the good systems/churches/people, I’m not at all convinced we’re better off overall because of Christianity’s presence here.
(Bigger conversation needed, for sure.)