The “church” today

You can just pass over this entry if you’re not interested in reading more about the course of “the church” in America/the world today.

I received a newsletter from this morning from Sojourners – I read for info. I had just been reading a couple of articles at Slice of Laodicea and some by Ken Silva regarding the most recent from Rick Warren and, among other things, his relationship with Rupert Murdock (now there’s a purpose driven guy! and it’s not church, believe me. It’s spiritual, though, of the darkest kind: money/porn/power).

But back to that Sojourners letter. It reminds me of another vending machine church life/growth formula that I wrote about a year or so ago (March 2 entry in that blog).

So you can become a member of the congregational network. All ya gotta do is pop down $69.95 (slick, no?) and get yourself a membership that entitles you to the tools you’ve been missing all this time in order to be-all_______, do-all_______, end-all_______. If your “pastor” (or church) gets one of these memberships, he can just download Sunday’s sermon on his way to the building and present a message that’s TNT for the congregation. I’m guessing that it’ll either be tnt: dynamite or tried ‘n true.

Social Justice. Sounds biblical… right? O c’mon, it’s gotta be in there somewhere… well, if you don’t find Social Justice in your Bible, wait a little bit and maybe one of them will write you up a Bible to fit their cause. Bibles written to fit the culture? truly it’s already happening. Pick up “The Message” or “The New Living…”and then compare them (pick a verse, pick a passage) to the NEB or the KJV and you’ll see it.

Sojourners/Call to Renewal is excited to announce a BRAND-NEW congregational network to help local churches move faith into action.

[*] Because you’ve been a friend and supporter, we’re inviting you to become a charter member of Faith & Justice Churches: A Congregational Network.

Faith & Justice Churches equips leaders with resources and offers a gathering place for sharing ideas and organizing on social justice issues.

An annual charter membership in Faith & Justice Churches includes:

• Weekly sermon prep materials
• Sermons on social justice themes
• Ready-to-use, small-group study resources
• Organizing toolkits
• Downloadable bulletin inserts on current issues
• Subscription to Sojourners magazine, including 15 years of archived content
• Discussion boards
• Exclusive commentary from Jim Wallis and Sojourners/Call to Renewal staff
• And much more …

Faith & Justice Churches provides local church leaders – pastors, lay leaders, church officers, and Sunday school teachers – with resources for prophetic advocacy.

* – I am not, btw.
So… now, your church can be a Follow the Leader Faith & Justice New Age Purpose Driven Conversational Church. Or… you could just follow the LORD, read the Bible and obey it.