As part of my job, I’ve started going to a local church’s young adult group with one of my clients. It’s a large church, conservative and for all intents and purposes, non-denom. Last week was the first time I went. The young adult pastor passed out scratch paper before his lesson and here’s what ended up on mine.
What is hell? Seperation from God.
Why do people go to hell?…
I don’t believe it has anything to do with what we say. Is it just about being a nice person? No not really, but it’s not about a formula either.
It’s about having faith that there is more; faith that there is a creator and believing that living in harmony and pursuing peace and justice and LOVE is how we honor this creator. And if we truly believe in a creator, how can we NOT praise this Being?
How can I not set aside part of my week to focus on this part of life? No wonder I struggle so much with balance! No wonder I always feel that I’m barely keeping my head above water.
(after the pastor read the end of the beatitudes, Blessed are the peacemakers…. and kind of dismissed the whole war and pacifism issue)
“Peacemakers show someone who is at war with God, how to be at peace with God” Really? hum, maybe, but I’m not comfortable with refocusiong that scripture.
(after the pastor claimed racism is built into us… trying to support the idea that we are sinful from birth)
Is racism biological at all? I’ve always thought of it all completely as socialized. I think it is socialized, but the cues are so subtle and pervasive that we don’t always see the cause.
God is NOT a man. God is not limited to a masciline identity. WHY then do we limit God by using the male pro-noun.
I don’t believe in the Old Testament as history. It is the oral tradition of one people. Are we really expected to not understand it as storytelling? It doesn’t make it irrelevant, but seeing it as unaltered fact is not simply problematic, but dangerous, and we’ve seen how it can be used in awful, hurtful ways.
He totally pussyfooted around the issue of non-violence. For shame.
“Evangelism by works or example is a small part of evangelism”? Really?
Bible hopping bugs me. He’s used 7+ passages a verse or two each. context? cohesion?
With everything going on a teaching on “converting” is the most effective use of our time? What about all the people who don’t have enough food right now, are losing their homes, power shut off, etc. I know there’s a passage some where about meeting people’s physical needs before we can evangelize. But I guess this is my first time, maybe that sermon was last week.
Lady In Green 
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