Only Prostitutes Rank Lower Than Evangelicals

Posted by Jim on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Jim with coffeeBy Jim Henderson

Just when we find ourselves being associated with the right crowd we discover it’s for the wrong reasons

Off The Map is on the road this Fall.

We’re bringing The Born Again Church Tour to Seattle, Denver and Los Angeles

Here’s Why We must be born again

  1. We’re losing influence

    “The primary reason outsiders feel hostile toward Christians, and especially conservative Christians, is not because of any specific theological perspective. What they react negatively to is our “swagger,”how we go about things and the sense of self-importance we project.” UnChristian - David Kinnaman

    One outsider put it this way: “Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.”UnChristian - David Kinnaman

    When asked to evaluate group in terms of respect, non-Christians rated Evangelicals tenth. Only prostitutes ranked lower The Fall of the Evangelical Nation - Christine Wicker

  2. We’re losing market share

    Everyday America becomes a less Christian nation. The Evangelical version of Christianity has dropped from 42% of the population in 1900 to 15% today. The Fall of the Evangelical Nation - Christine Wicker

    Twelve hundred Evangelicals leave the faith each day; The Fall of the Evangelical Nation - Christine Wicker

    Non-believers are the fastest growing faith group in America in numbers and percentages. They outnumber evangelicals, more than 2/1 The Fall of the Evangelical Nation - Christine Wicker

  3. We’re losing young people

    One in four adults ages 18 to 29 claim no affiliation with a religious institution. AP Poll

    These days nearly two out of every five young outsiders (38%) claim to have a bad impression of present-day Christianity UnChristian - David Kinnaman

    They think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our society is not what is was meant to be. They admit they have a hard time actually seeing Jesus because of all the negative baggage that now surround him. UnChristian - David Kinnaman

At Off The Map Live you’ll hear

  • David Kinnaman - President of the Barna Group and Author of UnChristian
  • Christine Wicker - Journalist and Author of The Fall of The Evangelical Nation
  • Todd Hunter- Past President of Vineyard Churches and Alpha USA current President of Three is Enough
  • Jim Henderson- Co Author of Jim and Casper Go to Church and front man for Off The Map
  • Rose Swetman - Pastor and Missional Entrepreneur
  • Matt Casper - Co Author of Jim and Casper Go to Church and a practicing Atheist
  • Randy Siever - Director of Doable Evangelism & What if Evangelism Meant Just Being Yourself

Off The Map Live is the traveling home for spiritual explorers wanting to connect with fellow travelers.

At Off The Map Live people compare notes from the road, share cool places to stay and back roads for quick escapes.

At Off The Map Live you’ll rediscover that you aren’t alone (the only who thinks this way) or stupid (meet lots of idea explorers)

Off The Map Live: belong think grow

49 Responses to “Only Prostitutes Rank Lower Than Evangelicals”

  1. Shannon Says:

    Only prostitutes rank lower than evangelicals? I think that’s highly disturbing.

    I know prostitutes who are merely victims of circumstance, working hard but unable to make ends meet in our “new economy”, primarily thanks to that idiot that evangelicals put in office. They’re only doing what they have to in order to survive.

    And I know plenty of people who do a lot worse than sell their bodies to get by. People who prostitute their principles, their honesty, in return for a higher paycheck. You know, like the politicians evangelicals like to vote for.

    Hmmm…I remember what Jesus said about those who cater to the whims of the rich and powerful:

    “Woe to ye lawyers, who place heavy burdens on your fellow man and will not touch them with even one finger” (Well, to be honest, evangelicals will usually throw a can of soup to someone who just lost their home because of legislation they helped put through)

    “Why do you give the rich the place of honor at your feasts”
    “Will it not be the rich man who drags you into court”?

    “You can be sure that tax-gatherers and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of heaven before you!”

    Who was Jesus talking to on that last one? Scribes and Pharisees - you know, “teachers” of the Law who were experts at using scripture to justify themselves.

    Well, guess who the modern day Scribes are?

    It would appear that Jesus ranks you below prostitutes, not above…

  2. Helen Says:

    Shannon, thanks for your comment. Actually this isn’t our ranking - it came from a survey of public opinion. I take your point - it’s probably not fair that people rank prostitutes so low given that many of them are probably victims of circumstance.

  3. Richard Kindig Says:

    “…Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our society is not what was meant to be. “

    What a great service you are doing by taking this message right to those who need to hear it.

    I’m impressed with the humility of the pastors and other church leaders who would allow you to present in their church…

    And I’m also impressed that you (Jim, Randy, Todd, Rose) can be such winsome prophets that thousands of people are willing to spend time and treasure to hear you and the experts you have assembled. You’re like Jeremiah and Dale Carnegie combined!

    My view is that God’s goals in Christianity were always personal, never institutional — wanting to develop strong, faithful, humble, loving followers of Jesus who he could cherry pick to become truly sympathetic, mediatorial kinds of leaders in the next phase — Messiah’s rule.

    Now that God has most of the fruitage of the Christian age gathered, I think he’s turning up the heat on the institutions and the bad ideas they have taught… using prophets like you and George Carlin to carry the mail. Bravo!

  4. Jim Henderson Says:

    It would appear that Jesus ranks you below prostitutes, not above…

    I couldn’t agree more.

    Unfortunately those taking the survey were limited to asking human beings

  5. Sonny Varela Says:

    Perhaps, if our anger could be used as motivation for prayer rather than lashing out, we followers of Jesus on the left and right would be better received by each other and those outside the community. “That Idiot” is our president and a person in need of God’s grace. History is full of leaders that were self serving and yet we see Scripture urging our prayers for them.

    “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

    It could be that influence and popularity, like many spiritual paradoxes, are achieved through peace and quiet rather than force and noise.

    Grace and Peace

  6. Joe Says:

    Now that you’ve used this headline for it’s shock value can we please have enough information to interpret this statistic intelligently? Who was asked? What were the other eight groups? If this rating was taken at a Richard Dawkins Fan Club meeting and the other eight choices included the American Atheists Affiliation, the Secular Society and the Secular Humanist Society then I would say, “duh!”

    While I agree with your premise and prescription, it’s not going to help to have the appearance of sensationalism and flirt with the intellectual bankruptcy that led to the current view of Evangelicals we now eschew. Of course, if the omission of complete information was just a shameless plug to get us to buy Christine and David’s (which I have already done and recommend) then kudos to the marketing department. (Yes, I know that having already read Christine and David’s books means that I am “baiting” the questions.)

    *Please read the above with the humor intended and tongue firmly planted in cheek.

  7. Jim Henderson Says:

    It could be that influence and popularity, like many spiritual paradoxes, are achieved through peace and quiet rather than force and noise

    This an argument usually put forth those who are in power.
    It sounds nice but it can also sound like “shut up and keep taking it” to those without power.

    This is ths argument the early Christian slave holders used to keep their “property” from walking away.

    In that case, I’m sure you can understand why some won’t buy the peace and quiet argument

  8. Keith Says:

    As an evangelical prostitute, this is the worst news I’ve heard all day … Just kidding, I’m not really an evangelical … again kidding, I’ve got to stop. Jim, are there plans to head farther east in the future? … I’d love to come, but something in the Midwest would make it way more feasible for me. Look forward to hearing more in the future. Keep doing what you’re doing.

  9. Mike O Says:

    I know prostitutes who are merely victims of circumstance, working hard but unable to make ends meet in our “new economy”, primarily thanks to that idiot that evangelicals put in office. They’re only doing what they have to in order to survive.

    You’re kidding, right? They’re prostitutes because Bush is president?? Exactly how fragile are people these days?? And I supposed it will be fair to blame Obama when he wins this fall for all the new prostitutes?

  10. Jim Henderson Says:

    I supposed it will be fair to blame Obama when he wins this fall for all the new prostitutes?

    Sounds fair to me :-)

  11. Bradley wright Says:

    Turns out the prostitute statistic is probably wrong. Various studies have looked at the issue of group respect/ standing, and Christianity, even evangelicals, are generally well thought of.

    Here’s a summary of some of those studies.

    http://brewright.blogspot.com/2008/06/comparing-negative-attitudes-toward.html

  12. Shannon Says:

    First off, praying for a bad leader is one thing. Giving him a second term is quite another.

    As for Mike O, I don’t know if you’ve been watching the news lately, but there’s a bit of a mortgage crisis going on. And a fuel crisis. And a food crisis. And a credit crisis. And….

    Now, I don’t know about you, but when a leader is going into the second recession of his term of office, it speaks pretty strongly to his ability to manage the economy. So yes, if a single mother suddenly finds herself unable to get by, I have to say Bush deserves the bulk of the blame.

    Jesus made his view pretty clear; we’re supposed to serve the poor and let the rich fend for themselves. Yet evangelicals, through their voting preferences, generally do the opposite. But hey, at least gays can’t get married, right?

  13. Elizabeth Chapin Says:

    WOW! Sensational start to the Born Again Church Tour blog! I appreciate what Sonny had to say,

    Perhaps, if our anger could be used as motivation for prayer rather than lashing out

    But Jim also has a point that there are times when we must not be silent. From my experience, most of what Jim puts out here is thoughtful, respectful (and possibly prayerful) conversation.

    We, the church, certainly have an image problem - and whether I want to believe the statistics quoted here or not, the reality remains that many people I come in contact with like Jesus, but not the church. But I wonder, how can “born agains” be born again?

  14. Benjamin Ady Says:

    As for Mike O, I don’t know if you’ve been watching the news lately, but there’s a bit of a mortgage crisis going on. And a fuel crisis. And a food crisis. And a credit crisis. And….

    Now, I don’t know about you, but when a leader is going into the second recession of his term of office, it speaks pretty strongly to his ability to manage the economy. So yes, if a single mother suddenly finds herself unable to get by, I have to say Bush deserves the bulk of the blame.

    Actually … seeing as how evangelicals took so much of the credit for the election and reelection of George Bush, maybe those who have been forced into prostitution by the president’s (that is, our) policies should blame the evangelicals.

    I’m not really speaking so much about Americans who may have been forced into prostitution due to George’s economic policies. I’m thinking more about the tens of thousand of women and girls, among the 2 million new Iraqi refugees who have fled the country since the U.S. invaded, who have been forced into prostitution by our foreign policy.

    And what would Jesus say to the evangelicals who helped elect Bush and thus create this situation? Something about a millstone and the ocean, I’m thinking.

    BICBW

  15. Sonny Varela Says:

    I’ve been thrown a can of soup or two in times of need and wasn’t really concerned with where the givers political loyalties rest. I looked up and thanked God for the provision.

    Evangelicals do a lot of good. Many are generous and give sacrificially to need. I know some are deaf to need and they will give an account for the way they managed or mismanaged God’s wealth. Below is an interesting book about who really does give in our country.

    http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=Xa84gLTT8C0C&dq=who+really+cares+and+why+it+matters+&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=PlW5UxE7PK&sig=w1Qg-tEq6S9lHprRJ_1OU-qabYs&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1

    I’m working to be the difference (adopting, giving, volunteering, etc) instead of blaming others for what they don’t do. All good deeds do not need to be legislated or funded through taxes. Be the difference.

    People and not institutions will give and account to God. May he be gracious to us for what each of us have and have not done.

  16. Jim Henderson Says:

    People and not institutions will give an account to God..

    Thats all we’re hoping to acclerate with this event. More people doing the right thing

  17. Jim Henderson Says:

    “Born agains” can get born again - and again- we’ve made it a passive concrete term but it is an active term which is why Jesus used water and wind to help round out the meaning of it all.

  18. Mike O Says:

    BICBW

    I like you, Benjamin, but yes, YCBW. Still buds?

    Shannon, all I can say is that times are hard for everyone, but not everyone is turning to crime. It’s a bit simplistic to think that if only a democrat were in the White House, there would be fewer prostitutes.

  19. Shannon Says:

    Sonny, sorry I’ve got better things to do than read Rush Limbaugh-style propaganda.

    No, I’ll bet you were grateful for that can of soup. A person in poverty doesn’t have the luxury to question the motives of a charity giver.

    Nevertheless, my point is throwing a can of soup to somebody you helped to kick off of welfare is somewhat hypocritical.

    I hate it when evangelicals say “well, I believe in giving, but I don’t think the government should get involved”. If you’re giving anyway, why would you object to paying a little more in taxes to say, a poverty initiative? Most evangelicals who say they want the “freedom to give” really mean they want the freedom to give nothing.

    What’s Dr. Dobson’s annual income again? Something like $100 million and change?

  20. Swinging from the Vine » Blog Archive » the born again church Says:

    [...] The Born Again Church Tour 2008 » Blog Archive » Only Prostitutes Rank Lower Than Evangelicals [...]

  21. Sonny Varela Says:

    I’m not much of a Limbaugh or Dobsen fan myself.

    I do however believe that people should be free not to give. Greed is morally wrong but I do not think it should be illegal. I feel that same way about Gay marriage.

    I don’t know if that places me right or left of you but I hope that both our passions for serving the “least of these” moves us closer to actions to enable the born again church to truly behaving like it’s born from above.

  22. Sonny Varela Says:

    Oh, and I learned about “Who really cares” from NPR not Limbaugh.

  23. Helen Says:

    Keith wrote:

    As an evangelical prostitute, this is the worst news I’ve heard all day

    :-)

  24. Jim Henderson Says:

    I learned about “Who really cares” from NPR

    Sonny is right about this. In general liberals talk about helping people but conservatives spend money doing it. Just a fact

  25. Shannon Says:

    Sonny is right about this. In general liberals talk about helping people but conservatives spend money doing it. Just a fact

    Sure they do. Which is why they’re always whining about taxes.

  26. John A. Henderson Says:

    Hi Jim , your brother from another mother, obviously :) , now weighing in…

    What I noticed as a founding pastor, is that the clergy/laity gap caused believers in the emerging ‘royal nation of believer priests’ to let all the full time guys and gals (pastors) to do the “heavy lifting” in ministry. Subtlely, everything is taken off course by the weight of responsibility that is placed on these full time people when others don’t find their full place and do their full ‘part’ in the body and in the community functioning as salt and light. The Apostle Paul knew it when he said… ‘we will all to grow to be like Christ as each one of us does his/her part (Ephesians). People start thinking that someone else has to make it (church) fun,creative and meaningful ‘for me and my family’ and we start serving the churchgoers rather than the ones for whom the church exists (non-members). Remember Jesus’ mission statement “Seek and save the lost.!” It is like the movie Backdraft … a moment in time where we say to each other “you go -I go” or like those Navy Seals we heard about in Afghanistan who turned around their helicopter when they heard their comrades were ‘down’ and were being slaughtered in an ambush. I was with a friend, I thought, when I heard this story, and I teared up envisioning a band of brothers willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to restore the dignity of the mere bodies of their friendswho experience the full brunt of the blame (double share of responsibility) and the shame (get to be crucified by other Christians) who

  27. John A. Henderson Says:

    Typo above, let me clarify and finish my comments…
    … to restore the dignity of the mere bodies of their friends. My Christian friend exclaimed “what a waste” and I was weeping in wonder of their Amazing LOVE!
    THEN, those who follow Jesus actually begin to experience the full brunt of the blame ( a double share of the responsibility that is like a burden called cross bearing)… which we are to ‘endure’ and the Shame (get to be crucified by other Christians) who Know that they know that they know , that your theology and your methodology of evangelism is “not of Gawwwd” . Quiz… Which disciple was partying at Matthew’s Party in the NT… Answer.. Noone, no not one!

  28. Mike O Says:

    Sure they do. Which is why they’re always whining about taxes.

    What does that mean? Are you saying people should stop giving and let the government handle it - that we’re “whining” because we give *and* have money taken from us to give (supposedly) on our behalf?

    I got in a discussion with my best friend about this. I happen to have enough money, he tends to not. Regardless, we’re best friends. Anyway, after talking it through, a reasonable position we both came to was that yes, the rich *should* help the poor (and some do), but the rich don’t *owe* the poor. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?

  29. Benjamin Ady Says:

    I do however believe that people should be free not to give. Greed is morally wrong but I do not think it should be illegal. I feel that same way about Gay marriage.

    Sonny,

    It’s a different way of putting it that made me ponder. “Free not to give”. Thank you for your unique perspective.

    I wonder how far you’d take that free not to give/greed should not be illegal thing? I mean … let’s say I “own” the property where the only source of freshwater for 100 miles around is. Is it okay for the people around me to “legislate” that I must share the water?

    The idea of private ownership is very strongly embedded in the American psyche, although I suppose not to the same degree as it was 100 years ago. It seems to me we have a difficult time seeing/understanding the extent to which community work/wealth makes the “private” ownership we so greatly love possible.

  30. Benjamin Ady Says:

    Mike,

    When you say “yes you could be wrong”, are you saying that maybe evangelicals shouldn’t get a lot of the credit for electing George Bush, or that George Bush and his pals shouldn’t get a lot of the credit for the 2 million new Iraqi refugess including tens of thousands of young women forced into prostitution?

    I disagree, to some extent, about the rich owing the poor. Not *totally*, just to some extent. It seems to me that it’s impossible for wealth to be built without the work of the relatively poor. Hence the rich couldn’t be rich without the relatively poorer working to build their wealth. (Clearly this is half of a truth. But just because the other half of the truth is also true doesn’t negate this half of the truth.)

    Of course I totally consider you a friend. In fact, you rock =). I still remember how delightfully kind you were at OTM Live two years ago.

  31. Benjamin Ady Says:

    Someone asked about the source and details of the quote from Christine about people’s relative levels of respect for evangelicals and prostitutes.

    It’s from this story

    The people being asked were non-christians (which is a wierd way to categorize people, if you ask me, by what they aren’t.)

    The other categories were military officers, ministers, born-again Christians, Democrats, Republicans, real-estate agents, movie and TV performers, lawyers, lesbians and prostitutes.

    Here’s the actual original research
    from Barna Research Group. It looks quite interesting, although it is 8 years old. I bet it wouldn’t be that different now. Republicans might have shifted down a little, although they were already pretty low, barely above evangelicals. Lesbians might have shifted up a bit since 2002, I’m guessing.

  32. Doreen A Mannion Says:

    Jim wrote

    Sonny is right about this. In general liberals talk about helping people but conservatives spend money doing it. Just a fact.

    I haven’t laughed so hard since Reagan ruled ketchup a vegetable….

  33. Jim Henderson Says:

    Bradley, you asked about the source of the headline.

    Here you go.

    Question: Is your impression of people in this group generally favorable, generally unfavorable, or somewhere in-between?

    They were ranked from highest to lowest

    A 2002 survey by the Barna Research Group—which provides “information and analysis regarding cultural trends and the Christian Church”—asked “adults who do not consider themselves to be Christian” to give their impressions of the following categories of people: born-again Christians, Democrats, evangelical Christians, lawyers, lesbians, military officers, ministers, movie and TV performers, prostitutes, real-estate agents, and Republicans. Non-Christians, it turns out, have a low regard for evangelical Christians, whom they view less favorably than all the above-mentioned groups except one: prostitutes. The survey did not, however, reveal a general anti-Christian bias among the non-Christian population: ministers and born-again Christians ranked at the top of the favorability list, below only military officers. Real-estate agents did surprisingly well, ranking just under Democrats and higher than movie and TV performers, lawyers, Republicans, and lesbians. The study concludes that prejudice against evangelicals may reflect ignorance rather than actual dislike: few of the respondents were able to identify any difference between born-again and evangelical Christians, despite their considerably less favorable view of the latter.

    As they say “perception is reality” which suggests

    1) We earned this low ranking by (IMHO) mismangement of primarily political power

    2) We have to begin here and work our way back- which from these statistics also seems very possible

  34. Pam Hogeweide Says:

    “Born agains” can get born again - and again- we’ve made it a passive concrete term but it is an active term which is why Jesus used water and wind to help round out the meaning of it all.”

    Great bible insight Jim. You can take the preacher out of the pulpit, but you can’t take the pulpit out of the preacher.

    Love the Born Again Church Tour label. Maybe that should be my next tattoo, if Randy doesn’t beat me to it….!

  35. Jim Henderson Says:

    Hey Benjamin would you like to lead the conversation about Bush and Prostitutes over to Justice and Compassion. I’m not trying to be a insenitive host, I just see a whole other direction that could be pursued. Your call

  36. Justice and Compassion Says:

    [...] On a thread over at the new Off the Map Live Blog entitled “Only prostitutes rank lower than evangelicals”, Jim said “Just when we find ourselves being associated with the right crowd we discover it’s for the wrong reasons” [...]

  37. Benjamin Ady Says:

    Jim

    No problem =) I think you’re better at this direction thing than I am. ‘Course you’ve got a couple decades on me =).

    conversation re: Bush, prostitutes, and evangelicals officially redirected to this thread

  38. Jim Henderson Says:

    Thanks Benjamin

  39. Kirk Dice Says:

    It’s interresting the “poor-rich” narrative taking place here and whether people hold the church in high regard. Is helping the poor the only pathway to helping the image of evangelicals? Should that be the main concern? What about another narrative? Paul advanced the cause of Christ by procalaiming Christ boldly and loudly wherever he went. No one had a high esteem on him. Town leaders and business man tried to jail him and kill him! He did take up an offering for those suffering in the church at Jerusalem, but he didn’t seek to help all the poor in Rome by any stretch. Paul’s focus was on proclaiming Christ. Isn’t this the heart of the evangelical movement? Preaching Christ to all? Perhaps people have a wrong view of Jesus becasue of our failure to proclaim him and that’s why the survey is skewed?? Service to the poor just helps the poor physically but does nothing to regenrate them. Only a faith in Christ can do that. Jesus said, Let your good deeds shine so that your father in heaven may be praised. Mt 5:14-16. If we help others we should have this purpose

    It seems to me evangelicals have gotten away from what made them ‘evangelical’ in the first place, and that’s why people have a low view of them. Evengalicals should be more concerned with God’s view of them and not man’s. What about the role of proclaiming the gospel message of Jesus Christ and cultural image? How do those fit together? And should we even focus on the idea of whether people like us or not if it causes us to compromise on the proclamation of Jesus? I guess I challenge the entire premise and nature of the question itself.

  40. Conrad Cooper Says:

    Why wouldn’t they have a low opinion of us? They get their information from the popular media run by those who hate us! It isn’t our opinions that they dislike it’s that we actually have an opinion. If you express no belief they will love you!

  41. Jeff Shaffer Says:

    Doesn’t really matter what the exact statistics are, to most of society we look quite ridiculous. I just watched an HBO documentary - HBO: Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi… We just come off looking silly. (Granted the film has a real bias)… but if we did more practical, loving things, no problem. By the way, not a bad thing to be ranked with the prostitutes right, since that is where Jesus was… what, me worried? Just another sub-culture that gets a bad rap because we don’t care enough to be with them.

  42. Benjamin Ady Says:

    Conrad Cooper,

    Why wouldn’t they have a low opinion of us? They get their information from the popular media run by those who hate us!

    It seems to me that while there is some truth to what you say, it may be only half the truth. 50% of the respondents in Kinnaman’s book based their negative impressions of Christians not on media portrayals, but rather on personal contact with Christians. I can certainly say that for me, the negative parts of my views of Christianity very much come from personal interactions I’ve had with Christians over the years. (To be fair, the positive part of my views of Christianity also come from the same source.)

    I’d be curious to hear whether there is a group about whom you have a low opinion, and whether that low opinion is driven more by personal contact or more by media portrayals.

  43. The Born Again Church Tour 2008 » Blog Archive » Isn’t this the heart of the evangelical movement? Preaching Christ to all? Says:

    [...] a comment on Only Prostitutes Rank Lower Than Evangelicals, Kirk says It seems to me evangelicals have gotten [...]

  44. Amanda Says:

    “Most people I meet assume that Christian means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, anti-choice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally cannot live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.”

    “They think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind, that Christianity in our society is not what is was meant to be. They admit they have a hard time actually seeing Jesus because of all the negative baggage that now surround him.”

    I can relate to this. I have many friends that are surprised when I tell them of Christians that seek to like like Jesus in a real way. When I told one friend, that’s a practicing atheist, she said, “Wow, I didn’t think Christians like that existed.”

    My heart breaks for the church. It needs to reevaluate itself in real light and actually be Christ like. But I also think it’s very important that we remember that the Church is the bride. Even though she’s dirty and ragged, she’s still the bride. Let’s just be sure to remember to strive to change the church with our hearts full of love, not anger.

    *Not suggesting that these posts are implying anger or anything. :)

  45. Jim Henderson Says:

    Let’s just be sure to remember to strive to change the church with our hearts full of love, not anger.

    Where are you hearing anger?
    If we really didnt love The Church aka Followers of Jesus why would we bother trying to reason with them?

  46. Sonny Varela Says:

    Blogs like this help me reevaluate my own motives and direction. Thanks Jim. I really do need to hear other perspectives. Distractions are abundant along the way. I think I’ve already repented like 3 times today thinking about what some of you have written. Thanks.

    I’m reminded of Derek Webb’s “Wedding Dress” It’s a humbling song.

    If you could love me as a wife
    and for my wedding gift, your life
    Should that be all I’d ever need
    or is there more I?m looking for

    and should I read between the lines
    and look for blessings in disguise
    To make me handsome, rich, and wise
    Is that really what you want

    I am a whore I do confess
    But I put you on just like a wedding dress
    and I run down the aisle
    and I run down the aisle
    I?m a prodigal with no way home
    but I put you on just like a ring of gold
    and I run down the aisle to you

    So could you love this bastard child
    Though I don’t trust you to provide
    With one hand in a pot of gold
    and with the other in your side

    I am so easily satisfied
    by the call of lovers so less wild
    That I would take a little cash
    Over your very flesh and blood

    Because money cannot buy
    a husband?s jealous eye
    When you have knowingly deceived his wife

  47. Jim Henderson Says:

    Sonny and Jeff

    We sit at your feet to learn the ways of Jesus

  48. Double-dipping? Can “Born-agains” be Born Again? « Emerging Chaos Says:

    [...] going on there. I asked how is it possible for “born agains” to be born again, and Jim responded, “Born agains” can get born again - and again- we’ve made it a passive concrete term but it [...]

  49. Lisa Says:

    That is the funniest, most eye-catching blog title I’ve ever seen. Rivals some Fall Out Boy song titles.