I'm in love...

[kellinator]

with a church.


I had asked one of my coworkers, who's a student in the Theology school, if he knew of any good churches which had what I was looking for (liberal, young-adult community, NOT Southern Baptist). He recommended the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (http://www.redeemer.org/).

I got there a few minutes late and the service had already started. Several helpful members showed me where to go and I crept into the last pew... and almost immediately started crying. I don't know why. I just felt really strongly that this was where I should be.

It's an absolutely beautiful church, and the sermon involved several things I've had issues with (the conflict between being Christian and American [which I will talk about sometime], realizing you're not alone, etc.). And the pastor who did the children's sermon did it with a crow puppet! How cool is that?

Afterwards the girl beside me, who was also a visitor, and I struck up a conversation. There was a lunch for new members, and since we were visitors they didn't charge us the nominal fee. We got to talk to the new members pastor and one of the leaders of the young-adult group. I found out that Lutherans don't really care about sexual orientation (a big issue for me, though I'm straight) and don't want to evangelize in a pushy manner like the Baptists do.

I'm really excited about this. I think this is where I'm supposed to be.

Comments

[kelsaborg.livejournal.com]

That sounds good kel...

[piratejenny.livejournal.com]

That's great! My grandfather on my mom's side was Lutheran, but I don't know a whole lot about it, since my grandmother, who was the more religious one, was Presbyterian (still working out how she ended up there, not being Scottish!)

I hope this works out well for you. And the puppet is awesome!

[tropiquena.livejournal.com]

I'm so excited for you!! :) :) :)

<3

[kelliecoo.livejournal.com]

Hey, guess what! I am Lutheran!!! I think you will find it the perfect church for yuo, we even have women pastors! Let me know if you have any questions, I know I can answer them I was the youth director for 4 years, so I have intimate knowledge of the church.

[thatbelle.livejournal.com]

Hey Kelly....I haven't been on here for so long, but I just kinda' wandered over today. Anyway, I think this is so awesome for you.... I hope that I can have the same experience some day, I think it's so great that you have found a place that you feel is right for you.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad for you! So happy you found a place where you feel comfortable and welcomed!

[cnfsdyoie.livejournal.com]

i'm really happy you found a church that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. i'm hoping i'll find one soon too :)

[buckthorn.livejournal.com]

um, not to be negative or anything, but doesn't the accuracy of a church's teachings take precidence over its "warm and fuzzy" factor? I guess it depends on whether or not you think that there is one interpretation of the Bible that is correct and the rest are incorrect. I guess I'm just saying look for Biblical accuracy, not pastoral opinion, when choosing a church. I could form a church right now that could be the most kawaii genki church in the land and wrap you up in kittens during the sermon, but if it's not following the Bible what good is it?

Sorry.. don't want to rain on anything, just asking you to choose carefully with more than the smiles of fellow parisioners in mind.

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

Appreciate your opinion, Brian, but I'm not exactly a babe in the woods here. I grew up Southern Baptist and can give you lists of the inaccuracies spouted at me during sermons. (Example: "America was founded on Christianity." I really wanted to interrupt that sermon and explain to the preacher that most of the Founding Fathers were deists. He probably didn't know what a deist was.)

I've read my Bible through -- in fact, I probably have a better working Biblical knowledge than 90% of the American population. I've thought long and hard before reaching my conclusions, which include 1). a religion based in fear instead of love isn't what Jesus was about, 2). the Bible was divinely inspired, but it was written by men, which means like anything manmade there could have been errors, 3). the Old Testament bars rare steak and fabric blends, and I don't see anyone up in arms over those, and 4). Paul was a lot more interested in telling people they were going to hell (and women to shut up) than Jesus was.

I don't pretend to know the mind of God. Based on what I've seen, Lutherans will come closer to admitting that than Southern Baptists, or pretty much any other group of fundies. Anyway, if I join a church I don't agree with that won't even recognize that rational people can have disagreements over issues of interpretation, I'm a liar and a hypocrite. And one thing Jesus really didn't like was hypocrisy.

[cynical7.livejournal.com]

Joe was raised Lutheran but went to a Catholic high school. He said around lent people would always say shit like "this doesn't apply to you because YOU ARE LUTHERAN." He added that this was funny because there really wasn't that big a difference. I asked him what the diffrence was and he said: "We don't think Mary was all that."

Re: Lutherans

[scarcrest.livejournal.com]

I'm happy -- thrilled -- you've found a place you feel is right. I know that you've been looking for a long time. As one recovering Baptist to another, I rejoice in your happiness.

All people pick and choose their religion, even if it's a matter of choosing to keep or reject what's placed upon them in childhood. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or delusional.

I'm not saying people necessarily pick the place that tells them what they want to hear ... though conservatives tend to do this, find the place that will reinforce their bigotries ... but that we all pick the perspective that most helps us become the person we want to be.

In your case, you want to be a Christian, but you want to be a Christian whose church doesn't practice mind control. So your best picks are the Protestant churches -- Episcopalian, Lutheran, Presbyterian Church USA or Methodist. Also up there would be liberal congregationalists, such as the United Church of Christ (not the same as what we call Church of Christ in the South, not by a mile ... they share some curricula with the UUs) or the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

To my mind, these churches -- and the Catholics and Orthodox -- are the only churches that actually can be labelled Christian with any honesty. They worship God as personified in Jesus. And sadly, they're shrinking.

I'm not sure what I'd call the Baptists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, the Church of Christ (as we understand it in the South), the Pentecostals and other charismatics. Not Christian ... maybe "Christianist" in the same sense that Osama bin Laden is an "Islamist" who doesn't follow true Islam.

They talk about worshipping God and Jesus, but they don't. They worship Paul. They worship the King James Bible. They worship the unholy trinity of flag, fetus and the holy firearm. They reject the proof of God's creation by means of evolution in favor of an idolatrous worship of a literal translation of the book of Genesis.

I don't believe Jesus was the son of God, at least not in any sense beyond the fact that if there's a God, we're all his or her children. But I have respect for Christians. You and any number of my other LJ friends are good people who stress the love of Christ, realizing that the human biases that creep into the Bible from time to time dishonor him.

One of the wisest things he ever said was that if you met a person who couldn't or wouldn't see the truth or listen to reason or practice love, don't stand there and wear yourself out arguing. Wipe the dust from his floor off your shoes and keep walking. You can do that; I've seen you do that. I suggest you either drop this Buckthorn or at least drop the subject and walk away. If he's any sort of Christian, he'll do the same.

But I'm not holding my breath.