Paul's Passing Thoughts

Xenia, Ohio is a church community, and nothing brings out church-speak more than a benefit sale for someone in a trial on a sunny afternoon. After thinking for ourselves on these issues for the better part of ten years based on the idea that God gave us a brain for a reason; primarily to reason, and to be reasonable, we admit that we don’t have it all figured out, but have figured out that the churched are the most confused brainwashed people walking the face of the earth.

Don’t confuse that with our God-focus, church doesn’t = Christian, and families are not institutions, and love has nothing to do with authority because mandates and love are mutually exclusive.

That’s the introduction to a classic conversation I had yesterday with a Xenia church lady. If you know me very well, you know that I am a 60’s scavenger. I love the furniture of that era and the whole cultural motif. Susan and I came across a food warmer from that era in all of its avocado green splendor and decided to donate it to the sale for the reasonable price of $15.

The church lady wanted the warmer for $10, and I said “no.” It is said that “no” is the first word that we say as infants because, you know, in our total depravity it is an expression of our rebellion towards authority and the Bible says that babies “come forth from the womb speaking lies.” More than likely, it’s the first word we speak because, you know, it’s the simplest of words probably heard the most among moms and other siblings. Yet, I must admit that speaking the word makes me feel better than any other word I speak, and yesterday was no exception.

Well, the church lady informed me that she only wanted the warmer enough to pay $10 for it, then began to ask for whom the benefit is for, and the details concerning the plight. I informed her while thinking, “Oh boy, here we go.”

The grammatical religious vomit I expected poured forth almost word for word. “It’s Gawd’s will, we only have Gawd, all we can do is pray, blah, blah, blah, blah, add unlimited gagetry.

I have some patience for confused Protestants, but this lady was a fully credentialed churchian; otherwise, I would have given her a $5 credit for the warmer in exchange for her prayer, but in this case, the prayer is hardly worth $5.

You see the irony in all of this, right? It’s a benefit, so why not pay a little extra and get something you are interested in to boot? I can answer that. She asked if we are a “church,” to which I answered, “No (while once again experiencing the joy of saying the word), we are a home fellowship.” So, you see, the dichotomy comes in her rejection of our sale as a legitimate benefit because we are not a real church “under the accountability of Gawdly authority.” Hence, the condescending offer of prayer for the whole lot of us outside the gates of heavenly Jerusalem. Add gagetry.

Contrast that with a fellow presently unchurched poorer than dirt totally depraved visitor to the yard sale outside the camp. They bought a few items and gave $10 over and above, and you can bet it was $10 that these people don’t have laying around. That’s what happens when the totally depraved have more conscience than they have money.

Truly, having your conscience replaced with the traditions of men is an ugly and dreadful thing.

James explained it this way: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

In all of this, please note: what is a legitimate opportunity to give according to church because said organization is a religious authority? Organizations like Samaritan’s Purse where the director makes almost 1 million dollars a year. Go figure.

This is an opportunity to consider giving power that doesn’t pay for salaries and massive infrastructure, and is not compelled to give by some authority, and worse yet, the purchase of salvation in the name of love.

That is the cheapest love of all.

paul