John MacArthur is hardcore. There was a lawsuit, way back when...his antipsychiatry stance (I kinda sorta lean into antipsychiatry, but not in the right wing way...) may have contributed to the suicide of a troubled parishoner. lawsuit...i don't know how it ended, but...yeah. sad. :-(
rc sproul is alright, or I thought so, till...OK, in one piece I read, he was railing against social programs, taxation to promoted the general well being of the masses, etc. I'm -not- a full on Marxist, but...c'mon. Personally, I cannot work. By the grace of God, the safety net has caught me. OK? so, I'm kind of...out of love with him, because of that.
lately, I've been checking out the christian socialists. pros: they truly believe in pushing, in the here and now, for material help for 'the least of these,' as in...not just me (LOL), but people way worse off, the 'rejects' of any given society. I think that's true religion, along with visiting widows and caring for orphans, amen.
but..cons: gay affirming (bad lifestyle...I know this, from experience...), trans-affirming (I feel badly, but I don't think hormones and surgeries can 'fix' that situation, OK?), and it looks like the more visible+vocal Christian socialists are trying to (re)connect with unbeliever radicals, which...well...
-sigh- may be of pragmatic value in increasing visibility, witnessing to more people, etc., but I -personally- think some of the groups and factions they're aligning with are not compatible with Christ's message. I could easily be wrong, of course....
interestingly enough, a number of the head honchos in the 21st century version of Christian socialism are...wait for it, wait for it...left wing Presbyterians. Thing is...most of the Presbyterian church is dying out, and this ongoing trend of the higher ups diluting and/or rejecting The Good News, bit by bit, to suit their purposes...
is probably a big part of it, I think. 'ye shall know a tree by the fruit it bears...' -- dying churches, ubelieving leaders, unregenerate laity...no thanks, y'all.
where does that leave...me, people in somewhat similar situations, etc.? I dunno. To be perfectly, blatantly, 110%+ honest...
I'm trying to lean more into Scripture, and more into Christ and Him, Crucified...than into any church, person, denomination, etc. I flirted with the -idea- of Catholicism, but...
-sigh- a church that gave us Scalia, that new lady on the Supreme Court, hardcore anti-abortion and anti-contraceptive organizations, and billion$ in payouts for sexual abuse...
probably -not- an organization I'm gung ho about signing up with, m'kay?
-sigh- another problem? A big part of the reason I cannot recommend a teacher, preacher, past or present is because....
'for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...' true, that. even david wilkerson, whom I have great respect and a degree of admiration for, especially his early, fiery days.
a cousin recommends getting into a Pentecostal church or something Pentecostal-ish, even if it is officially non-denominational. this cousin has ton$ of re$ource$ and is an active GOP person. I respect him, I value his opinion and counsel, but...
we live on the same planet, but in different worlds. in my world, I'd very much like a church for fellowship, challenging teachings, and community...
-sigh- but I'm an outcast and something of a perma-pariah. not to pity party, its just the nature of my situation. my own take on The Good News is different from his, because we are very different people, from very different 'social locations' (social class, age, gender, physical location, etc.), and therefore...
The Lord deals with us differently, right? Right. I'm not about to get a Christian commune started or anything (LOL), but I don't think...I fit in most churches, and I don't think I ever will, honestly. And as much as I -wanted- to be a sharp-minded, clear thinking Calvinist, with the fervor and zeal of a Pentecostal...
-sigh- 8 years into a meaningful, productive, amazingly healing walk with The Lord...
? 'once was blind, now I see; 'twas grace that saved a wretch like me...'
I believe in miracles (so I'm no longer following Sproul on that one...), I believe in at least foreknowledge, possibly straight up predestination (not Sproul, not MacArthur, definitely not Pentecostal), I believe in a place called Heaven and a place called Hell (can't go for universalism or hippy feel good 21st century socialist gospel, sorry), I believe in Jesus' special love for 'the least of these,' because...wow, I was wretched and impoverished and brain damaged, long story....
basically, I believe in The Good News, and I'm not entirely sure I believe in The Good News because I 'chose' Jesus or necessarily because I was part of some 'elect' group, pre-selected from time immemorial, its more like...
-shrug- 8 years ago, I felt a tug, I cried out, He answered, seeds began to bear fruit, God saw fit to spare, then save and forgive me, then began to give an increase to all that had already been poured into me, and now...
where to turn? to Jesus, obvious and most correct answer, no doubt. but with -so many- churches filled with hatred and spite towards the poor and the weak and the unwanted...
and others tossing out big segments of sound doctrine and The Gospel, itself, "for the common good" or what have you....
-sigh- where does anyone, any Christian, go, now?
ramble, ramble...sorry I derailed your thread. maybe I should switch to decaf?
