Why are so many people just comfortable with their faith? Does it not mean anything to see other people out there that need to understand? Why do we pass by people every day and just condemn them? We say stuff like "they are not good enough for our church." Oh, really!! Are you good enough for your own church then? You do understand that you still have a cloud of sin over you right? You do realize that you are not perfect, don't you? I guess maybe I just have a different perspective on things since I have been damned so many times by pastors or people that don't take a moment to look at me. Yes my dad is Catholic. Yes I was raised in the public school. Yes I still belong to the CRC. Am I damned to hell for all of these things? In some peoples' eyes I am, but you know, when the day is done, I can't control that my dad is Catholic, I can't control that I went to the public school, but I can control that I am in the CRC. Is the CRC becoming more liberal and more broadly evangelical? Of course they are, but denominations are human institutions, THEY ARE ALL FLAWED. I recognize the forgiveness that exists in God. No man is perfect save that of Jesus Christ. We all have problems in life. I don't believe that the church was created for the healthy people, but the sick. If we were healthy there would be no need for Jesus Christ. Then we get stuck in a funk of thinking that we cannot share God and Jesus Christ. We shut ourselves up into our little corners and never really act on it. Are we coming to the conclusion that the church should only exist in a little circle that we call our denominations? I sure hope not, but it looks that way.

How comfortable are you in your faith? Well, if you are comfortable, what would you do if someone walked up to you right now and asked you about it? What would you do? I find that so many people have no idea what they are doing. Some people I am actually scared to walk up to. It just seems like I walk up to some people and they really only care about God on Sundays. Only time that God is important is when they absolutely need him. Well, God doesn't turn his back on us even though we turn our back on him so many times. It is really sad. I wish that people did not do this. At what point did we end up stop caring about others and stop spreading the good news? At what point is it more important for us to be comfortable with our faith than to share it with others?

What About This?

How long has the church only been for one type of people? I mean I know we have the whole Gentile/Jew thing of the Bible, but that was quite a while ago. When did church start becoming just who you are. Are only the Dutch people who are Christians saved? How about the Scottish? Or possibly the English? Nope, can't be the English anymore. Denominationalism is tearing the world apart. One of my friends in the CRC doesn't have a lick of Dutch blood in him. But the bigger problem is "When did Christianity stop being for all people and simply exist for the Caucasians or the Indians or the African Americans?" We criticize without realizing the truth. Chances are you do not have too much freedom when you go to a church. Yes, there are some churches that will allow you to get "caught up in the Spirit" and start saying stuff, but if you go to a church you are expected to act within their confines. You ask what in the world I am talking about? If anyone comes to Cottage Grove CRC they are expected to act a certain way. When is the last time that a gang came to church and started throwing up signs during church? You will not see people "lift their hands to heaven" at Cottage Grove. Is inviting new people into a church going to make you change a church? It better not. You can be inviting but at the same time maintain your standards. I mean, in one way your church may change in their ethnic makeup, but what bad is that? People besides the Dutch can contribute to a Dutch Reformed church. It is possible. Am I against denominationalism? Not really, but at a point I am. When we stop realizing that God is supreme and start treating the members of our denominations as the only ones going to heaven we have a problem. If God only wanted white people in Heaven there would be no reason for mission work.

Old Emails

I was going back to old emails from my brother and reading the email compilation. It is amazing how off the wall some of the emails actually get. For instance, how is it possible to say that religion should have no part in government. Isn't religion a belief-system? What level headed person who is against abortion is going to go to Congress and vote for abortion? Your personal beliefs play into every decision that you make. Sure, we can't go as far as to say that one denomination is the only denomination that the US should have and arrest everyone that does not go to the church. But your belief-system fuels everything you do. We do live in a sinful world, but we recognize what is right and what is wrong.
And actually as I read more of the comments it is truly depressing what he says. I read a lot of stuff on post modernism this morning and everything just fits so perfectly in with that. "There is no supreme religion." "All religions are equal." He even says "in the end no one truly knows what is the correct religion." Do we not know what the supreme religion is? What is the right religion? I think I have dealt with similar issues in the past. My question to you is why is there more fighting between the URC and the CRC about who is right on things than there is with the Christian faith and false religions. Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that nothing else matters? I believe that the supreme religion is Christianity. But with all the backstage bickering that goes on inside of the Christian camps you would almost think that God singled out one denomination in the world and everyone else is damned to Hell. Why do we not present a better witness than we do? I mean, missionaries do an excellent job. But the people on the homefront are ridiculous. Why do we ridicule each others' theology instead of actually looking at the false religions?
Is there really evidence for Science? At what point can we just ignore the evidence? People have been ignoring the evidence for Christianity for a long time, even if it is arrived at through scientific means. Am I advocating science above religion? If you think so you better close this blog right now because you have no idea who I am. My brother said that with carbon dating scientists did investigations and then inferred equations. Can you actually infer stuff or do you have to believe in it first? What in the world am I saying, you ask. Well, I am saying that there are things in this world that you just take according to faith. You put your trust in something that you have never seen with your own eyes. Wouldn't this also involve God? We have never seen God but we put our trust that he actually exists. Why is this so hard to see? I don't really think that it is that hard to see.
He closes commenting that people should do good, not getting bogged down in whether it is in God's name or not. Well, faith without works is dead. Whatever good I do I do. I don't go out there proclaiming that God made me do it, but rather show my appreciation because God has caused me to live as long as I have. But, I do the good because God has caused me to regenerated so that I can see what should be done and do it.