(no subject)
One of the few good things that's come out of Jamie and me breaking up is that I've started to grow a LOT closer to God than I have been in a long time. I've told a lot of my friends that I've become more pentecostal by the minute--even though I'm considerably more "dialed down" than the average black charismatic Christian. For instance, there are times where I've been praying over the phone with friends I've met online over the years, and I've gone right into tongues. Don't think I've ever done that before.
Recently, I've found myself feeling a hunger that I haven't really felt before--and I've found myself saying "Amen!" or "Praise him!" in church ... something I really haven't done before. The ironic thing is that I grew up as a Presbyterian--quite a spiritual leap, I have to say.
It's partly because of that hunger that I've thought about changing churches. Problem is, it's hard finding one that fits me. As anyone who's known me for any period of time can tell you, I've spent a good part of my 29 years on this planet on the outside looking in. It wasn't until I got into high school that I decided to embrace being a nonconformist. It's especially been true with my walk with God. I'm not exactly the kind of person you'd expect to find in a pentecostal or charismatic church. I'm an ardent Democrat. I'm a sports junkie. I split my radio time about one-third NPR, one-third CCM and one-third secular music.
And yet, it seems that a lot of the Spirit-filled churches in this town that cater to people like me have embraced the same kind of lunacy I saw in Wrong-Waymaker.
For instance, I have a habit of watching Christian TV just for laughs--and I get quite a bit of them from Charlotte's public access channel. I happened to be watching one of these shows, "Charlotte Alive," on the day after Christmas. That night, they had a worship team from the Zadok House of Prayer, a new outfit in Fort Mill. I initially thought, Hmm, I could dig this. But then they started talking about how they were the "bride of Christ"--a common phrase heard in the Kingdom Now crowd. My curiosity got the better of me, so the next day I moseyed over to their Website ... and my wariness was justified. It turned out that they're Latter Rain to the core--and their political agenda is a bit too right-wing for this Christian Dem's liking.
Even more ominously, one of the guys behind it is Lou Engle. You may remember him for his role in Jesus Camp, in which he a message urging children to join the fight to end abortion. The image that sticks out the most about that movie is how he had those kids chanting, "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!"
I've done a bit of clicking around on Willow Creek Association's Website ... but the one church that seems to fit me is clear on the other side of town, off 485. Tells you something about how hard it is to find somewhere that fits me--if I decide to pull out of my old church.
Recently, I've found myself feeling a hunger that I haven't really felt before--and I've found myself saying "Amen!" or "Praise him!" in church ... something I really haven't done before. The ironic thing is that I grew up as a Presbyterian--quite a spiritual leap, I have to say.
It's partly because of that hunger that I've thought about changing churches. Problem is, it's hard finding one that fits me. As anyone who's known me for any period of time can tell you, I've spent a good part of my 29 years on this planet on the outside looking in. It wasn't until I got into high school that I decided to embrace being a nonconformist. It's especially been true with my walk with God. I'm not exactly the kind of person you'd expect to find in a pentecostal or charismatic church. I'm an ardent Democrat. I'm a sports junkie. I split my radio time about one-third NPR, one-third CCM and one-third secular music.
And yet, it seems that a lot of the Spirit-filled churches in this town that cater to people like me have embraced the same kind of lunacy I saw in Wrong-Waymaker.
For instance, I have a habit of watching Christian TV just for laughs--and I get quite a bit of them from Charlotte's public access channel. I happened to be watching one of these shows, "Charlotte Alive," on the day after Christmas. That night, they had a worship team from the Zadok House of Prayer, a new outfit in Fort Mill. I initially thought, Hmm, I could dig this. But then they started talking about how they were the "bride of Christ"--a common phrase heard in the Kingdom Now crowd. My curiosity got the better of me, so the next day I moseyed over to their Website ... and my wariness was justified. It turned out that they're Latter Rain to the core--and their political agenda is a bit too right-wing for this Christian Dem's liking.
Even more ominously, one of the guys behind it is Lou Engle. You may remember him for his role in Jesus Camp, in which he a message urging children to join the fight to end abortion. The image that sticks out the most about that movie is how he had those kids chanting, "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!"
I've done a bit of clicking around on Willow Creek Association's Website ... but the one church that seems to fit me is clear on the other side of town, off 485. Tells you something about how hard it is to find somewhere that fits me--if I decide to pull out of my old church.