Under My Skin

I've got to report something that I really don't want to report.  Rhonda and Bruce are going to beat me silly with this club. Just a couple of weeks ago I started a series on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" concerning my church.  Rhonda and Bruce really took me to task on my reasons for staying and one of the things I said in defense of continuing to support the church is they are not a fire and brimstone church. So, while they're not spreading the word about UR, at least they're not undermining it from the pulpit.  On Sunday, there was an off-hand remark made that really got under my skin though.  I thought about it all day Sunday and woke up yesterday morning and this morning thinking about it.

Our Senior Pastor has made several comments concerning "self-actualization".  Most have been snide remarks to the effect of "You won't find God looking inside yourself.", etc.  I completely disagree with him. I only truly found God once I realized that is the only place I can contact God (manifested as the Holy Spirit). But, I've let these remarks go.  Well, Sunday, he made another remark about self-actualization in the context of a series on the DaVinci Code.  It was a really good sermon on the reliability of the New Testament. I think the self-actualization remark was in reference to the Gnostics (who he beat up pretty good. I'll do a post on that later).  Then, he let fly with something about finding your "inner child" and said "Your inner child is going to hell."  I was shocked.  I don't fully recall the context of the remark but I remember thinking it seemed out of context with his sermon and I got the impression it was an improvised remark (he gives the same talk four times each weekend). It just seemed off-the-cuff.

What really irks me is the way he sneaks these remarks into a sermon.  He also made comments about how our eternal security rests on the New Testament.  But, gave no specifics about what he means by this.  The "inner child is going to hell" remark wasn't qualified, as I recall.  I didn't hear "unless" or "if you don't".  Just an unqualified "Your inner child is going to hell."  What I've come to realize is that our "seeker sensitive" church really ducks this all-important issue concerning eternal destination, when it comes to the Sunday morning message.  I guess they assume everyone knows they're bound for hell unless they "accept" Jesus and they want to avoid saying it openly on Sunday morning?  So, every once in a while it just slips out?

I plan to go back and watch the video on the website, as soon as it's available.  One of the four services will be posted there.  So, if the remark was planned, I'll be able to see it in its full context.  If it wasn't, then I'll have to rely on my faulty memory.  But, either way, it really got under my skin.  So, that's another one in the "I should go" column on my tally sheet. Grrr....

Peace,
Brian