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March 16, 2005
Church uses "Purge Sundays" to send non-committed elsewhere
Smart Christian links this interesting story on how a church asks those who are not committed, to leave.
This might seem like a strange story if I didn't hear this option being discussed so often.
Posted by rhett at March 16, 2005 07:19 PM
Comments
Hey Rhett,
Do you have an opinion on this? Sounds a little over-the-top to me. And by "a little", I mean "a lot".
Even though they try to make it clear to non-Christians and fence-riders that the invitiation to "get out" isn't meant for them, can you imagine how it must look to these folks?
I don't suspect it looks good. Is paternalistic control over individual members a good-making feature of a christian community?
I would be turned off---well, right after I was kicked out.
--jason
Posted by: jason at May 9, 2005 05:52 PM
Jason...my immediate opinion is that it is over the top. I do understand a church, or group of people wanting a committment out of people, but this does seem a little crazy. I'm glad that they are at church in the first place, and maybe...the Christian life is not an easy, quick journey, where all you do is accept Christ one week at the altar call, and the next week you are providing potato salad at the potluck. Maybe it is hard, relational work, that takes time.
So..in my own ministry, I would never ask someone to leave who I felt was less committed. I would hope that eventually they would move to a position of getting more involved in a small group. And maybe the problem is not the people, but our churches. Maybe we have created such large churches that we have made it so easy for Christianity to become a spectator "sport."
Posted by: Rhett Smith at May 9, 2005 05:52 PM
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