I was born and raised Methodist.....and then I started college and became super enlightened and decided there wasn't a God. OH, I suppose I looked for him alot of places.  I went to baptist churches, pentecostal, lutheran, catholic, etc. Turns out, the one place I forgot to look was my heart....lo and behold there He was.

Anyway, so I'm sort of new again to this walk with Jesus.  And quite frankly, I have no interest in hitting someone over the head and convincing them there is a God.  I came back to my relationship with God after much travel through life's journey and I found Him and I'm glad I did. Honestly, any prosthelityzing people tried only drove me further away.

Secondly, I have no interest in spending alot of money in keeping homosexuals from seeking out a secular contract that joins them as spouses. 

I have no interest in beating a woman over the head for consulting her doctor, her partner, her God and deciding to have an abortion. 

My husband, myself and my son are being baptized next weekend and I feel like its enough for me to work on myself and learn about God and be a good christian than to spend (waste) any time fighting with atheists over the existance of God or doing God's job of judging someone who is living a lifestyle different than my own.

Am I alone in this?

I do care to much for the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" for the same reason!  I believe the image of Christians forcing the gospel is alien to the gospel.  We are to proclaim it and God does the rest.

I prefer the witness of living the life, and not the witnessing we have seen where people "tell" the gospel. I think the living witness is more effective, and perhaps harder.

Aug 9, 2009 -- 8:36AM, Cmurphy wrote:

I do care to much for the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" for the same reason!  I believe the image of Christians forcing the gospel is alien to the gospel.  We are to proclaim it and God does the rest.

I prefer the witness of living the life, and not the witnessing we have seen where people "tell" the gospel. I think the living witness is more effective, and perhaps harder.

I agree. I was not raised a Christian at all, and it was the witness of those who spoke of Christ and *lived* what they spoke that touched me.  A lot of my values in terms of how to treat other people were along Christian lines, but once I got to know Christ, it was as though I was putting a name to something I had always 'known' was there, but couldn't identify.

And yes, the living witness is *much* harder! But, as you see, much more effective. We are all going to have our 'stumbling blocks', but I think the best thing would be to get involved with people/in a church who admit to their shortcomings and seek to support each other rather than pointing fingers. I've been around the latter types...ugh!

Aug 7, 2009 -- 3:52PM, Kevinponeill wrote:

 

 

In a recent advertisement from the Church it stressed the idea, that no matter where you are on life's journey you will find a home in the UMC; "our hearts, our minds, and our doors are open". 

Unless you're gay.

"Homosexuality is incompatible with the Christian faith". 

That's a strange notion of openness. 

Look, just change your advertising slogan to something honest. Like "we pretend to be open, but really we hate gay people".  In some places, that would help your church grow. 

Or don't you think honesty is a virtue?