All Dogs Go to Heaven...

But not homosexuals.

Or divorced people.

Or people who masturbate.

You see according to many people, a dog has a better chance of getting into heaven than anyone that professes Christ and then continues in a "lifestyle" of sin.... whatever the hell that means. These hell-bound sinners include people who have proclaimed faith in Christ and then come out as homosexuals, or go through a divorce, or I guess, masturbate.

Listen, I am no theologian and nor will I profess to know and understand (or be willing to necessarily debate) the ins and outs of the Bible. I will leave that to many of you who enjoy and excel at that sort of thing.

I am just trying to figure out how some "church people" or those that call themselves "Christians" can say they know for certain based on any interpretation of the Bible who's in and who's out.

As I have said before and will probably say again.... we just don't know. That is, with the exception of our canine friends...unless they happen to masturbate too.

Make the World a Better Place

Going to a little Southern Baptist college in the 80's located in the buckle of the Bible belt presented some interesting situations. None more interesting than Richard.

Richard was what we called a "scripture-spouter". Regardless of what was being discussed or what was being said, whenever Richard involved himself in the conversation, he always quoted Scripture - King James Version no less.

Conversations with Richard sounded a little like this:

PERSON A: "Richard, how's it going?"

RICHARD: "Oh, I've had a rough day... but like the Bible says, 'all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.'"

PERSON A: "Well man, I hope things get better for you"

RICHARD: "Whether it does or not, 'This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.'"

So that's the way it was with Richard. He was pretty harmless, but at the same time pretty obnoxious. The frustration was that you could never get him to have a normal conversation about anything... he always used Scripture references.

One day, it became very clear that Richard was in a league by himself.

While gathering for the start of class one day, we were all sitting around talking about stuff, and Richard walks in sporting a brand new haircut. One of the girls in the class said, "Hey Richard, nice haircut."

To which Richard replied (in his strong southern accent and always pious attitude), "Whatcha see is Jesus!"

And at that point, in unison, everyone that witnessed it laughed our asses off. To this day that story lives on in infamy as one of my favorite Stupid Church People moments of all time. For years it's been an inside joke. Now I hope to share it with you, my friends, as something we can share together.

I regret laughing at Richard that day and not gently trying to lead him to a better way. But I myself was lost and couldn't completely see how blind my eyes were to my own SCPness. Today I am a different man.

Here at SCP, we are making the world a better place by seeking to save one Stupid Church Person at a time.

Leave no Richard behind.

A Fresher Perspective

One of the people I hold in high regard is Tony Campolo. Tony is one of those guys in the Christian world that everyone has an opinion on. Same favor him and others don't. He is a lightening rod of sorts and he speaks to issues that others ignore within the church.

Tony, professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern College in suburban Philadelphia, is one reason that I pursued Sociology as a second major in college. As a high school student, after reading one of his books, I sat down and wrote Tony a letter about how his book had impacted me. About a month later I received a hand written note from Tony, encouraging me in the pursuit of my young faith. He has always been accessible, honest, and never been afraid to speak his mind. I think if I could score an interview with Tony Campolo it would be the highlight of my SCP career (of course talking to NinjaNun and Jeff on the last podcast would be a close second).

Several years ago, while reading an article in the now defunct magazine "The Other Side" dealing with homosexuality and the church, I ran across a piece written by Tony's wife, Peggy. It caused me to reconsider and begin to alter my views on the subject away from my deeply ingrained understandings. Her and Tony differ on their views of homosexuality, yet each of them offer such a fresh perspective on the issue that every person needs to hear, especially those that call themselves Christian believers.

Tony's view of homosexual activity isn't unlike that of many Biblical conservatives, stating that he believes that the Bible forbids all homosexual activity. Yet, he does not support attempts by the church to "change" gays into "going straight", but he advises gay people to live celibate lives. He is also very discouraged with the way the church is handling this issue by choosing to often ignore it.

Peggy's view is much different. She supports monogamous, same-sex relationships and thinks that the church should recognize marriages for gays and lesbians. Peggy is also discouraged and saddened by the church's handling of this issue and calls for a different approach moving forward.

Tony and Peggy spoke at a meeting hosted by The Shepherd Initiative an organization encouraging the church to address this issue. It is highly informative, entertaining and enlightening with each one taking turns in speaking and sharing their viewpoints.

I broke it apart into two downloads to share with you. In my opinion, these two fine people are at the fore-front of this issue in the way the church should address it, regardless whose viewpoint you feel is the more "correct" one (or maybe you disagree with both). After listening, please feel free to comment, but I want you to limit your comments away from which viewpoint you think is right and why. Please feel free to share what you liked, what motivated you, what challenged you and what caused you to see things from a slightly different angle.

Tony and Peggy Campolo - Part One

Tony and Peggy Campolo - Part Two

If Not Here Then Where?

The life cycle of a blog is such a dynamic process.

At times you tend to your blog and focus on it, spending lots of time writing and gathering feedback and thinking critically how to expand on your particular ideas and thought processes. And other times you don't. For example....

Over the last few weeks I have been out and about on other blogs. From time to time I get into what other people are writing and try to sharpen my mind and pen by interacting with others over on the sites I frequent.

Lately there has been some good stuff going on, and I have enjoyed visiting and interacting on my friends sites... so I thought I would give them a plug and thank them publicly for allowing me to squat and vent and occasionally hijack their blog homes.

Demerging

Is he online? Is he offline? Here today and gone tomorrow. This is the Russian Roulette of blogs. Check it out daily because it's always changing.

Edge of Faith

This blog started with EddieO and now has an additional contributor in EddieF. These are two guys with great hearts that will rip your heart out.... literally. They often say what I think but will never say. That makes me love them and hate them at the same time. Beware... before you visit this blog you better be ready to bring your "A" game. And just a word of advice for what its worth. Keep it short and sweet... that way you might not say something stupid. About a week ago there was a big surprise revealed on this blog, so if you haven't been by there, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Etcetera

I don't go here so much for the blog but for the podcast. These guys (and one girl) have an entertaining show you should check out. I love the show... especially the parts where I call in and talk... those are my favorite moments. But you can also check out the blog and read some great perspectives... when they want to they can write some very good stuff that'll make you think. But check out the last podcast, especially the last fifteen minutes... that part has me in it and it is pretty funny. No ego here huh??

Head-First

Dorsey went and visited a gay pride festival last week. Pretty soon he may even write about the experience. Anyways, recently there was a great post about it and some interesting dialogue about his plans and what everyone else thought. I loved the interaction. Dorsey is on a great part of his journey right now.... check it out will ya!

Josh's Blog

My partner in crime. I love his raw honesty. And lately he has been getting some fun responses that make this blog worth doing... I have enjoyed taking on legitimate bonafide SCP on his blog. Check out some of his recent posts and the comments... you will see what I mean.

Of course there are a few others:

Bad Christian

NinjaNun

One For Truth

Steeples and People

I stop by these sites almost every single day. They haven't been posting as much lately because of other commitments and distractions or maybe they don't have anything to say right now.... but I think they are all worthy additions to your list of places to visit.

So thanks to all of you. As I was telling someone on the phone today, without my blog friends I don't know where I'd be...especially now in this place at this time.

The Podcast is Coming!!

One if by land and two if by sea

And there on your iPod our Podcast will be

Josh will be there and I will be too

I think he will be drunk from way too much brew

So tune in tomorrow or the day after that

Did you know too much soda and beer make you fat

-----------------
update 06/13/06

OR MAYBE NOT!

God Doesn't Exist (It Appears)

Lioness in zoo kills man who invoked God

KIEV (Reuters) - A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.

"The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.

"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

The incident, Sunday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.

Truth, is indeed, stranger than fiction!