The sad truth about "old school" conservative Christianity

Two brief little event in my life recently illustrated the effects of what I call "stick in the mud" conservative Christianity. It should be noted that "stick in the mud" Christianity is where my roots are - I consider myself a recovering fighting fundy!

The first event was a simple and brief exchange between my oldest son and I.

While riding in the van in Indianapolis (heading home from Hannah's surgical check-up) we passed by a large and beautiful church building. It was just like a church building ripped from England - limestone, steeples, ornate stonework, stained glass - it was really beautiful. I happened to notice that it was Second Presbyterian church of Indianapolis and mentioned this to my wife. Noah (my oldest) overheard this comment and asked me what a Presbyterian was. I gave him a generic description that I thought would work for him. He then turns to me and asks:

Are all other kinds of Christians bad and just our kind good?

I could've died in the driver's seat! Apparently my moves away from the fighting fundy movement didn't happen soon enough. Praise God that I could answer him truthfully - "No, most of them are just different". Don't get me wrong - there are doctrinal distinctives that I think are worth standing up and holding one's ground. But I'm not going to declare those not like me "bad". That's the legacy of "stick in the mud" conservative Christianity.

Story two requires a bit of backstory first. I organized a church group a few years ago called GTO (Glory Through Outreach). After three years, I passed the baton on to another good friend (Don). He and I have both since moved on to other places. GTO was a constant struggle. It was a group designed to show God's glory in the community we live in. It never received much support from the majority of the congregation. Apparently since it wasn't directly "evangelistic" it wasn't good enough. As if the sole reason Christians exist on this earth is to "evangelize"! Anyway, GTO (under Don's leadership) had been working at the local park, cleaning bathrooms and such. I know for a fact that certain "power brokers" in the church saw this as, shall we say, frivolous. Then I read this in the local paper this morning:

CHEERS TO: Those from the GTO group ... for three different times volunteering for our community. Your efforts and those of businesses, small groups and others are how certain parts of our community shine while many people can't seem to see the benefits of giving time, energy, and/or resources on even a monthly basis -- probably a huge loss for those who have not developed a giving spirit. Thanks givers!

Again, the spirit of "stick in the mud" Christianity. It infuriates me, to be honest. And I suspect my reaction pales compared to that of Almighty God.

If you have kids, what sort of legacy are you leaving for their Christian heritage?

If you have a community (and you do), what sort of legacy are you leaving of your own Christian heritage?

Hard but worthy questions to ask, eh?

Hatushili