Danny's Men's Studies

I was watching Nightline interview with Stephen King and he was raised fatherless since 2 years old. The money quote, for me, was:

Q: Religious characters don't fare very well in your book I've noticed
SK: I don't have anyhting against chures per se. I'm not a vampire type -- ahhh [acting scared] -- like that when somebody shows me the cross or something but, organized religion gives me the creeps.

The online web page is even more disturbing:

"I'm a spiritual man. I certainly believe in God, and I meditate on a regular basis, and try to stay in touch with the God of my understanding. But I haven't been through the doors of the church, I don't think, since my mother-in-law died. And I certainly don't have anything against churches, per se. I'm not a vampire type, when somebody shows me the cross or something like that. But organized religion gives me the creeps."

Sad.

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Labels: absent father, churchy

NBC Today's Show Sunday (March 4) had a blurb in various churches, including The Journey ministry (Beer and Bible) as well others like xxxchurch and GodMen and a Texas church that does wrestling [couldn't find a link].

It's good to see more and more different churches coming out in the open but they all focus on herding people into a big building [be it the traditional "church" building or some meeting space]. And the lures are mere gimmicks.

I'm afraid that Jesus did not say: Invite friends to a big meeting. Nor corral as many people as possible into a room [and call it church]. He said:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you [Matthew 28:19,20]

Making disciples is far cry from herding people once or twice week [with gimmicks, even]. Yes Jesus did party with the sinners but He wasn't busy increasing the membership count. In fact, He did His best to discourage faux followers: Matthew 10:34, Matthew 8:20 [among others]. Somewhere in the process, we've lost His message and are too busy counting the numbers [membership, offering, etc.].

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Labels: churchy, gimmicky church, sissy church

Got an email today with link to "Manliness is next to godliness" and my first scan of it seemed hopeful but after reading it and several other articles about GodMen, I'm disappointed. Instead of doing something new, they merely turned the G-rated churchy experience into an R-rated one.

I believe that the military gets it right when they train handful of men together as a team. Israeli Army does it the best by "marrying" soldiers together for many years (not just training but their full 3 year service) so that a strong bond is established. This brothers in arm is the kind of experience that Jesus lived out, as He discipled His men, the brothers in prayer.

Jesus Christ, the staff sergeant? That could make a very interesting movie/story.

Personally, I still like the gangster theme more than military or mobsters, because the gang is less organized and (used to) have the freshness of a new and undeveloped "institution." What Jesus did was take a bunch of rednecks and thugs and turned them into Bible wielding warriors/martyrs and He even christened them "church." The nerve! [or so most Christians today would have reacted....]

Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.

Labels: churchy, manly godliness, sissy church