All Good Dogs Go to . . .
October 19th, 2007
(By Nathan Busenitz)
We usually maintain a pretty serious tone here at Pulpit, but we couldn’t help pointing out this article about the “dog ministry” at a megachurch in Irvine, California.
On the one hand, the desire of these dog-owners to reach out to their community is commendable. On the other hand, some of them are clearly taking things a bit too far.
To quote from the article:
* * * * *
Are the dogs Christian?
“I don’t know,” Bankson said, “but they sure show an awful lot of love. They have some of the Christian characteristics I’d like to have.”
Bogenrief agrees, “They don’t drink, smoke, dance, or dress inappropriately,” he pointed out. . . .
“If you spell dog backward,” he said, “you get God.”
* * * * *
Also, for those who haven’t read this yet, Willow Creek repents (HT: Expository Thoughts).
Along with Pope John Paul’s supposed reappearance, this has been a pretty busy week.
God help them.
Pope John Paul is in Hell selling indulgences to anyone who wants to purchase one. The only problem is………..those indulgences don’t get you very far out of Hell!
Nathan,
First off, I’m a little perplexed by your excerpt on dogs in church…are you PRO-dog or ANTI-dog? Where to the elders of Grace Church stand on this? And what about the gray areas (like rat-dogs and poodles)?
Onward on to the expose on Willow Creek…
I recall hearing Dan Phillips (of the Pyromaniacs blog), explain from one pulpit in Sacramento, as to why so many Americans are willing to call themselves “Christians” without a change in lifestyle. Simply put, “they’re just being good consumers.” The church markets salvation like an open portfolio of perks and benefits and people –just being good consumers, mind you- happily sign on.
Expanding on that thought I couldn’t help but notice the overloaded business-marketing terms Bill Hybels used in his Summit seminar:
- “Executive Pastor”
- “resource allocation”
- “professional”
- “survey”
- “customize”
- “donors”
- “data…and more data”
- “counting heads”
The look and feel of the video reminded me of seeing Steve Jobs introducing the new iphone. And then it struck me, the utter irony. In explaining how things need to turn around at Willow Creek, Hybels is actually continuing right on where he left off, treating souls like software components.
Now I know the video may not have been taken in the context of a church service. Also, I’m not one to say using marker boards and Powerpoint is a cardinal sin. But really, the subject matter here is spiritual malnutrition! People are dying in the pews, Bill, and your still using terms like “data” while giving us a diagram.
Suggestion: go back to reading the Gospels and meet up with John the Baptist, eater of locust and wild honey, and with Peter the fisherman. Turn off those colored stage lights, let your hair go natural, and BE REAL.
Lesson to myself: 1.) Never let the fear of man take the place of my fear of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 2.) Remember those two words, “Jesus wept.”
Thanks again, Pulpit team,
-Jon
I like how they asked if they thought the dog’s were Christian and their like… ‘I don’t know, but…’
How about ‘No’
“How about ‘No’”
I don’t even know Eric and I already like him.
Here is a quote from the dog article:
“Its mission: to put people at ease and begin a process that could lead them to God.”
The true Gospel should not put anyone at ease. The law it the schoolmaster that revealed my sin and exposed me before God. This is anything but “ease”.
I can’t believe that this is even a discussion…lol…
Isn’t there a movie about this already…”All Dogs Go to Heaven”
Can’t we just show this on a Sunday morning? This would answer everyone’s questions on man’s best friend
:)