i'm just gonna pretend that it has not been a long time since i wrote my last blog post. a lot has happened that i am not willing to talk about. love remains slow in coming, i am in desperate need for motivation at work, my car packed up eventually and is on the market for a buyer and everything is a tad slow. but otherwise, i guess i am just glad to be alive (doesn't sound like me right? i know, lol).
so you already know that my sundays are usually church filled and my posts are often church themed, so no surprises here. but i heard a story last week that just re-emphasises my opinion, that the church has lost its way in the midst of countless varying interpretations of the same scripture, and that chrsitianity has refused to come to terms with the world as it exists today, quite like the ostrich hiding its tiny head in the sand and leaving its huge body exposed, in the hope that whatever it is running from will just stop being so life-threatening by the time it pokes its head out again. not quite.
and so i read somewhere, that in a certain church, there was a certain young pastor. dynamic orator with class and flair and pizzazz. according to one version of the story, this modern young man kind of ruffled conservative feathers with his approach to the scriptures, and was running his then well known parish, almost as if it was a different church altogether.
and so it happened, that one day, for reasons unspecified, his wife upped and left him. as you know by now, the scriptures indicate that the only basis upon which a man can put away his wife, is on the grounds of adultery and that even then, both parties must remain unmarried until either of them dies. and so, from the story, mr.pastor stays alone for 10 full years. no sex, no relationship. ten whole unending years of 365 long days each, without spousal companionship etc. and then one day, he learns that his ex-wife had moved on and re-married some dude in america. babe was living large while he was here waiting on bible injunction. and so it happened that, he finds love again, and decides to move on with his life and get re-married. expectedly, the church was going to have none of it, and it stuck to the literal interpretation of the bible. he was asked to either re-think the re-marrying, or leave the church. he left the church, and has started his own ministry.
i bet you are reading this story and thinking: 'well he knew what the bible said about divorce before he became a pastor, and as a custodian of the word of God he should know better than to re-marry', but judge not that thou mayest not be judged.
i know for a fact, that the most difficult thing to do on earth, is run against the tide of public opinion on any issue. it is easier and definitely more comfortable to share the same view as the rest of the world on any issue, and you are bound to garner praise by associating with the thinking of born-again christians around the world, especially if you are a pastor or youth fellowship vice-president (i just had to add that) but the truth is bitter, and must be told.
life. has. moved. on.
i know all the arguments about the timeless nature of the bible and other religious books, but we are in the same position that Jesus met the world when he came to earth. he met them stuck in a time capsule of the abrahamic times, and he spent his entire life and ministry trying to tell them that the times had changed and that God was not inflexible. the saducees and pharisees of his time, are like the men of God of today, who think that they are the overall authority on what God thinks about every given situation. beyond the pulpit, many of them are involved in the commercialization of christianity with borderline unethical activities and extortionist tendencies but see nothing wrong in that. seeking instead to remove the grain of sand in a young man's eye and ignoring the log of wood in theirs.
so, its okay for a pastor's wife to call people together and ask them to ensure that the youth contribute towards her forthcoming party (which has nothing to do with the church), and its okay for a church administrator to run after any member generous enough to donate to the church and ask them for personal favours (knowing they will feel guilty if they should refuse him, seeing as they just dropped tens of thousands of naira for the church project), but when a man who has held on for ten years, decides that he would rather re-marry than have sex in the shadows with countless women in church since he cannot restrain the natural human desire for companionship and sex, he is asked to leave the church.
i know that it is not in my place to seek for another Jesus. or to unilaterally seek a standard interpretation of the bible, but somehow, i think that i have about had it with the charade. the christian religion today leaves more questions than answers, and is seeking to make zombies of the intelligent, right-thinking man moulded after God's image. the church in nigeria is most pathetic, having several different interpretations of the same book, and each holding on irrefutably to his own version of the gospel truth. hence the countless "missions" and "outreaches", as churches now like to call themselves.
if Jesus was around today, i am sure he would once again, go into the churches and throw out the "merchants" who are today appointed as pastors and who have turned the church into a commercial venture, tasking hardworking members even more and more in order to meet some insane church deadline that they have created. for me, church has in itself become a new yoke, trying to replace the one that Jesus so graciously removed from my neck when i became a christian. and i will not relent in pointing out the absurdities until things change. i find it hard to reconcile the fact that, even when Jesus had to feed the 5,000, he never asked them all to contribute. and yet today, a single member of my church is compelled to contribute various sums for all the units she belongs in church. youth levy, building project committee member, chior member, sisters fellowship and as a church worker...all so that she may be blessed. didn't know God required an exchange for his blessings, but what do i know, right?
and so, today, i dedicate my post to the young pastor who has against all odds, decided that life cannot be miserable only because he has decided to serve God. who has taken the bull by the horn, and against scorching criticism, taken the bold step of calling the bluff of organized religion today, and letting common sense and personal worship prevail over church regulations and human sanctions.
and to all the young people out there who cannot reconcile the standards they are forced to follow in church, with the practical commonsense of daily living, welcome to life. it never gets simpler, no matter what church you turn to.
as many of my church folk now read my blog, i await the usual telling off in 5...4...3...2..., but i guess they already figured that my christianity is on my own terms, not theirs.
see y'all around peeps.
so you already know that my sundays are usually church filled and my posts are often church themed, so no surprises here. but i heard a story last week that just re-emphasises my opinion, that the church has lost its way in the midst of countless varying interpretations of the same scripture, and that chrsitianity has refused to come to terms with the world as it exists today, quite like the ostrich hiding its tiny head in the sand and leaving its huge body exposed, in the hope that whatever it is running from will just stop being so life-threatening by the time it pokes its head out again. not quite.
and so i read somewhere, that in a certain church, there was a certain young pastor. dynamic orator with class and flair and pizzazz. according to one version of the story, this modern young man kind of ruffled conservative feathers with his approach to the scriptures, and was running his then well known parish, almost as if it was a different church altogether.
and so it happened, that one day, for reasons unspecified, his wife upped and left him. as you know by now, the scriptures indicate that the only basis upon which a man can put away his wife, is on the grounds of adultery and that even then, both parties must remain unmarried until either of them dies. and so, from the story, mr.pastor stays alone for 10 full years. no sex, no relationship. ten whole unending years of 365 long days each, without spousal companionship etc. and then one day, he learns that his ex-wife had moved on and re-married some dude in america. babe was living large while he was here waiting on bible injunction. and so it happened that, he finds love again, and decides to move on with his life and get re-married. expectedly, the church was going to have none of it, and it stuck to the literal interpretation of the bible. he was asked to either re-think the re-marrying, or leave the church. he left the church, and has started his own ministry.
i bet you are reading this story and thinking: 'well he knew what the bible said about divorce before he became a pastor, and as a custodian of the word of God he should know better than to re-marry', but judge not that thou mayest not be judged.
i know for a fact, that the most difficult thing to do on earth, is run against the tide of public opinion on any issue. it is easier and definitely more comfortable to share the same view as the rest of the world on any issue, and you are bound to garner praise by associating with the thinking of born-again christians around the world, especially if you are a pastor or youth fellowship vice-president (i just had to add that) but the truth is bitter, and must be told.
life. has. moved. on.
i know all the arguments about the timeless nature of the bible and other religious books, but we are in the same position that Jesus met the world when he came to earth. he met them stuck in a time capsule of the abrahamic times, and he spent his entire life and ministry trying to tell them that the times had changed and that God was not inflexible. the saducees and pharisees of his time, are like the men of God of today, who think that they are the overall authority on what God thinks about every given situation. beyond the pulpit, many of them are involved in the commercialization of christianity with borderline unethical activities and extortionist tendencies but see nothing wrong in that. seeking instead to remove the grain of sand in a young man's eye and ignoring the log of wood in theirs.
so, its okay for a pastor's wife to call people together and ask them to ensure that the youth contribute towards her forthcoming party (which has nothing to do with the church), and its okay for a church administrator to run after any member generous enough to donate to the church and ask them for personal favours (knowing they will feel guilty if they should refuse him, seeing as they just dropped tens of thousands of naira for the church project), but when a man who has held on for ten years, decides that he would rather re-marry than have sex in the shadows with countless women in church since he cannot restrain the natural human desire for companionship and sex, he is asked to leave the church.
i know that it is not in my place to seek for another Jesus. or to unilaterally seek a standard interpretation of the bible, but somehow, i think that i have about had it with the charade. the christian religion today leaves more questions than answers, and is seeking to make zombies of the intelligent, right-thinking man moulded after God's image. the church in nigeria is most pathetic, having several different interpretations of the same book, and each holding on irrefutably to his own version of the gospel truth. hence the countless "missions" and "outreaches", as churches now like to call themselves.
if Jesus was around today, i am sure he would once again, go into the churches and throw out the "merchants" who are today appointed as pastors and who have turned the church into a commercial venture, tasking hardworking members even more and more in order to meet some insane church deadline that they have created. for me, church has in itself become a new yoke, trying to replace the one that Jesus so graciously removed from my neck when i became a christian. and i will not relent in pointing out the absurdities until things change. i find it hard to reconcile the fact that, even when Jesus had to feed the 5,000, he never asked them all to contribute. and yet today, a single member of my church is compelled to contribute various sums for all the units she belongs in church. youth levy, building project committee member, chior member, sisters fellowship and as a church worker...all so that she may be blessed. didn't know God required an exchange for his blessings, but what do i know, right?
and so, today, i dedicate my post to the young pastor who has against all odds, decided that life cannot be miserable only because he has decided to serve God. who has taken the bull by the horn, and against scorching criticism, taken the bold step of calling the bluff of organized religion today, and letting common sense and personal worship prevail over church regulations and human sanctions.
and to all the young people out there who cannot reconcile the standards they are forced to follow in church, with the practical commonsense of daily living, welcome to life. it never gets simpler, no matter what church you turn to.
as many of my church folk now read my blog, i await the usual telling off in 5...4...3...2..., but i guess they already figured that my christianity is on my own terms, not theirs.
see y'all around peeps.
Comments
There's alot there.
I believe the bible is timeless, I do not believe that just because we are in the 21st century then we can like to take out our tippex and start adjusting it to suit our needs. The fact that the bible was written ages ago does not make it any less relevant. If God really wanted to change anything, then I'm sure he is powerful enough to do it himself and not leave it to us.
As for the pastor, I dont see anything wrong in what he did. He and his wife seperated abi? and he chilled for 10 years. The wife went on and re-married. Which means that he left open any chances of reconcilation. If there is no divorce in the eyes of God, this means that the wife commited adultery by marrying someone else and He can now marry who he pleases.
Marriage involve vows and is precious to the heart of God. At the risk of sounding Jjdgmental, isnt the pastor meant to have sought God's face before getting married. If it was really God's choice for him, would they have seperated?
This is exactly what this write up is about. Sitting on the throne & judging!
What makes you think he didn't seek "God's face" before marrying?
Abeg, abeg, abeg!!!
If you really know God personally (not the shove down your throat doctrine we get from 'pastors'), you will realize that he is dynamic and not bound by rules. He does as He pleases......
Wouldn't be surprised to see the Pastor in question well ahead of those 'pastors' who crucify him on the line into heaven.....
My 2 cents, twas a question I asked.
As for those who judge, Calling God's name in vain is a sin, stealing is a sin, adultery is sin (thats what said Pastor is guilty of ehh?), Not keeping the Sabbath day holy is sin, coveting your neighbour's bb/lexus/pretty wife/plasma tv is sin, dishonoring your parents is sin. Where are those 'uns casting stones again? *looks around. noone??