Hill... wow man... quite the a-typical persp. Thanks for the frankness.
Am aware of CS Lewis but have not yet read anything by him. I have enjoyed Philip Yancey (The Jesus I never Knew and Whats so Amazing About Grace). I connect with his perspectives in that he comes accross less tied to mainstream Chiristian Culture. Not affraid to think and ask freely.
I suppose it is the propogation of culture that bothers me. When you look at Jesus... he appeared to be a clutural maverick. Not defiant for the sake of defiance.... more that he stood against the tide for what he believed to be truth.... or I suppose I should state it "knew" to be truth. Hes kinda in his own category as a truth-seeker.
I guess I am also expressing disappointment at the institution that I found so much value and comfort in. Frankly, the good years of my marriage and parenting were amazingly great, happy, and satisfying. I have largely the teaching I got from church groups... including Promise Keepers as you have referred to... I have these teachings to thank for the successes in my marriage and family.
The perplexing thing is that when everything blew up... the church had very little meaningful or effective guidance to give. I was told to "Stand for your marriage", or "Just praise the Lord more", or "Are you tithing"?.
While I see none of these as wrong, I do see them as insufficient. Frankly, I did all of those things and things still did not work out so I self-blamed for my insufficiency as a Christian. The image of the world I once believed in was shattered. So bad that I uncharacteristically taking a pathway that led me to drugs. I was in my late 30's by that time. I basically had to go far, far out of my way to end up where I ended up.
Once I was out there, all the church had available to offer at the time was a thinly veiled chrisitian recruitment program that they called a "recovery program". Heavily funded and endorsed by the Pentecostal Church. Run by people many of whom knew nothing first-hand of addiction, alcoholism, and the pains that many of us went through to get to those stages. "Ministers" they were called. They had no clue. All were welcome but if you didnt "Accept the Lord" within a few weeks you were not welcome to continue.
They thrived though on having their front rows of pews filled with us dopers and drunks that they were graciously trying to help... frankly it was show-boating to the own self-agrandization. Little did they know we were required to sit in the front rows and take notes.
Then when someone relapsed, the affiliated church and "Recovery" program leaders would cover it up and rationalize it. Again... the relapser could not be brought to cultural conformity... that was the problem and it looked bad on the institution. Also... the head of the "Recovery" program was a social drinker. A little unwise wouldnt you think?
I found my church experience's approach to divorce equally naive.
Anyway.... yes... "let God be true though every man be self deceived and irrelevant" (paraphrased to my understanding).
Life is awesome today. God is more real than ever.... now that my thinking is less blurred by the phylosophies of men. The Bible is pretty amazing.... more relevant today than it has ever been. Proves itself out time and time again. Yet I am prepared at any moment to be wrong. Maybe I am the oblivious and naive one. Doesnt feel like it but hey.... I've been wrong before.
So will journey on. Thanks for your dialogue.... I welcome it further.
