Hi Kimmie I think it's like sinkin a hockey puck. How many goals / attempts but the average is better than the usual methods. I believe the marketing is a bit oversold but that's marketing and you walk away either win or loose a lot richer in wisdom. The alternative is to walk away with nothing.
Chazz. Most churches espouse to lower your defenses or boundries to eachother in your church family but are less successful in keeping away the wolves or beating down what the bible calls the old man. I've seen what you speak of and one of the Mega Churchs who's pastor wrote "Purpose filled Life" had many parisioners bilked out of their savings from wolves in their midst. (The pastor had no involvement here)
I do not go since I would find myself asking them why would I go along with all the associated trash and open up myself up. Every time and I mean Every time I entered in any business relationship with someone who espouses publicly their faith I got taken to the cleaners. I now realize doing that is akin to eating a bowl of stupid in the morning. Thus in that culture my responses taking wolves behind the woodpile and discussing their misdeeds in a proper military manner is not looked favoribly upon by the flock so I'll spend my time in other ways. My last time was listening to some deacon espouse the healthy wealthy christian life syndrome by praying for a car with a nonstandard engine and color scheme and god gave it to him I have to leave in order not to yell out the cross between a Bulldog and Shitzu. I guess down here that is standard. It is tough for any flock to be diciplined when the the goal not physical and the rewards are after you pass on.
In war a squad of servicemembers open up to eachother but don't cross boundries. They end up knowing more than the spouses however if one cross boundries with someone whom they may need to save their lives is a true deterent to misdeeds. However back in the states when the immediate threat is removed I've seen former warbuddies do eachother like you report in your former church.
I noticed that birds of a feather worship together. It is often a culture thing on doctrine and often a smaller version of how that culture conducts itself in the secular world. No one is immune. From what I saw in the Middle East and discussions the Muslims have similar complaints.
"All I want is a weeks pay for a day's work" Steve Martin
