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Biblical Christianity not found in Megachurch
OPINIONS
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ast Sunday I went to a megachurch. Normally I attend small L churches with a gathering of local believers who strive to live according to the Bible. Having already attended countless churches from many denominations and faiths, I was eager to see what the average parishioner experienced at one of these stadium-sized complexes. It was horrific. Megachurches like this one can have almost nothing to do with biblical Christianity and may actually do violence to the ‘Word of God.’ After finding a place to park I made my way to Building B. The “campus” for this church that boasts over 10,000 members had six CHUCK WEIL / COLLEGIATE TIMES buildings labeled A-F. Each building was as large as many found here at Virginia Tech. The large entrances shoved me into an enormous hall that resembled an airport terminal or the concourses that surround NFL stadiums. Once inside I noticed that few people were dressed like they were going to church. The Bible does not say that one must dress exactly such and such way, who would prefer to beat drums and but neither is it silent when it comes to march back to the Dark Ages but not the matter of attire. for those who desire progress for our Dressing modest is important to species. By their moral perversion me, but at this church mini skirts and they seek to blame homosexuals for cleavage were everywhere. their orientation by calling it a ‘choice,’ Another is that as an ambassador but in reality they are only hiding for Christ I want to dress in a respectfrom themselves. able manner. If they were to face reality and see This is especially true for church that homosexuals enjoy no choice in because I do not want to pay more the matter they would be forced to respect to man than God. rearrange their view of the world and For example, it would bother me if I evolve in their thinking. dressed nicely for graduation, to meet But for those who prefer the epoch a politician or went on a date than I of witch burning to our current one, did to worship God. changing one’s mind can be a hateful People at this place must not have experience. And so they call homoshared my conviction because scores sexuals perverts and degenerates, they of them wore flip-flops, shorts and call their actions debaucherous and t-shirts. sinful, they say that because of their I only lasted thirty seconds in the sexuality God punishes this nation first room I entered. but what they are really saying is nothIn it I found hundreds of cafeteriaing but their own intolerance and style tables where people were in the hatred of their fellow men. process of guzzling down coffee and For those of you who stand in favor loading up on donuts. of same-sex marriage, I personally Large screens surrounded the room thank you. But for those who stand and apparently these people were against it, I say get used to it. about to watch the real service on a Whether you like it or not moveten-minute delay. ments for freedom once begun canI wanted to watch real preaching not be stopped; no matter how much so I turned around and followed the you try to stop us we will prevail. lengthy hallway to the live service. Hatred and intolerance can never As I entered the main service equal the power of freedom and the lights were dim and a band equality. Because of this no matwas playing to a crowd of 3,000 ter how hard they try or how loud or so. They were playing Michael they scream the bigots will never win Jackson. Because I want my column because liberty and tolerance always to go to print I will refrain from will. expressing my true thoughts on why this is wrong on so many JASON CAMPBELL
Gay marriage movement works to prevail despite political backlash
collegiatetimes.com june 30, 2011
ast Friday a tremendous step forward was made for this L generation’s civil rights movement. When New York became the largest governing state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage in a Republican controlled Senate all those who value human rights could feel proud. Though this bill was passed by a remarkably slim margin and lacked the support of President Obama, Governor Cuomo and those who voted for it can be revered as champions of freedom. This nation has known great moral and humanitarian crises but those of us alive today tend to think of them as being in the past; as being the errors of our ancestors. Whether slavery, the subversion of women and African Americans, or the myriad of examples one can pull from American history we all feel better thinking of them as historical and not contemporary events. The danger of this view is that we tend to ignore the great movements for progress that are made today and more importantly, we tend to ignore the need for such progressions. As shown by Friday’s remarkable vote, however, this nation is in the middle of its own civil rights movement. Out of the many differences that exist between past movements for civil rights and the current one for the homosexual community, the most striking is a philosophical issue. The extension of rights to African
Americans in this country tended to come from a viewpoint that they were inferior beings who inherently lacked the same rights as white people. But the extension of rights to homosexuals seldom comes from this perspective. Instead, those who prevent homosexuals from gaining their rights tend to think that such extensions are immoral because the homosexual is immoral. It is this difference that makes the gay rights movement less of a political issue as it is a moral issue. In this way, the position that a person takes regarding gay rights not only reflects their political viewpoint but also their moral viewpoint. I would have greater respect for those who stand in the way of gay rights if they would simply be honest with us and themselves and admit what they truly are - bigots. This word carries an understandably ugly connotation but so does acting and speaking against the extension of human rights to our fellow man. By trying to hide behind religion or constitutionalism as a means of protecting themselves against such accusations, the intolerant minority has brought a great shame upon American religion and our system of government. Like a virus that has infected a healthy host, those who stand against civil rights are eating away at the fabric of this nation. Hate and intolerance are never solutions and they are never advancements. They are reserved for those
regular columnist
levels. Needless to say it was absolutely disgusting to see parishioners “worship” God by rocking out to Michael Jackson. The guest speaker for the day was a New York Times bestselling author. He found a niche writing Christian books on how to be a good father. Throughout the service I pondered how a single, childless, middle-aged man from a fatherless home became an authority on what it takes to be a good father. Similarly, I found myself wondering if the church’s pastor—if they even had one; he was nowhere to be found—also failed to meet the Bible’s requirements for church leadership, which are clearly outlined in Timothy 1. Once he finished speaking the lights went dim and the band took the stage. While they were playing I witnessed the most appalling form of the Lord’s Supper in my life. For those of you who do not attend church let me first explain what the Lord’s Supper is. The Lord’s Supper refers to one of the final commandments that Jesus gave to his disciples. He told believers to meet on occasion and remember him through the symbolic breaking of bread and drinking of wine. It is not holy, does not take away sins, and does not save you or make you righteous. The bread or food is symbolic of Jesus’ body, and the wine or drink symbolic of his blood. It is a solemn event where you remember that Jesus gave his body on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. Those who put their faith in Christ alone, and not in religion, traditions, good works or being a good person, are then born-again and inherit eternal life. So as you can see the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic time of remembrance where you focus your thoughts on Jesus Christ and what he did for you. Well at this megachurch your thoughts were anywhere but Jesus. They passed around bread and grape juice while a Jessica Simpson lookalike rocked out with her band. And when I say rock out I mean it. In its attempt to bring the world into the church these guys must have spent a fortune—two high definition 10-foot wide TVs, half a dozen cameras you would find in the newsroom studios of Fox or CNN, a light show that you would only find at an expensive concert, and speakers so loud that they register on the see MEGACHURCH / page five