Beware of the dog
So, I ran into a site (I’m not going to post it) yesterday because of a blog I read on a regular basis. The site (not the one I read on a regular basis) focused on defaming much of the “contemporariness” or “pop-culturalization” of the church. They shared about how horrible the big churches are and about how horrible the churches that reflect those big churches are and by the time I finished reading a few of the posts, I felt sick to my stomach that I had read this smut – or the opposite version of a pop-culture entertainment magazine – That I literally had to shut my computer off and do something else. I don’t do negativity well.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 years ago I was passing out flyers to an event my church was hosting in Webster, Mass. (This is not the church I attend now) I turned the corner to this one house and stopped as a huge german shephard stared me right in the eye about 6 feet away. I took a step toward my car and the dog moved, so I ran, and the dog chased me for about 4 houses, nearly getting me a few times.
When I arrived to my car, I noticed that my pant legs had been clawed and frayed to the point where the pants were ruined. At that time I could not afford a lot of clothing so this was kind of a bummer.
What really makes me sick is how some people live their whole lives on the pant leg of others, scraping and clawing and nagging and acting like they are God’s watchdogs, as if God in some way needs them to look out for Him. Between the media and some religious folk, there sure are a lot of german shephards out there, so make sure you wear your tennis shoes.
Have you ever had to run from “the dogs”?
Until next time…
Related posts:
That’s the thing about dogs… When you run they just get all fired up and run after you. Sometimes kicking them in the nose is the way to get them off your case.
(I’m probably jeaprodizing my standing as a hippie in saying this… but the thought did seem to go well with extending the metaphor.)
I don’t know what blog you were reading, so I don’t know whether the post was anonymously or not (in the sense that it may have been posted by pastor_bob, but we don’t know pastor_bob’s real name). But there is a web comic I regularly read that has proposed a theory about the internet. I can’t link directly to it because it’s vulgar but it can be summed up by saying that:
normal person + anonymity + audience = total jerk
I don’t know if that’s in play here, but it sounds like it might be.
Marty,
Jude v. 3 reads:
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
This sounds a lot like a command to all Christians. Interestingly, that phrase “contend earnestly” connotes a German Shepherd-like tenacity in combating error in all its forms.
“As if God in some way needs them to look out for Him.” – God also does not need anyone to preach for Him. Yet He has called and commanded men to do so.
Thanks.
Bob Andrejczyk
Ah, yes, if there’s anything I know how to do it is to draw a crowd of people who don’t like my positivity. Howdy Bob, thanks for joining the conversation. It’s been a while.
I didn’t post your 2nd post, not because I disagreed with it (alas, I posted your 1st one, which I also disagree with the verse you “picked out”), but because I didn’t feel comfortable promoting something I don’t know about.
Anyways, I suppose by “contend earnestly”- one would have to assume that because a church has guitars and promotes living in 2008 rather than in 1780 – that you believe those kinds of churches are not “contending earnestly”. This is where we part viewpoints, which I can respect.
Because I use the words “being wise with our choices ” and others in the camp I was addressing in this post would say sanctificationoplis or some word that sounds like I’m smarter than saying in today’s english (which if we want to get technical, we could just all say it in Greek anyways), I’m now delegated to the “postmodern” realm?
You see, once again, unless you know what’s actually going on in these churches, you’re “contending” is nothing but speculation and assumptions, and we all know where that gets us, right?
If you want to be a bulldog, preach. I love preaching each and every week at my church. But you have to do it With the goal of seeing people come to Jesus, edifying the believers,and not with the goal of tearing down people who are sharing Jesus. or more evangelistaclly focused than you might be.
I’m sure their are some verses they could “pick out” to prove their points.
By the way, Jeff and Ian, you are both hilarious!
And by the way Bob, you need to know that Ian’s use of pastor_bob was totally on a whim, it had nothing to do with an actual person named Bob. Did it, Ian?
hey Mr. Marte,
Being a mailman i can relish the poetry of the ‘dog’ analogy.
i’m struck by how much conflict there seems to be within the Church over contending for Sunday morning faith and not so much discussion around ‘rest of the week’ faith. The Bible doesn’t spend so much time illuminating proper liturgy, but does go off on what the Church is and how it’s supposed to behave.
The life and ministry of Jesus was designed to form and instruct the Body (which is the Church) in this way.
If you feed a nasty dog it often comes around.