So, that's the hill you want to die on?

I'm kind of an, ummm...outspoken person. I tend to have strong opinions and am not terribly shy about expressing them. I'd like to think that as I'm getting older, I'm mellowing, and to some extent that's true. I know that because I can look at the following links without getting too pissed off. Actually, I think they're amusing.

The thing that bugs me about these sites and organizations is that I have this thing about the Kingdom of God. I see it as important. My Mennonite background emphasizes the Sermon on the Mount as the "canon within the canon." It's a perfect encapsulation of what Jesus was bringing about and calling on us to continue. Seems pretty simple - continue the kingdom. When I look at the things that these folks see as of primary importance, I don't see the kingdom in it. In fact, I had an e-mail exchange with the leaders of Christian Exodus, stating this very opinion. As soon as I asked them to justify what they were doing according to Jesus' definition of the Kingdom in Matthew, they stopped responding to me.

Recently, as I've come across these sites, I have seen them as not something that needs to be railed against, but as cautionary tales - to show how easily it is to be distracted from what we were called to do.

Unfortunately, this is real - but pretty funny. I went to seminary with a particularly obnoxious KJV-only person who had stickers all over his car and had KJV1611 as part of his e-mail address. He also believed that Baptists were the only true Christians. He did a project in a class on the Reformation that I was in and he referred to anyone who opposed the Catholic church as "Baptistic," which for him meant "biblically accurate."

This is appalling. Home-ec in seminary. Seriously. Actually, while it is awful, it isn't that shocking, given that Paige Patterson's wife has written that any woman who believes that she has leadership gifts has been deceived by the evil one. Charming.

Stuff like this helps me to find humor in these types of organizations. Logic is easier on the vocal chords than shouting and way more amusing.

P.S.
This shouldn't be real - except the depiction of Jesus with bright blue eyes and flowing blond hair. That's the only part that's plausible.