Anonymous Confessions of a Modern Day American Christian

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 2, 2005 in Church | 1 comment

I don’t know how to talk to people one-on-one. I only join groups to be entertained so I fumble at how to get to know people. So when I go places after an event is done, I leave. I don’t belong to any social groups. I spend more time [select one] blogging, playing video games, surfing the internet than I do getting to know others. I rarely evangelize. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I did. I really wish my church leaders would evangelise more, it would take the pressure off me. Usually when I talk with people, I am only as interested as the conversation relates to me. Most of the things I’m passionate about rotate around me. Church isn’t [select from the following] funny, short, entertaining, styled the way I like enough. If people become Christians I am glad, because it makes the world safer. Also, these people are usually excited about their faith and will volunteer for ministries I’d prefer not to do. I usually complain more about the church than do anything to help. I don’t serve anywhere. I accepted Jesus as my savior, but I wouldn’t say he’s my Lord. If I wrote down the 5 things I’m most passionate about, God would just miss the list. I wish being a Christian meant my life would be easier with more blessings.

If I post this on my blog, would people assume I’m the anonymous writer?

Ekklesia Systems – Church Content Management, Assimilation, Contact Management and Event Management

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 2, 2005 in Church, Church Technology, Ekklesia | 2 comments

Redesigned Site v2.0 Now

Ekklesia Systems is a web-based application built for churches. Ekklesia combines a Content Management System (CMS), Contact Management System, Assimilation/Member Management System and Event/Registration Management System in one system. Ekklesia was created by church planters who saw a need because existing ‘off the shelf’ products and third party applications reached a point of diminishing returns. This group of pastors and lay-leaders decided to build a system that tackled these challenges .

Solution is SPORG meets Constant Contact meets a CMS meets Connection Power rolled into one.

Twelve Tribes : The Commonwealth of Israel

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 2, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 11 comments

“If a Christian is a true seeker of God, they are better off reading the word of God at face value than buying into the traditions of mainstream churches. When a believer sincerely cries out to God, God will lead them into [our] community,” said Wade Skinner, an elder of the Twelve Tribes community in Vista. Twelve Tribes was born out of the Jesus movement by Elbert Spriggs in the 1970s. “To me, Spriggs’s teachings have an equal authority to Peter, Paul, or John,” said Skinner, a friend of Spriggs for 15 years. Spriggs visualized the community as a new spiritual nation of God. The Twelve Tribes has grown to 50 communities in nine countries with two communities in San Diego County. The Twelve Tribes community believes they are the only true disciples of Jesus on earth. “After the book of James was written, Christianity underwent a period of Dark Ages, where there is no evidence there were people living as the Holy Nation. Sincere Christians today are righteous people, but they are no different than atheists,” said Skinner. “If you are the seed of Abraham, you must do the deeds of Abraham. This means Christians will live as the early believers did in Acts 2, who sold their possessions and shared based on the needs of people.” People who join the community give their possessions to Twelve Tribes. “When Christians hear about our community, they are very threatened by our life. All they want is personal salvation. But they are not truly God’s people.”

Full Article: Twelve Tribes : The Commonwealth of Israel

(Also read my post Is the Twelve Tribes a Cult?)

Is the Twelve Tribes a Cult?

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 2, 2005 in Church, Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 81 comments

There are many ‘anti-cult’ sites (Rick Ross Twelve Tribes resources, Twelve Tribes-EX) that attack the Twelve Tribes for being a cult. Their claims often attack positions the Twelve Tribes takes on discipline, lifestyle and Biblical authority. I’ve had a couple people request feedback from my stay at the Twelve Tribes commune in Vista, and whether I believe they are a ‘cult’.

First, I want to say that my experience there greatly impacted me. I was blown-away that a community of people were willing to ‘give it all away’ so that they would share all their life’s resources. At the start of each day, the community gathers in a covenant reminder that they will ‘die to themselves’ and love one another. Much of the bad press towards the Twelve Tribes isn’t so much an attack on their community but on them living out what the Bible commands. You may be surprised I say that. Well I do need to say my experience was not exhaustive, so I did not get to see how (method) they lived out these beliefs (principles). But they do seek to base their principles on the Bible. For this, most of American modern Christianity will want to reject what they are doing. The price is far too great for us to give up our worldly possessions and consumer mentality. Many of us our too deeply entrenched in the American-brand of Christianity that fits our lifestyle easily.

Here is where I would differ with the Twelve Tribes and warn people about deciding to join their community.

1. They believe that in order to be saved, you must accept Jesus and move in to a Twelve Tribes community. They mix justification with sanctification. I asked several questions to determine what they meant. First, I asked, if a person came to the same convictions and were not in an area where the Twelve Tribes had a community, would they be saved. Second, if a person came to the convictions and decided to move to a Twelve Tribes community but died before they got there, would these people be saved? An elder at the Vista location could not say ‘yes’ to these scenarios.

2. Three different people stated that from after the book of James was written until 1970, there is no evidence of true Christians in this (roughly) 1,900 year period.

3. They believe there is no room for disagreement with their doctrine. Those who disagree are considered rebelling against God’s bride, the church. There ‘doctrine’ is the interpretation of scripture based on Eugene Sprigg’s (and other leaders?) interpretation.

4. There is an element of sectarian us/them with the world. Don’t catch sin like the ebola virus out there in the evil world. People only work for the Tribes, they see the ‘world’ as being the evil system rather than a place where they work side-by-side with non-believers and live out the gospel.

5. An elder told me that John Calvin was ‘under a spirit of evil’ when he interpreted scripture. He said that the modern (false) church has been under his influence ever since.

6. They believe that all professed Christians that are not apart of their community are no different than atheists.

It is because of these stances that I would not encourage people to get involved in their community. I say this with sadness because so much of their life seems more Christian in substance than my life and the church-communities I see.

The Reality of Christian Teenage Years

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Nov 2, 2005 in Church | 1 comment

My youth group experience (at least the way I perceived it) seemed focused more on what not to do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t have sex. In fact, I think it was in my church high school group that I learned that ‘sex was bad’. Church seemed so unreal from the reality I faced and the pressures of the teen years of fitting in. I wasn’t being equipped to reply to the reasons why I shouldn’t do these things other than moralism. I wish the conversations were more frank and dealt less with the ‘what not to do’ and more with a Kingdom culture.

That leads me to a post Jen Zug made:

When I was a teenager I smoked, I shoplifted, I double pierced my ear with a needle and an ice cube, and I kissed boys in the bushes at church camp.

These are the kinds of characters and antics I find in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series by Melody Carlson. This is not simply the Christian version of the Sweet Valley High series with its drama and quest for popularity, but these are honest stories of real people who wrestle with everyday things like car privileges, school bullies, body image, and boys. (Full Post: Finally, a Teen Book Series for the Rest of Us

Churches, let’s stop entertaining our kids with cool services and XBox after service and raise a generation of gospel culture-changing activists. That may need to start with conversations based in reality.