As a former member, I couldn't disagree with this more.

[ocnative]

Saddleback Church is charging $500 + for tickets for the whole Obama / McCain gig they are doing. Money received above and beyond the costs of the production are "going to the PEACE plan." Apparently they limited the seats to members of the church and selected members from each party, so I'm not really sure you could even call this a public forum.

Talk about mixing politics and faith. This is bad. Really, really bad.

Yay Mariner's Church!

Comments

[annamonster.livejournal.com]

That sounds really tacky to me.

[ocnative.livejournal.com]

Yuppers, me too.

It makes me sad because I believe in the PEACE plan and think that it is doing amazing work across the globe (like my team that brought the whole church-based drug and alcohol rehab program and materials, in Russian, to Ukraine.) But this? This is grandstanding to me. This is all about Rick Warren.

[annamonster.livejournal.com]

Who is on the cover of Time magazine this week.

[ocnative.livejournal.com]

Dude, when is he NOT on the cover of Time anymore? Its one of the reasons why Chris and I decided to look for another church.

Well, that and the whole baptism cock-block on shack-ups.

[annamonster.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They totally arent southern baptist either. They say they are, but they arent.

[ocnative.livejournal.com]

Well, they skirt the topic in the 101 class. Something about backing / foundation / possibly cash, but then they say that they are pretty much on their own.

I was telling a friend of mine in Florida about the baptism thing and she explained that it is their practice that baptism is seen not just as a public opportunity to turn one's life over to God, but to also be joined to the church itself and that's why they have all of the rules that other churches don't have about getting baptised. That was the only part I was referring to.

[ocnativesfriend.livejournal.com]

CRAZY!