Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Uproar in Blogland

I am just discovering the world of (Christian) blogging. Amazing.

I noticed a theme that appeared a few months ago. Apparently the Youth Group of a German Church decided to make an "Erotic Bible Calendar" as a money raising project.

There was quite an uproar about it - the German church is now certainly totally apostate, and if we don't watch out we will go the same way!

I'm actually getting really tired of the way much of American Christianity points the finger at Europe and uses fear to try to keep the North American Church on track. Talk about biased media. (But that's a topic for another blog.)

But it also made me think of something else.

My relationships with women used to be mostly "circle the wagons" relationships. I was always afraid to go to far emotionally or physically. It made me withdrawn and distant.

The last years I have tried to let grace drive my relationships with women. I have determined that, if I am going to sin, I will sin boldly. My laboratory has been my work environment at the Social Services Department of Amsterdam.

It has been wonderfully freeing and healthy. I have learned to enjoy being around women and letting my guard down.

And I have never gone too far in any way.


If you don't want to see the cover of the calendar, don't scroll any further.








3 comments:

Sarah R. said...

Dad - I too am sick of the American church using fear as a tactic for influencing it's members. (You know my opinions about the 2004 elections and how I felt, and still feel, brow-beaten about my political views.)

But I think that is a completely different argument than whether an erotic calendar should be used to raise money by youth in the church. That is just wrong on so many levels. The first and most important being that those kinds of publications continue the culture of teaching (young) men that viewing a woman only as a sexual object for their personal gratification is ok. I personally as a woman struggle constantly with my self-image etc. and our culture does not help because I am constantly bombarded with images of beauty that I cannot attain. Christian men ABSOTLUTELY SHOULD NOT take part in this culture in anyway because it is not loving toward their sisters in Christ. And you seriously cannot convince me that this calendar would not lead men to lust. Let's just be real here.

So what message is this calendar sending to the world? "As Christians we are supposed to be different but we know this will make us money."

Of course there is much more to be said on this subject and I am sure other blogs go into much more detail. I just wanted to post my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Nice colors. Keep up the good work. thnx!
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Anonymous said...

Your are Nice. And so is your site! Maybe you need some more pictures. Will return in the near future.
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