7:33 AM
Yesterday a friend turned me onto Lark News, a Christian satire site that is probably not for everyone. If you think you might be offended by satire, don't visit the site, but instead enjoy today's pre-screened material below. The following "news story" is unfortunately extremely close to real life. In fact, for all I know it could actually happen.
LANCASTER, Pa. — Maria Holsapple thought she was attending performances at the local community theater, but after twelve weeks, she was angered to learn she had been attending Oak Grove Center, a 3,000-member church."
"I would never willingly go into an evangelical church," says Holsapple, a practicing Catholic.
She came after Oak Grove mailed her "tickets" to upcoming "drama presentations." She enjoyed the "mini-concert, the play and the motivational speech they threw in at the end," she says.
"It worked well as performance art," she says. "I was convinced it was a groundbreaking new theater company."
But when neighbors remarked that they had seen her at church, Holsapple called Oak Grove and discovered it was a house of worship.
"The pastor quoted Jesus, but he quoted Socrates, too, and Britney Spears," she says. "How was I to know?"
If you're one of those who's growing more and more alarmed at what we're doing to the name of Christ and to the witness, love, obedience, and life that should exemplify the Church, I recommend that you acquire and read two books: God's The Bible
and Frank Viola's Reimagining Church
. The former is absolutely essential; it is the vehicle by which we can know our Creator and honor Him out of love (and much, much more!). The latter addresses some current cultural issues and will give you fresh hope that purity and holiness can be restored to the Church and that it can be free from bondage to cultural fads as well as tradition.
LANCASTER, Pa. — Maria Holsapple thought she was attending performances at the local community theater, but after twelve weeks, she was angered to learn she had been attending Oak Grove Center, a 3,000-member church."
"I would never willingly go into an evangelical church," says Holsapple, a practicing Catholic.
She came after Oak Grove mailed her "tickets" to upcoming "drama presentations." She enjoyed the "mini-concert, the play and the motivational speech they threw in at the end," she says.
"It worked well as performance art," she says. "I was convinced it was a groundbreaking new theater company."
But when neighbors remarked that they had seen her at church, Holsapple called Oak Grove and discovered it was a house of worship.
"The pastor quoted Jesus, but he quoted Socrates, too, and Britney Spears," she says. "How was I to know?"
If you're one of those who's growing more and more alarmed at what we're doing to the name of Christ and to the witness, love, obedience, and life that should exemplify the Church, I recommend that you acquire and read two books: God's The Bible
and Frank Viola's Reimagining Church. The former is absolutely essential; it is the vehicle by which we can know our Creator and honor Him out of love (and much, much more!). The latter addresses some current cultural issues and will give you fresh hope that purity and holiness can be restored to the Church and that it can be free from bondage to cultural fads as well as tradition.
Please place your own submission(s) in the comments and I'll whip up a graphic. Matter of fact, if I have more than a few entries, I may pull a 
