“People are so much more open to the gospel in East Botswana than they are here in the USA.”

Somehow the willingness of people to take tracts (that they can’t read), listen politely to a Romans Road presentation (that they don’t understand), and allow themselves to be coerced into saying The Prayer(TM) (that they can’t possibly grasp) translates into the idea that the rest of the world is still open to the Gospel while cold-hearted and money-minded Americans just aren’t that interested anymore. This, of course, means that money is much better spent on planting Independent Fundamental Baptist churches in Guinea-Bissau than caring for the homeless people who keep making a mess of the street in front of our church.

If you believe that the most effective evangelism is done in foreign lands by people who have little formal training, don’t understand the culture, and barely speak the language…you might be a fundamentalist.

Hate your job? Peruse through the Independent Baptist Classified Ads and you’ll suddenly realize that no matter what you’re doing it could be much, much worse.

For example you could have a job here using your “bible college” education to cut the grass and be a general flunky:

The church needs a man to come and back up the pastor in both the activities of the church as well as the keeping of the grounds. This is a nonpaying position but housing is available. This assistant should be a King James only, independent Baptist who is the husband of one wife with some Bible college education. A degree in Christian Ministries or Theology is preferred. If you feel that God would have you be the #2 man for our church, please send your resume to…

Peruse through and let me know which position made you thankful not to be working there today.

Why do they stay at these churches and schools? Why don’t they just leave?

Why don’t they just leave their family ties and life-long friendships?

Why don’t they just leave the college degrees that are only valued in one of these “ministries”?

Why don’t they just leave their community?

Why don’t they just leave their livelihood?

Why don’t they just leave the cultural comfort of having the world make sense?

Why don’t they just leave their certainty for doubt?

Why don’t they just leave the time and money they have invested?

Why don’t they just leave their children to fearful futures outside the center of “God’s perfect will.”

Why don’t they just leave to go and live as strangers in a strange land?

I think the real surprise is that so many have managed to leave at all.

If you’re not following SFL on Facebook or Twitter then you’re missing out on all kinds of extra content that I post through the week. Even if I don’t have a new post here there’s almost always something to look at on the social media feeds.

(and if you’re REALLY bored you can also follow my personal Twitter account to hear me chatter on inanely)

Today’s challenge is to tell a story from Sunday School: whether it was a class you attended as a child, a class you taught, or a class your child attended. I could go on and on about the teacher who taught a room full of 11-year-old children about the lustful dangers of skirts with slits in them but I’d rather hear what you all experienced instead.

…but first lets sing an action song!