Found a Funny One

Hey all,

Found a funny one last week. I've been preaching on the Seven Deadly Sins and so I googled "venial sins, examples," and found myself on a Catholic website. Yeah, yeah, you guessed it-- I'm going to crack on the Catholics (the hierarchy anyway...). But- before I do, two things you need to know: 1- I'm married to a self-declared "cultural Catholic" so with that and for other reasons, I do appreciate the many contributions of the Catholic Church; 2- To be ecumenically fair, I'm going to crack on the UM Church too.

So the funny thing? On this site, you can "ask an apologist"- a theologian who speaks on behalf of the church- a question about polity or doctrine (Catholic Answers). HOWEVER, see the posting rules noted below:

-----------------------

Posting Rules

You may not post new threads

You may not post replies

You may not post attachments

You may not edit your posts

-----------------------

Is that funny or what?! Isn't that telling of the life of the Catholic Church- articulated so clearly, so boldly, at the bottom of some random Church homepage? Basically, you can ask a question-- any question, and yes, you'll get an answer. But that's where your input stops! NO responding, no feedback, no new contribution- thank you very much! "No" is the response to any outside commentary-- even online. Now that's funny stuff.

So on to the Methodists: In reading the Circuit Rider, our UM clergy magazine, a page was dedicated to "Sermon Starters- from Rethink Church," our denomination's latest effort to revive the Church. One of the suggestions was a 'video idea' that came from UMTV where they thought we should watch the series "Church in a Box." As it states so innocently, "a church solves space issue by expanding to a second site, with a worship center in a box..."

Hello?! Bad branding!! Doesn't anyone at the top watch late-night TV? Can I just say "Church in a Box" is even worse than Apple's new "iPad" in relation to women's monthly hygiene! Is anyone getting me here? Because of its off-color nature, all I'm going to say is THREE things: SNL, 2006, & Justin Timberlake. That's all I'm saying...that's ALL I'm saying...