I sent the pastors the following email with a request for a reply:
| Hi! It's Brenda, your former financial secretary. Just wanted to let you know the website looks great, but you may want to take a closer look at the "Can I Know" link on the home page. http://www.caniknow.com/ Look at the bulleted section right below the big "IF!" See it? Here's what it says: *If Heaven is real and hell is real, (maybe they're not) but IF they are real, is it worth the chance that you might spend an Eternity in hell? *If you could KNOW that you were going to Heaven would you want to? *Is there someone you know or care about that you would not want to go to hell, IF hell IS real? Now scroll down to the bottom of the page. See that? Written in red: Hell may not be real....BUT IF IT IS!!!!!!!!! This link is right on the FBC Hooterville home page, and it's the very first one! Who is this Don fellow? Do you know? Now I know that there's a disclaimer on his site near the top, but I don't see a disclaimer on your site anywhere, which makes it appear that pretty much you endorse his statements. I believe this man misses the mark. He's got some of it right, except the fact of Hell. Minor detail? Heavens no! Please remedy this as soon as possible. Love in Christ, Me |
Southern Baptists do believe Hell is real, don't they? (Well, I always did, cause when my daddy told my mama to go there, she always said "I'm in hell with YOU." But I digress.) I'm thinking maybe they just didn't read it thoroughly before linking to it. I noticed a lot of typos on the music minister's page, so it's likely (obvious) they didn't proof-read.
I wonder what would be the best way to encourage them to use spell-check. I wonder how many others notice things like that. Would you contact the webmaster? The secretary? Why do I care? Because there are a lot of people who would chalk it up to ignorance, and that would give them one more reason to reject the message.
To a lot of people Christian = Doofus. They think we have to turn off our brains to believe. I think we don't have to prove them right.
What say you?
8 comments:
OK, can I be honest here? That website would disturb me a little and I would wonder why it was ever created! I couldn't tell if he was angry or if he was trying to prove a point? Am I right, here? I am sorry if I offend but it was a little weird to me. :(
That's why it bugged me that my home church has a link to it on their website. Surely they didn't read it first, which is also disturbing.
I would have to say I agree with my sis, here - this was weird. I also agree with your letter, Brenda, when you said that he got some of it right. Jesus did die for our sins, to save us. But there is more to it than that. As I read this, the message I received was "Jesus died for our sins anyway, so we can pretty much do whatever we want and get in to Heaven." Am I totally off the mark here? I don't exactly think that this attitude is the best way to repay Christ for the sacrafice he made for us.
Good for you Brenda, for bringing your church's attention to this!
I think I'd find out who in your church actually put this link in the church's web site and I'd ask them why. This Don guy sounds like a wacko to me.
I would have done just what you did. And yes, typos in the bulletin drive me crazy! I dam a natural-born editor.
I cannot imagine a church linking to that site. wow that dude is in trouble. It gave me the willy's, but thankyou for pointing it out, and maybe more people will be aware. Sounded to me like he was offended with Christians, oh well his loss.
Be Blessed
There are so many really beautifully done, accurate websites that lay out the truth of God's good news. Why would a church pick that one to link to anyway? I agree with what you did by writing to them though.
When I set up our church's website a few years back, I had free reign to put up what I wanted and link to what I liked. They saw me as the professional and that might be what happened here. And maybe your webmaster isn't quite sure they believe all of God's word - just the good stuff or the stuff that they can wrap their head around. Essay over.
Wow, Lauren, thanks! I figured maybe our webmaster put the link there, but I've had no response from either of the pastors nor the secretary. The webmaster is a member of the church, and a former youth Sunday school teacher, so maybe they did give him free reign. Even so, it looks like they'd want to look it over first.
Post a Comment