Free stuff that kills trees...
As a pastor, I occasionally get a complimentary copy of some magazine or another. Some I enjoy reading, others I wonder how I ever got on the mailing list (I would love to see who sold my name), and others...well....others I repent before God on behalf of Christians who have done nothing better than to kill many trees to spread their message.
Such is the case with a magazine that came in the mail yesterday. It's title made me think that it might be a compendium of sermon illustrations - not my cup of tea but maybe semi-interesting - the reality was far worse. The magazine was actually a compendium of much of the worst of baptist thought. It made me sad. One article in the back was a decent critique of the "bait and switch" tactics many churches use to grow their membership. It didn't redeem the time it took me to page though the rag I had received for free. Here's a sample of some of the things in it:
Such is the case with a magazine that came in the mail yesterday. It's title made me think that it might be a compendium of sermon illustrations - not my cup of tea but maybe semi-interesting - the reality was far worse. The magazine was actually a compendium of much of the worst of baptist thought. It made me sad. One article in the back was a decent critique of the "bait and switch" tactics many churches use to grow their membership. It didn't redeem the time it took me to page though the rag I had received for free. Here's a sample of some of the things in it:
- Letters to the editor complaining about the new layout (I have no idea what the old layout was like so I can't say if it was an improvement). One comment was that the magazine was going "contemporary" because the cover had a barefoot girl wearing pants on it, which was inappropriate for a pastor's magazine.
- A sermon illustration remarking on how the complexity of the leave proves evolution couldn't have happened (I read this and winced).
- A sample sermon outline (why do people use sample sermon outlines? I mean, really) explaining how the moral depravity of unbelieving Jews meant that Jesus couldn't do any miracles for them, as opposed to believing Gentiles (look ma, bad science and antisemitism in one convenient package).
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