On Josh Harris

[Apologiaphoenix]

What all has been kissed good-bye?

Link

[jpholding]

He's having, "Buy my book!" tattooed on his buttocks tomorrow morning.

[Cow Poke]

Second, Harris has talked about growing up in a fundamentalist background. This often does lead to a kind of apostasy.

Part of my recovery from having grown up in fundamentalism was a friend saying, rather matter of factly, "rules without reason lead to rebellion".

For some reason, that really stuck with me, and I often thought about that when raising my own kids. I had grown up with "Because I said so, that's why!" and, sure enough, I rebelled, however briefly.

With my kids, I always tried to give the reason or rationale why a rule existed. And, sometimes, I really couldn't think of a good one.

[Christianbookworm]

I like having a reason behind a rule. A good rule has a good reason to follow it.

[psstein]

Alongside Nick's good piece, I'd encourage everyone to read David French's thoughts at National Review.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/...a-lost-pastor/

He alludes to Harris' position representing a sort of transactional theological position: "If I don't date and only do xyz, then God will be happy with me and reward me."

[jpholding]

Alongside Nick's good piece, I'd encourage everyone to read David French's thoughts at National Review.

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/...a-lost-pastor/

He alludes to Harris' position representing a sort of transactional theological position: "If I don't date and only do xyz, then God will be happy with me and reward me."

Great quote from that:

[Christianbookworm]

Maybe off topic, but my church's youth pastor preached the sermon one week on the Samaritan woman at the well and mentioned a church where the preacher sent a rose into the audience where all the petals got picked off and said no one would want it now. The rose symbolized puirity or something and my church's youth paster pointed out to us that Jesus still wants that rose. It's sick that there are legalists who would treat women like damaged goods.

[KingsGambit]

Maybe off topic, but my church's youth pastor preached the sermon one week on the Samaritan woman at the well and mentioned a church where the preacher sent a rose into the audience where all the petals got picked off and said no one would want it now. The rose symbolized puirity or something and my church's youth paster pointed out to us that Jesus still wants that rose. It's sick that there are legalists who would treat women like damaged goods.

I heard something similar in youth group 17 years ago, but with a rotten apple rather than a flower.

[Christianbookworm]

The youth pastor heard it second hand and was upset at the sheer unChristlikeness of it. He was using the guy as a negative example. I have heard the tape analogy. Purity became almost an idol to some Christians. Or was it an actual idol?

[psstein]

It's sick that there are legalists who would treat women like damaged goods.

A lot of legalists of this stripe are really just thinly veiled narcissistic misogynists. Essentially, they argue that if a woman isn't interested in their "specialness" and "devotion to Christ," then they must be adulterous whores who have rejected Jesus.

As you can no doubt tell, that line of thought disgusts me. (Note: I used quotes around "devotion to Christ" because I do not believe that these men are devoted Christians so much as they use Christianity to further their own aims)