Problems at Mars Hill Church

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Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I know some people here go to this church. I read this and thought it was horrible and they might want to know about it. I'm sure plenty of other people here would like to discuss it.

http://matthewpaulturner.net/jesus-...-at-mars-hill-church-sign-on-the-dotted-line/

My thoughts? This is 100% cult-style soft mind control tactics. Disgusting. I wouldn't be surprised if down the road something like reveal.org is made by/for former Mars Hill members.

1 Peter 5:2-3 NLT said:
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
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So if a sheep goes astray, lock it in the shed, and if it doesn't want to do that, throw rocks at it? That's how shepherding works, right?
 
Dice said:
I know some people here go to this church. I read this and thought it was horrible and they might want to know about it. I'm sure plenty of other people here would like to discuss it.

http://matthewpaulturner.net/jesus-...-at-mars-hill-church-sign-on-the-dotted-line/

My thoughts? This is 100% cult-style soft mind control tactics. Disgusting. I wouldn't be surprised if down the road something like reveal.org is made by/for former Mars Hill members.

So if a sheep goes astray, lock it in the shed, and if it doesn't want to do that, throw rocks at it? That's how shepherding works, right?
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What is reveal.org?

I guess it looks like a ex christian site of sorts?
 
I've never been there, my wife has though. She said it's a cult. There was a story in the Seattle Times a couple weeks ago about the church. The top rated comments all said something similar.

Edit, I've never been to that site before, is it legitimate? I'm just asking because I don't know.
 
entrement said:
Are they related to Campus Crusade for Christ? Sounds similar to groups I seen in college.
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No, that is an interdenominational campus ministry. I am familiar with them and while yes they are rather conservative, they are not a cult. The ICOC broke off from the normal Churches of Christ which is just a standard conservative denomination.
 
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Good grief.

If I was ever handed something like this I would crumple it up and piss on it.
 
As someone who was involved in a church during his teen years I can relate to this particular:

Something in his spirit told him not to trust them. Something caused him to believe that the men sitting in front of him were far less interested in restoring him than they were in having control, feeling powerful, throwing their spiritual weight around. Beating down a sinner like Andrew.

Andrew says that many of Mars Hill’s men feel beaten down. “Because that’s what happens there, especially when you question a pastor. You get beaten down. Until you submit.”
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Reading the 2nd part now.
 
Dice, you asked a question about going against established beliefs/teachings in another thread so I'll respond in here:

I mentioned to a certain person at my church the Bibles lack of specificity regarding masturbation and other sexual issues.

What I got in return was the person using Ephesians 5:3 as it being "a hint" and more or less an attitude of "I'm right, you're wrong".
There was no attempt at exploring the topic more deeply, what have you, no scholarly or introspective or historical look. Just black and white.

Needless to say I'm thoroughly discouraged over all the BS going on there.
 
I personally think it's insane that this kind of conform or be shunned shit still exists in the 21st Century. It's like one of those old Quaker towns from the 1700s.
 
Angry Grimace said:
I personally think it's insane that this kind of conform or be shunned shit still exists in the 21st Century. It's like one of those old Quaker towns from the 1700s.
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Pretty much par for the course for Christians. This may be an extreme example, but not as extreme as you would think.
 
Angry Grimace said:
I personally think it's insane that this kind of conform or be shunned shit still exists in the 21st Century. It's like one of those old Quaker towns from the 1700s.
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The church my parents go to has an accountability system as well but it is no where near as stringent as the one at Mars Hill.
 
Buckethead said:
Needless to say I'm thoroughly discouraged over all the BS going on there.
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When I was a teenager first learning about different schools of theological thought, I was fairly interested in reformed theology because it was far more in-depth and systematic. Naturally, I talked to my friends about it. One of the youth leaders eventually told me not to talk to the other kids about it. I asked why, and they said it was false teaching. I said I wasn't teaching anyone but it was interesting and seemed biblical so I'd like to discuss it and was willing to hear their thoughts and be corrected if it's wrong.

I set up lunch with some leaders and they didn't show. I set up a meeting with the pastor and he wasn't there. I sent an email to the original youth leaders with my concerns and got a phone call. On the phone I got some talking that didn't seem to understand the doctrines I was asking about, so I clarified what they were and their basis in scripture. Then they got all emotional, literally crying, talking about some kid they know who didn't believe and was thus going to hell, and how I should be more worried about saving kids like that than the things I was talking about.

After that, I was soft-excommunicated. They never kicked me out, but nobody would really talk to me beyond what they were forced to from me being present in front of them, and I was no longer able to successfully get anyone to hang out with me. I thought "if this is wrong teaching, you'd think they would want to save me from it" so I got the hint that they were a bunch of irrational loonies with no interest in integrity and bailed out to a reformed church where I could have open discussions with the pastor and associate pastor.
 
I miss the Christians that would lure new members by having beautiful women come to their homes for sex parties and bible study. I wish that wasn't so controversial.
 
I have family that attend there. I've gone a couple times (when visiting Seattle). Didn't seem particularly cultish to me, but that's in comparison to the average evangelical experience in Florida.
 
Atramental said:
Whoa! This really happened?
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yeah, google sucks right now so I can't find it, but it was big in the 70s and 80s, and obviously was suppressed because they didn't want that sort of thing to catch on.

I want to say it was called friendly flirting or something, it had a nick name. But yah, can't link it.
 
akira28 said:
yeah, google sucks right now so I can't find it, but it was big in the 70s and 80s, and obviously was suppressed because they didn't want that sort of thing to catch on.

I want to say it was called friendly flirting or something, it had a nick name. But yah, can't link it.
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Just so no one thinks you're crazy I remember this story, pretty sure I read it on here before.
 
From the arrogance of Mark Driscoll, the misogyny promoted within Mars Hill, and the complete literal reading of Bible, this type of systematic control and influence over members of the congregation isn't that surprising.
 
Juice said:
Not to be confused with equally huge Mars Hill in Grand Rapids
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Which seems to be rapidly heading in the other direction to vague redemptive narrative and possibly (hard to tell due to them being vague) universalism.
 
Dice said:
Which seems to be rapidly heading in the other direction to vague redemptive narrative and possibly (hard to tell due to them being vague) universalism.
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Right. Bizarre whenever one of these is in the news, I always have to do a double take.
 
Atramental said:
Good grief.

If I was ever handed something like this I would crumple it up and piss on it.
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Agreed, this is Catholic church-esque bullshit here.

(Catholics aren't supposed to use birth control, 90% of Catholics tell them to go fuck themselves on that one.)
 
slidewinder said:
These guys. "Flirty fishing".
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Loving Jesus
This is a term that TFI members use to describe their intimate, sexual relationship with Jesus. TFI describes the "Loving Jesus" teachings as a radical form of bridal theology.[22] It is their understanding of the Bible that the followers of Christ are his bride, called to love and serve him with the fervor of a wife. They took bridal theology further than mainstream Christians by encouraging members to imagine that Jesus is having sex with them during sexual intercourse and masturbation. Male members were encouraged to visualize themselves as women, in order to avoid a homosexual relationship with Jesus.
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I thought this was going to be about homosexuality and yoga being wrong.
 
Sye d'Burns said:
Times, they are a-changin'

It's public school teachers you should be worried about. But, hey, where's the sport in that?
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But the major difference is that they don't usually just move the public school teachers to another school and call it a day. They actually get arrested by the regular police and tried like normal people.
 
We have a lot of Charismatics in the south and they seem to love that mind control bullshit. Maybe its just me, but I'm inherently distrustful of any church that holds service in a new auditorium and has a band. I know not all are bad, but I just do not trust them.
 
Hylian7 said:
But the major difference is that they don't usually just move the public school teachers to another school and call it a day. They actually get arrested by the regular police and tried like normal people.
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You're comparison is that the Catholic church of the past (they aren't moving those priests anymore) is worse than the way abusers are handled in public schools today. Well, no argument there. Everyone, not just the church, is more attuned to the fact that changing circumstances isn't curing anything, just shifting problems.

edit:

On topic: It's really rather frightening that they could publicly put out a letter (from the second page) in such detail on the church's social site airing so much dirty laundry. A person with, say, a history of mental instability could really be pushed into uncharted territory by disgracing them in such a public manner.
 
dubc35 said:
I've never been there, my wife has though. She said it's a cult. There was a story in the Seattle Times a couple weeks ago about the church. The top rated comments all said something similar.
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Some of our friends know people who go there and actually got married at the church. very cult-like. They really seem to thrive on misogyny and hatred.

Edit, I've never been to that site before, is it legitimate? I'm just asking because I don't know.
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The Stranger linked to it earlier today, it's legit.
 
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