holy foolishness

with that said, i think the kneejerk reaction against outreach in any form that i sometimes see can seem extremely naive and impractical. like. every organisation does some kind of outreach. even within judaism, a famously non-proselytising religion, there are still groups that try to reach out to non-practising Jews and reconnect them with their faith. the local board games club advertises itself. sports teams need members to thrive.

that does not need to be some sinister ulterior motive. yes, religion does carry more weight than just sports teams and is intwined with culture, issues of autonomy etc - your church doing outreach is not just the same as trying to get people to join your sewing club. but i think sometimes people overreact against evangelicalism and promote a 'let them just find us' approach that i think is just frankly unrealistic for any organisation.

of course, i dont then mean churches (or other religions for that matter) should be out street preaching and doorknocking. but i think finding ways to invite in is important and worthwhile - rather than either 'let's sit here and people will come to us because we're so cool and epic' or trying to seduce/coerce/lure people in.

even with just normal social events, i find it often feels more welcoming and enticing to be explicitly invited than just invited to a nebulous FB event or get @ ed in a group chat. that's not true for everyone, nor is it true in every circumstance, and it is definitely not without its baggage in religious circles. it is something to think carefully about.

i just think when people propose that places of worship just sit around and decline because if theyre truly worthy people will just show up - which is not true of any initiative of any kind - it seems very naive. it would be more honest to say 'i think outreach is too fraught and too morally risky to even try' than to suggest that actually, it's being pragmatic to do nothing.

who, like fowlers, set traps, but with men as their quarry.

Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of treachery.

As a result, they have grown rich and powerful, well fed and well groomed.

Their wickedness knows no bounds, and they do not practice justice in their dealings.

They do not uphold the rights of the orphan or defend the cause of the needy.

How can I fail to punish such things? says the Lord.

How can I refuse to exact vengeance on a nation such as this?

An appalling and outrageous situation has occurred in the land.

The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests are in league with them, and the people are delighted with this situation.

But when the end comes, what will you do?”

okay okay one more quiz, this is your American Christian denomination based on your taste in secular things and get ready because I got dead on bullseye Episcopalian LMAO

And then I got MY BABYGIRLS

Great news there's a Reformation quiz too