In the last year or so, it's not unusual to get emails from people asking questions about the church or just dropping a line to say something kind. I thought I would share one I got last night from a lady that was intrigued by the name of our church. While our church name, The Journey Church, is becoming more and more common it still brings in responses from seekers...which is exactly why we used the name in the first place. The following email is why I do ministry:
Thank you in advance for your time in accepting this email.
I am seeking a church close to my home (name of town) that would be accepting of 'New Thought' philosophy. I believe in reincarnation, and that we create our own reality by our thinking and our perceptions of a situation. (In other words, I can CHOOSE to have a good day or bad day, by my own beliefs and thinking.) I believe in one God, the power of prayer, and the peace in meditations and positive affirmations. I believe in Jesus Christ, yet I believe there are many pathways to God, and that all should be honored & respected. I do not believe that if a person does not believe in Christ the way I believe in Christ that they are going to a place called Hell or that God has no place for them. I believe God is pure love, not of judgments and condemnations. I believe once we've made our transition from this life, we find ourselves in the kingdom of God, Love, and the Light of knowledge; & we are all knowing & can see the errors, the places we got off track and "filled with this knowledge" we judge ourselves, (i.e. Karma, our next life (if we so choose, etc)
I believe a person should believe in whatever serves them well & fills them with "peace". Because it is only through our own internal peace that the world can be changed, not by trying to change others or judge their faith and belief in God. I believe the Bible is symbolic and not necessarily to be taken literally in every sense. I believe the Bible has been translated from different languages, was written thousands of years ago, and can be a very confusing piece of history and religious literature, and has caused many conflicts and wars. I also feel that for many years the clergy have tried to control the thoughts of man/woman by interpreting the bible "for people" and then telling them they must believe in a certain way and will say, "But the Bible says..........." thereby trying to make the person feel they should not be using their own inner voice & their own mind to decide for themselves. By giving a voice to "Hell" "evil" & other negatives, they only become more real. And the only thing real (I believe) is God's love, our love for God & for each other, love for the planet, love for the universe. Everything else is just an illusion we create in not believing in the power of God, the power of good (non-judgmental). Jesus was not afraid, Jesus did not judge, Jesus lead by example & let the rest go. God created us all, we are all his children and we will all go home one day. I would like to find a church that has a good mix of new thinking & openness, with (some) "traditional", and of course music. Yes! spirit is about music and God does love a joyful noise.
MY QUESTION: I don't want to be condemned, judged or put down for believing in the teachings of spiritual leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gary Zukav, etc., or saying I don't accept that people go to Hell if they don't believe in Christ the way I do, or for believing in reincarnation.....IS THERE A PLACE FOR MY BELIEFS AT YOUR CHURCH KEN? I have a seven year old son, who is a very spiritual loving child & I'd love to find a "loving" place to worship, and make friends; however, I am passionate about what I believe. Is there room for all thoughts at your place? (I have inquired because your web site intrigued me and your church sounds like fun for all & perhaps especially the children, which is most important to me.)
Once again, a very grateful thank you in advance for listening (and responding :) (I will understand completely, if your response back has to be, a simple "no", most Biblically driven churches are still pretty traditional about what members should believe. But yours sounded like a possibility.) (And by the way, even if you say no & I should keep church shopping, I must tell you, I think your church name is great, life is truly a journey & how fitting for a church name :)
Sincerely,
with peace & light,Name withheld
My response tomorrow....
