Comments on: Church In A Hat, by Mick Shaffer

By: M Shaffer

M Shaffer — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:23:14 +0000

Sally, the “grocery shopping list during the sermon” line is what’s priceless here. It’s good to know there are others out there that willingly choose “boring.”

Geoff, they don’t even put lower-case “t’s” in the church bulletins. Rim-shot!

By: GEOFF

GEOFF — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:17:51 +0000

Ha…you forgot about how “new church” doesn’t have one single cross anywhere to be found. Not on the walls, podium or scorers table.

By: hometowngalsal

hometowngalsal — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:24:17 +0000

Oh Mick,
This is just priceless. I still attend that wonderful church (Disciples of Christ is an actual religion) in your hometown and let me tell you that if bringing in donuts every week would bring the people in I would run to Krispy Kreme early to get them there. Younger people today want the kind of church you go to now. They want to have FUN, rock out, and always feel good after they leave. The churches of ‘How Great Thou Art’ are less and less attended because they tend to be “boring”. I, for one, like the sanctity and tradition of our hometown church though I do tend to make my grocery shopping list during the sermon. When you go to church in a small town the majority of the service is taken up, it seems, by joys and concerns, though mostly are concerns since the majority of the members are old and everyone around them is dying. And by the way, your mom is a WONDERFUL choir director and does a terrific job incorporating praise music into our traditional service. Hope to see you and your family again there sometime.

By: M Shaffer

M Shaffer — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:08:50 +0000

Matt, except that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and it’s name have been around for a couple hundred years. It’s just a name. Let it go. I can tell you’re probably not a Washington Nationals fan, either.

Fight, thanks for reading, plus you’re right on. Our church–and most denominations of Christian”ity” (gotta put the last three letters on for Matt)–emphasize that no one building or one way of doing things holds the key to salvation. This was more of a comment on the style, if not a “return me to the good ole days” rant.

By: Middle Aged Man

Middle Aged Man — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:52:15 +0000

Matt – Christian is the world view. It’s no different than if someone replied with Muslim, Hindu, or Zoroastrianism. The particular flavor of Christianity might be different, but all Christian denominations believe the same essential things. The differences between the denominations are in the non-essentials.

Mick – Methodists fraternal twin. That’s funny. Methodists don’t have communion every week. I think the rest is pretty much the same.

By: M Shirley

M Shirley — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:58:30 +0000

Mickelson – It sounds like your Christian Church is trying to be as vague as possible in order to get as many people to go there as possible. And from reading this article, the watering down would make sense.

On the annoying front – I liken it to if you were to ask me my ethnic background and I would say ‘European.’

By: M Shaffer

M Shaffer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:59:19 +0000

Matt Shirley, your brother asked me the exact same thing. How in the world have you never heard of the Christian Church? It’s a common denomination. Think: Methodist’s fraternal twin.

By: FightingPipers

FightingPipers — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:57:30 +0000

Enjoyed the article. Thanks for sharing a bit of your faith story on this site. I enjoy several writers work here, but don’t always care for the occasional jabs aimed at all things faith related. Granted there are many loud idiots out there who are deserving of being blasted(far religious right often times for example), but they don’t represent the majority of good Christian people around the world. Matt Shirley is correct in that “Christian” is not a religion (probably not the only reason he is annoyed though). Christ did not come to start a new religion, but rather to show a new way to live, He came that we may have life and have it eternally. People waste too much time arguing about “the right way” to lead a worship service. The message of Christ can be presented in different ways as to be most effective to reaching different groups. Arguing about worship style is just another petty problem that drives people from the church.

By: M Shaffer

M Shaffer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:48:43 +0000

All, I’m a failure at HTMLing.

China, you can choose to worship as many gods as you want. You can choose to worship Barry Manilow for all I care, but please do it in a collared shirt. :)

Matt, well said. What I was trying to say, minus the mindless pop-offs and plus some descriptive verse.

By: M Shaffer

M Shaffer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:44:10 +0000

Paul, I would’ve loved your mother.

Katie, it’s funny how we get nostalgic even with the parts of our past we despised.

MAM, a lot of it was tongue in cheek. I get how church is much more of a business in the city as opposed to small towns that don’t know how to market nor really have the need to. Our pastor is a great story-teller, very personable, and holds your attention. He’s why we go. But I can guarantee you he’s not why most of the people go. Donuts and short sleeves, my friend. And that does bug me a bit. So does the basketball court/sanctuary thing. Multi-purpose the nursey if you want but some areas should remain sacred.

Weird little church on north Market…prolly not even a church anymore

Yes, Willie Aames is a proud Kansas Citian.