So, my first off Topic Blog post. Also my second Blog post, hmm I think my Goldfish style attention span may have developed A.D.D., no time for Ritalin though... I have a Blog post to write.
Before I start I want to make it absolutely clear that these are my own views and this is not an official communication from any of the people or bodies I talk about. This is just what my Blog is all about, one of my random thoughts!
Now I know that few people actually buy newspapers these days, and even fewer actually read them rather than just doing the cross word, or in my case look up the cartoons. However whilst I was at Soul Survivor (a massive Christian Youth Festival for those that don't know) there was an article printed in the Guardian (My paper of choice) by Tom Prosser which accused Soul Survivor "Manipulative" and "Damaging to the young people". He suggested that the sermons and the Christian music at these festivals were designed to whip young people up into a state where they would make decisions they would not normally make. He went on to attack prayer for physical healing and teaching on controversial subjects such as the occult. The way he portrayed Soul Survivor was that it was essentially a propaganda agency for a dangerous religious sect, hell bent on corrupting young people.
This is so totally different to the Soul Survivor I know (and I’ve been going to Soul Survivor events on and off since 2001) that it made me really angry to start with. At Soul Survivor it is made explicitly clear that we don't try to whip up the mood or create a spiritual experience but we simply wait on the Holy Spirit and see what he wants to do. Mike P (Sorry mike but I would only misspell your surname if I were to try and I think spell-check might correct it to pilchards or something) who heads up Soul Survivor is at pains to re-assure people that you don't need to scream, shake or fall over for the Spirit to meet with you, it’s just how some people react to his presence (I say his just because that proves the Holy Spirit is a person not a thing, not because I actually think he / she is bound by Gender). Mike will even try to cut the mood after worship sometimes with a joke of some sort if it seems like we are whipping up the mood ourselves. This is a long way off the "manipulative" methods that Tom describes. To be frank I think there is far more Manipulation that goes on a Reading Festival, or any other music festival for that matter, where young people are encouraged to embrace a culture of Drinking well beyond any safe (or even sane) limits, take drugs and sleep with anyone around. That is perhaps a tad unfair, having met some really lovely people whilst Street Pastoring at Reading Festival, such as the head of welfare who clearly cares deeply that everyone there has a good time and remains unharmed. But the over-riding theme is drink, drugs and over sexualisation. Yet this is accepted as harmless fun?
So what of his other accusation, Soul Survivor is damaging the young people by the content of the teaching or by praying for physical healing. Well in the modern world where everyone has a right to believe what they want, it seems if you teach anything that it could be taken to be controversial, but let’s take the more obviously controversial teachings such as that practicing the occult has spiritual consequences (Even physical in some cases) that we are not necessarily aware of, or that Homosexual practice is a sin. For a start I’ve not heard either of these subjects spoken about at the main meetings but only in some seminars which are optional, as in not everybody goes to them. It’s also worth noting that everything spoken on has a biblical basis to it, so it’s not the leaders coming up with this stuff but a 2000 year old book (Ok I know it was first written down in its current form about 100 years or so later but you get my meaning) and that same book is at pains to point out that we should treat everybody with love and respect just as Jesus did. No-one is condemned, though Soul Survivor won't necessarily approve of everything a person does, that person will still be loved and accepted regardless. And Soul Survivor doesn’t force anyone to agree with anything said at the festival, everyone is free to make up their own mind.
So what about Prayer for Physical healing? Well again it is Biblical, and I’ve been privileged to personally seen it happen once or twice. So people offer to pray for people, the worst that could happen is nothing, in which case that person hasn't lost anything. Soul Survivor encourages people if they think they have been healed to go and get it checked out by their doctor and to definitely NOT stop taking prescribed medication for it until a medical practicioner tells them to. So how is this damaging our young people?
However, having had a while to calm down and think about this, as well as talk about it with a few people, I’ve started to realise Tom actually does have a point. Not about Soul Survivor but I have been to other Christian festivals (Some of them as big if not bigger than Soul Survivor) where in the heat of the moment, and for well intentioned reasons, we as a group of people (Because that’s the way people on the outside will see it, not as individuals but as “Christians”) have been guilty of some of the things Tom accuses us of. I vividly remember being in a church in the past where I was pretty much pushed over by someone who vemently wanted to see a reaction in me after they had been praying for me so long. I've even heard people suggest that someone lacked faith because they were going to keep taking their medication after being prayed for! Whilst this was all well meant it really does a lot of damage to the Church as a whole, so I think the occasional article like Tom's is very much needed so that we are constantly challenged and vigilant, less we Bring the name of Jesus into disrepute.
For those of you that are interested Tom's article can be found Here and a far better and wiser rebuttal by Steve Clifford can be found Here
I think that’s enough of that for now, but I hope it gets you thinking, or at least makes some vague sense.
And yes I will eventually get round to telling you all what a Random Shackle is!
For now, I need sleep! I have to finish moving tomorrow.
Night...
