Folly Close to Home

            Usually when I am writing about the decline or challenges to Christianity, I speak of events going on at some great distance. I think because of that many people who read what I write think the things I am talking about does not really concern them. That could not be farther from the truth. To illustrate this let me tell you what is going on just up the road in Rome, Georgia. It was reported in the Rome News Tribune, 30 July 2004, and I have no doubt of the accuracy of the article though it seems so unbelievable.

            The Episcopal Church in Rome Georgia, known as St. Peter’s, had a Vacation Bible School. Now you might think that is a good thing, but I believe it would have been better had they called the whole thing off. You see they spent their week of VBS teaching children about other religions: They taught Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and even Native American beliefs, but they barely mentioned Christianity! So much for VBS being s soul winning tool!

            As one person commented, “What an absolutely silly, worthless, vacuous, superficial experience for the children.” To that I would add what a traitorous act to the Lord Jesus Christ that people who are supposed to be partakers of the Gospel would do such an act. What they have in effect done is seat in impressionable children’s minds that these religions are on an equal standing with Christianity, that they should receive this attention within the church. One of the speakers during the event was a Kurdish woman who said “We are all created by one god, and only one belief.” Nobody asked her as far as I know why it was then that she had to flee Northern Iraq in 1996 to escape dying at the hands of other Moslems who do not hold to the same beliefs she does? Let me guess how many Arab kids are studying Christianity? The answer is …none.

            Rob Nash, Dean of the school of religion at Shorter College, which was formerly supported by the Georgia Baptist Convention was there. He said “It’s been a meaningful experience for a congregation to be open to other religions.” Fooey.