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I’ve been at a new job for about 10 months. There is a guy I work with there – the resident “church guy” the “Christian” and I’ve been kind of playing games with him. He is new to the area so he doesn’t know the history and I haven’t said a word about my past life – the pastor life, or anything religious. So, being new, he will start to talk about a church or a pastor (I still know many of them by first name) and I will simply respond something simple like “yeah, Greg is a really great guy” and he always looks at me and asks if I go to church. My response is always the same….”no”. Nothing else. I’ve had local pastors come into my work and talk like we were best friends and it confuses the hell out of my co-worker. Or he’ll talk about something biblical something and I always seem to know more than he does even though, according to me, I don’t go to church.
I may have crossed a line though. Recently he was talking about the Vineyard and some of the things that happened during the 90’s with the renewal thing. I simply said that “John Wimber did some pretty crazy things back then”. He got a real dark look on his face – I mean, who the hell knows who John Wimber was if you weren’t in church. He stared at me for awhile and asked again if I went to church. “Nope” was my answer and I walked away. I know I’m driving him nuts but I love it (twisted, right?)
Anyway, it makes me laugh – I know it shouldn’t – but it does
AnonymousHa, awesome.
Nope, nothing wrong there (with you, anyway). Seems like the guy could solve his confusion easily enough if he’d only realize he was asking the wrong question.
I’m just becoming aware that some church people cannot fathom how someone would just stop attending church. Didn’t occur to me for years, either, truth be told. If you were church-hostile, he’d understand. But of course you’re not.
If only he’d ask the right question!
Wade.
AnonymousChris – Might as well enjoy it while you can!
Sounds like something I would have done hahaha
Sounds like you are having fun. I think it is perfectly reasonable behaviour, because he assumes that you must be in church to know this stuff. You are actually doing a really good job of challenging his worldview, and it will take him a while to really get his head around a new perspective – that people can leave church, and still be human.
So keep it up. At some point, he will have to change his perspective. That is always a good thing to do, I think. Changing peoples worldview is fun.
Well, like Wade and Joshua said – he’ll eventually ask the right question “Did I used to go to church” – then I’ll really start challenging his worldview.
Funny…I have a similar situation with my mother. She worries about us, b/c we no longer go to church. But every once in a while I challenge her assumptions by talking about something spiritual, or whatever and then I can see her gears turning. It’s kinda fun…perhaps in a twisted way! Like when we were talking about church-state separation and I suggested that we christians shouldn’t be trying to get creation taught in the science classroom. That Genesis wasn’t written from a scientific, but rather a metaphorical/literary standpoint; that in the creation accounts you can find patterns/rhythms suggesting poetry/musical elements (stanzas). And that a good number of christians do not take it literally. Imagine her “eyebrows furrowing”, like whaaaat?! Probably the same for your co-worker, huh?
Love it.
That is funny Rob. The guy I work with isn’t a committed christian I don’t think, just one of these guys that take pride in going to church and has just enough “religious knowledge” to feel important when discussing church, bible stuff or religion. I think he’s used to knowing more than anybody else in the room so to speak. Not that I’m some kind of scholar or anything. But it is fun
AnonymousOh, good. I was hoping he wasn’t one of those types who would conclude that you must be evil in some way since that’s the only way you could know what you know without being a convinced Christian.
It’s very funny that he has not already asked if you DID go to church…that kind of highlights the very “black and white” view of the world some Christians have. And I think Christians would rather here the story of becoming a Christian instead of the one about leaving the church.
Some Christians simply can’t fathom someone leaving the church. It just doesn’t make sense to them. I know that’s exactly what I’m seeing with people in my church.
Wade
AnonymousI am not sure “wrong” is the right word here but maybe some point soon you can show him some mercy and just clue him in
Kristina
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