My kind of guy

I’ve opened up comments on one of the posts below. Feel free to post, but please be respectful of others. Last night, I realized I went a bit hard at the people who left negative comments. While I disagree with them, I understand where they’re coming from. Scott said something in the interview that is worth repeating:

New Heights strives to be brutally honest and you cannot really be that within the mainstream evangelical church movement.

There are exceptions, but generally, I think Scott is right. This really sank home when my brother snuck a comment on to a different post:

Darryl, my Brother: Thank you so much for pointing me in the direction of Scott Williams! I have never met the guy, but I love him like a brother already! I could REALLY get into a church like the one he pastors! Reality Rocks, big time! If the Truth be told, one of the reasons … probably the main reason… I do not see eye to eye with most institutional churches, is that I come from a background of drinking and drugging and sleeping around. At almost all of the churches at which I attempted to become involved, I was censured because they thought I would be a bad influence on the new members, and I was forbidden to teach a class or lead a home group. I am not in any way proud of my past behaviour, but I am who I am BECAUSE of the influences in my past. I AM proud to be accepted into the Family of God; to be thought worthy of Salvation, not because I deserve it, but because God loved me enough to send His Son to die for the propitiation of my sins. I am not worthy in and of myself. Jesus considered me worthy anyway! Oh, how I love Him for that! It has been said that the church needs people like me. Well, how about me now, People? Once upon a time I drank two two-fours a day! Once upon a time I smoked Marijuana, took Acid and Mescalline and Magic Mushrooms. Once upon a time I lived in Sin with the Skirt of the moment. Once upon a time…. well, we won’t go into any more of that! Thank God that He still loved me enough to die for me! So what now? Am I still somebody God can use to reach the Lost? Am I still somebody capable of one-on-one encouragement of other people? Can I understand where people are coming from and thus help lead them in The Way? Or have I just eliminated myself from the pious, holier-than-thou, there-but-for-the Grace-of-God, religiosity that poses as Christianity? (Please, Oh, PLEEEEZE let the answer be “YES!”) Scott Williams is my kind of guy. Honest. Open. Radical. Unconventional. Raw. Humerous. Fun. And REAL! Scott can reach other people who would not be caught DEAD in any “conventional” church. He makes no apologies for what God brought him out of, (although, like me, I am sure he sometimes hangs his head in shame and says: “OH GOD! Did I do THAT? Oh, Lord, have Mercy!”) but instead casts his gaze on the Prize ahead, and helps others, who are just like he was, desire it, too.

Well, enough said. Probably a lot more to unravel here in a lot of areas, but that’s enough for now. I’m not intending to bash the established church (don’t forget I’m neck deep in one, and I love it), but I’m glad there are churches and guys like Scott around.