Thursday, February 09, 2006

Hemant ("eBay atheist") on Willow Creek Community Church

If you haven't heard yet about Hemant Mehta and his eBay auction, check out this link.
Last night Hemant visited Willow. His entire report on the experience can be found at the eBay atheist blog.
I’ll admit that if I were to convert, it would have to be at a place like this. They drew me in, and I’m not even a believer. They discarded the numerous rituals I expect to see at other churches. The sermon was interesting, and the activities that they hold would certainly be entertaining (e.g. A lecture called “Who’s Your Daddy? Adam or Ape?”) However, the whole idea that a church of this size would be promoting Intelligent Design and non-scientific theories about the Earth’s origins scares me. Because if they’re doing it, the other megachurches are doing it. And if they’re all doing it, they’re rallying an army of millions of people who don’t know how science works against the precious minority who do. Frightening.

What is Off the Map up to?
I have been asked numerous times if our “real” (meaning hidden) agenda was to convert Hemant to become a Christian. I said no. That is not why we are employing him. We are employing Hemant to gather information that will help us convert Christians from being disrespectful, unkind, arronagant, and abnormal people and turn them into good listeners who are genuinely interested in hearing another persons point of view.

4 comments:

Friar Tuck said...

I love the off the map quote.

Crystal Starr said...

Yes Kim this is very interesting and I too like the off the map quote.

Joe Kennedy said...

A professor of mine at NOBTS has said two or three times now that when he first moved to New Orleans, he would visit random Baptist churches without a Bible just to see how people would react and what the church would do about it.

I purposely don't shave and don't dress up before I go into a church I've never been to. It's not out of disrespect, but I do it to see how they react to me. (I do shower. I promise.) You should try it sometime.

I also like the idea of bringing in a lost guy to tell the church one night why he's not a Christian. If that doesn't freak out the congregation, not much will.

Kevin Bussey said...

That's a cool story!