I belong to the Plymouth brethren by birth and I hate the services, here’s why.
Music: Too slow/dragging and too little.
Exhortation for praising comes after the time for praise
The exhortations are mini sermons.
Messages are too long like in an hour and a quarter or too short like in 20 minutes
Testimony: The word is used interchangeably with “my life story”
Typology is considered synonymous to great biblical meaning.
In short, they are impractical, partial to those who have already been through the mill of “brethernism”, for all practical purposes they are exclusive as any outsider will feel so uncomfortable and out of place in the drab and gloomy services.
17 responses so far ↓
1 bobcee // Oct 8, 2006 at 12:47 am
I don’t know about the Plymouth Brethren but as a plain vanilla C of E, I find Sunday sermons great for insomnia.
I wouldn’t go as far as Evangelical but a little liveliness would be good.
On the odd occasion they frog march me into church I find the organist and vicar either want to impress me or bore me.
When it comes to religeon I’d rather sit in the garden and enjoy what’s provided or walk round a country churchyard, looking at the headstones and contemplating the lives of those who went before.
This latter is what I think all religeon is about; Something reliable and unchanging that acts as an anchor. Rather like having a crowned head of state.
The other advantage of a crowned head of state is that unlike an elected one they can’t create a shambles and leave someone else to clear it up and we don’t have half a dozen retired ones hanging around on fat pensions and expensive security, cos a crowned head works until he or she drops :-))
2 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 9, 2006 at 7:29 am
Hey Bobcee,
Thanks for the comment. I stuck to the service cos if I started on what I hate about the way the administration works I would find it difficult to stop.
New to blogging right?, happy blogging.
ciao
Schizo
3 benomathew // Oct 11, 2006 at 1:11 am
dude,
me a kerala brethren too… now in the US.. ive found my church back in kerala similar to ur description.. but i’ve seen days when i’ve earnestly sat there, i was somehow noursished.. hope ur just not sitting back and not doing anything about the situation.. God bless
4 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 11, 2006 at 8:42 am
Hello beno,
Thanks for the comment, i had a guy named beno amtthew back home in my church too : -)
Some weeks sitting earnestly works, actully rarely. some weeks you go to church tired, taking your sorrows, and worries, bec the bible does not teach you to leave all your trouble behind, and its then that it stares at my face.
as of now, i am retired hurt after trying hard, maybe i will get a second wind.
ciao
schizo
5 benomathew // Oct 13, 2006 at 5:00 am
yo! which church do u go to in kerala?? prolly ive met u somehere.. some camp??
i thot u were unhappy with the church mostly becoz of the way it conducted itself … but i guess the matter here is the thirsty not being satisfied.. church is not a place where u go to see the show.. its where God comes to see the show. if u retire hurt, “someones” gonna be unhappy..
6 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 13, 2006 at 6:36 am
Hi Beno
Thanks for stopping by again, does the name Johnson Philip ring any bells? clearly I am not him, but close.
I am unhappy with the church because of many reasons, including the way it conducts itself, which is, deviating from the model we see in the book of acts and in the epistles and holding tradition and precedence over the scripture.
Another reasn is, as you deduced, my thirst not being satisfied, and honestly I don’t understand the rest of your comment, could ya clarify?.
Thanks
Ciao
Schizo
would tell you my name, but have a policy against it:-)
7 benomathew // Oct 14, 2006 at 12:22 am
its ok if u didnt understand what i meant.. nothing great.. too trivial even to explain.. so lets leave it at that..
the point is that i havent been able to make a point (pun intended).. so lets leave that at that too..
finally, FYI, i think i know u… yes, johnson philip does ring a bell… if ur house place starts with a K and ur college place starts with a V and ur around 5′5″ and born somewhere around 1983, I KNOW U!! and the beno mathew u mentioned is me incarnate!! i am a respector of policies, so im not asking ur name.. have a good day… and to conclude, lets leave that at that!!
b e n o ma t he w [[At] g (ee) mail [dOt]] c om
8 Traveller in Space and Time // Oct 14, 2006 at 3:39 am
While i share the feelings you have about the services and all, i often find that publicly airing them, without also pointing out the good sides of it does more harm than good. Especially, with all the ‘new age’ churches around, who focus on the things you have noted here, such as a good service, music et al, at the cost of serious doctrinal teaching and things like baptism. This is the sort of fodder they thrive on. We really should not be shooting ourselves in the foot.
9 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 14, 2006 at 5:45 am
hey beno
bulls eye
hows the life trating ya
will mail ya sometime
dear traveller , thanks will be posting about what i like about my church
ciao
schizo
10 Traveller in Space and Time // Oct 16, 2006 at 2:59 am
I know Beno too…hi beno
11 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 16, 2006 at 4:44 am
Hi traveller
If your Email id is to be trusted, you know me too.
Life treats you well i hope, where in space are you nowadays
ciao
schizo
12 Traveller in Space and Time // Oct 17, 2006 at 3:52 am
yes boss… we very definitely know each other…strange to be reunited in the vast ether of cyberspace…i am now a worthless cubicle prisoner in Bangalore….
13 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 17, 2006 at 7:33 am
Its a small world out there. Seems bigger than it is eh?
14 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 17, 2006 at 7:35 am
Soon i will be joing the underdogs of the medical world, also called house suegeon. if i pass..
15 Schizo Phrenic // Oct 17, 2006 at 9:06 am
Hey traveller and beno, how about a favour by two of you, write a guest post for me, about what you like about the church, that way my biased views are counterbalanced.
ciao
schzio
16 Kathy // Feb 22, 2007 at 1:12 pm
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