At least they're coming to church - sort of

Strippers protest church

Strippers wearing bikinis have been showing up outside of New Beginnings Church in Warsaw Ohio holding up signs that read "do unto others as you would have done to you". Not a verbatim quotation of scripture, but close enough and the concept is still the same.

And, the ladies do have a point. Apparently members of the church have been driving by the establishment where these ladies work and have been taking pictures of cars' license plates and asking the owners of the cars if their mothers and wives know where they are at. I guess these church members somehow overlooked the verse on the signs carried by the protesters and and also overlooked the passage that says "judge not....".

In this case, to a large extent, I actually support the protesters. Not for the lifestyles they have chosen for themselves, but in their protest against the misbehaving church members. As a Christian and a licensed minister I can tell you that if what they say these church members are doing is true, then they are doing wrong. The Bible calls us to witness, to share the gospel, and to be living examples of Christ's love and mercy, not judge and jury. When we start to act as judge and jury, then we are usurping God's authority and in effect telling Him that we know better than He does how these individuals should be dealt with. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict of sin, not yours, not mine, and not the members of this church.

I would just like to say one thing to the ladies protesting the church. Find another church nearby, not to protest, but to attend. Find one that preaches and whose members live the TRUE gospel not the twisted version that these members appear to be living out. In God's eyes, the members of this church who are doing these things are just wrong as the strippers. Wake up people!

Jim Chitty
Writer/Columnist/Blogger