In Reply to: a message from Philip Yancey! posted by Freeatlast! on March 07, 2004 at 22:34:10:
Hey, Free, I have read some of his books and they had the same effect on me as well. He did an interview with Stephen Curtis Chapman, one of my favorite CHristian artists, and it was so refreshing to hear their takes on living in this world and still being faithful to the Lord. I appreciate input like this, and have found that it has pretty much liberated me from the negative impulses toward christianity put into me by so many years in TF. I know that the "church" is full of hypocrisy, but then again, so am I. I beleive that we need to take it on a personal level, and grow in our faith with what we have to work with, and surrounding ourselves with positive input like Philip Yancey, Brennan Manning, and other such authors that don't tack so much "religiosity" into their message. I also appreciate ex members and their stories of their struggles, and how they deal with everyday issues and re-entering a society that is pretty much hostile to true faith and basic christianity. I feel so bad for those who have been so hurt and abused by TF that they see no reason to believe in God, or Jesus, and simply want nothing to do with it because of the pain it brings back. I totally understand it, and pray for clarity in the future in all of our lives. It's a battle. I have also been enjoying some novels by another Christian author named Frank Peretti. He has tremendous insight, and a firm grip on the spirit world activities. Anyway, just thought I'd put my 2cents in.