St Matthews-in-the-City is a beautiful, old-style landmark church. I often Patrol that part of town at night.
In part, it caters to an “alternative” sort of parishioner, as well as your “Typical Anglican”. They also hold classical music concerts there because the acoustics are lovely. My wife and I attended “The Marriage of Figaro” there about 10 years ago — unforgettable.
It’s easy to bag this particular church because they *do* push the corner of the envelope quite hard, particularly on issues of social justice. This billboard is in really poor taste. But amongst their catchment are people who *really do* need Christianizing, and St Matthew’s does that, where other churches don’t. So I won’t criticize them for doing that.
The sort of people who would find this billboard Hell-Funny are the sorts of people who would attend service at St Matthew’s — and arguably would be the sort of people who need church the most. Mission accomplished? End-justifies-the-means? Dunno. But there is some logic to it.
Here is a link to their site: http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/index.php
That is not a church, its an anti-Christian faux church if it does stuff like that. Those are definitely not Christians.
Actually, church isn’t for non-believers, it is for believers to worship and hear the Word of God. If non-believers attend and are drawn to God, that’s great. But churches should not “cater” to seekers, especially by diminishing and mocking God’s Word.
“Progressive” = liberal, emerging church, New-Age, unbiblical muckety-muck. Makes me want to puke.
If I'm not mistaken, it also serves as host to the "Auckland Community Church", aka, the home of the Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Community, no? It's a "whatever floats your boat" type church.
I've never been convinced that they're actually "Christianizing" anybody. They definitely bring certain people through the doors who would not otherwise come to Church but so do Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn. I think the bar needs to be raised a little higher than simply putting butts on pews, though.
Years ago ('60s, '70s), St. Matthew-in-the-City was a mainstream Anglican Church. Traditional, sober and unremarkable. Then numbers started to dwindle and attendance fell off. It was at this time that they started to experiment and push the envelope to bring in the punters, so to speak.
They may have succeeded but at what price?
Kid I was brought up in a Christian home in New Zealand...
We attended an Anglican Church...
This blasphemeous gimmick is not Christian...
and its not Anglican...
Try again...
At the time of Christ’s birth it was a Jewish practice for a young pregnant woman to be married to a much older man in order to protect her. It is thought that Joseph was just such a man, possibly even one who had already been married and had children.
No.
Fundamentally (and isn’t it “odd” that we DO have to use that very word?) all “Christians” MUST think exactly alike in matters of “Faith” and “Morals” - Unlike and exactly opposite to what this crude heathen/devil says” his lies claiming that it is “boring” if all Christians thought alike.
YES! We must all think alike. Or (like him) we can join him in Hell with the people/person he really appears to worship.