Dr.... sorry President Benefiel brought this up in the first class I took at Seminary: Sociology of Religion. He told us that at the begining of the Church of the Nazarene's life the Naz population was considerably poorer than the average American and the political affiliation was somewhere above 90% socialist workers party...
BUT
...the Nazarene's ministry to the poor worked, and most Nazarene's laid off the sauce, quit gambling, were more thrifty with their income and basicaly got their act together. So they started to become more wealthy... now, just over 100 years later Nazarenes are exactly as wealthy as the average American and are above 90% Republian, and we do not for the most part minister to the poor and alcholoic anymore. Just goes to show, that if you're not careful your ministry can backfire on you in some ways.
"The elevator, which had haunted its untidy shaft for a hundred years, came wafting skyward, dragging its ungodly chains and dread intestines after. The door exhaled open. The lift groaned as if we had trod its stomach. In a great protestation of ennui, the ghost sank back toward earth." -Green Shadows, White Whale
2 comments:
oprah must be a really strong christian...
Dr.... sorry President Benefiel brought this up in the first class I took at Seminary: Sociology of Religion. He told us that at the begining of the Church of the Nazarene's life the Naz population was considerably poorer than the average American and the political affiliation was somewhere above 90% socialist workers party...
BUT
...the Nazarene's ministry to the poor worked, and most Nazarene's laid off the sauce, quit gambling, were more thrifty with their income and basicaly got their act together. So they started to become more wealthy... now, just over 100 years later Nazarenes are exactly as wealthy as the average American and are above 90% Republian, and we do not for the most part minister to the poor and alcholoic anymore. Just goes to show, that if you're not careful your ministry can backfire on you in some ways.
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