Friday, December 01, 2006

Fleeing Fundamentalism


Fleeing Fundamentalism
Originally uploaded by Southworth Sailor.
A couple of weeks ago I came across this title in a bookstore. After browsing through the contents, I discovered that it was a story of a minister's wife of an evangelical church in the northwest, whose husband’s hypocritical lifestyle of control, pornography and strip clubs pushed her to a divorce and a rejection of the Christian faith. I was curious enough to order the book later and begin reading. The more I read, the more identification I made with people and places. Imagine my surprise as I slowly realized that the church which provided the setting for this tragic narrative was the very church that I pastored in Everett in the early 90’s! A preceding pastor and his wife were the characters of this sad chronicle. The parsonage that we lived in was the backdrop of the deceit and heartbreak. The parishioners who we served were the characters in the sordid plot. Of course, the names of everyone were changed, but their identity is undeniable. I recalled stories of this very strong pulpiteer that preceded me. His preaching was well respected by everyone. There were allusions to their troubled marriage, and there were a couple of bizarre incidences; but I never suspected what had happened. The sad thing is that the author has ‘thrown the baby out with the bathwater,’ and rejected the Bible completely. She is currently a producer for KCTS and her ex is a popular speaker in Unity churches. I am still processing the implications of this shocking story.

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