Wednesday, 27 August 2008

ChurchSearch Week 10: Grace considers Patricia King's Extreme Prophetic XPWebChurch, but is put off by the $50 demanded at the door

Extreme Prophetic with Patricia King. A brief glance at their website suggests that they're likely to be what most Christians would consider somewhat heterodox or a bit dodgy. Their Doctrinal Statement which concludes
We believe God loves us with an everlasting love and has come to give us a future and a hope! Yippy! Yeah God!
does little to dispel this impression. However, I'm intrigued by the shamanic, gnostic, generally New Agey and mystical tone to it all. It seems very unusual, and I'd wanted to learn more. I'd wanted to try out their XPWebchurch both because of this and because, as an online community, it seems very well thought out and structured and generally very interesting.

And then they asked me for $50. In fact, if you read the introductory page, the link to the Tithes and Offerings page appears above the link to the Doctrinal Statement. That's seriously a bit worrying. And then, if you click to read the Tithes and Offerings Policy, you're told
Some have said, "I can't afford to tithe.” I would simply answer this by saying that you can’t afford not to!
Do they seriously not realise that the phrase you can't afford not to is the utterly stereotypical response of every money-scamming Scientology-style cult?

Can they not afford to freely share the good news of Jesus which came for free and brings limitless freedom at no cost, even for a 7-day introductory trial?

4 comments:

Erika Baker said...

Nice middle class affluent congregation, then!
Just the sort of people Jesus would have exclusively reached out to.

grace said...

And then the widow handing over her last mite, too...

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

Well, I guess you've discovered their priorities right off the bat.

Did they never read the story about the money changers?

grace said...

I wonder. But imagine Jesus hacking through whatever no-access-until-payment-received firewall...