Oh my!

[LilLamb219]

A Lutheran pastor in suburban Detroit looking for creative ways to discuss sex with his congregants has some people hot and bothered with his most recent tactic.
Epic Church Pastor Tim Kade, 40, kicked off the first Sunday in Lent with a sermon entitled, “The Greatest Sex You’ll Ever Have.”



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254684,00.html

Here is the detroit news story on it:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/LIFESTYLE04/702260357

and here is the church website:
http://www.epicwired.com/

What do you guys think?

 

[Studeclunker]

Oi, Vay! Well... he'll either have the best attendance he's ever had or the worst.

 

[C.F.W. Walther]

Is this looking out for the spiritual welfare of the parishoners? Not likely.

Sex education should be the responsibility of the parents. Not the church or governement.

 

[Confess]

Boooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

 

[Confess]

P.S.
I was just informed by an LCMS pastor that this guy was a classmate of his.



BTW: Emailing them won't work, their email address comes back as undeliverable.

 

[LilLamb219]

They're probably getting tons of e-mail on this!

 

[LilLamb219]

Hey, Confess...is it just me or does it look like your laundry pile is getting higher?????? Yikes!

 

[Flipper]

Is this looking out for the spiritual welfare of the parishoners? Not likely.

Sex education should be the responsibility of the parents. Not the church or governement.

I agree, except I think it's proper in marital classes - I appreciated our pastor telling us that sex, and lots of it, is very healthy.

 

[QuiltAngel]

Well, it would be nice to have a way to read these sermons so we can have a better basis for our opinions. It does look like it would make a better Bible Study than sermon series though.

I and my husband attended the In the Image of God seminar that the Cranach Institute put on last fall in Ft. Wayne where Marriage, Sex, Porn and such were discussed and papers given. How marriage and sex is God given and how society has wondered far away from what God intended for His people. How we need to teach our people what God meant for both. Looking at the church's website, I am wondering if this is the Pastor's attempt at something similar.

Yet, as I said, I do think this would make a better Bible Study.

 

[porterross]

Speaking as a single person, I can say without a doubt that you married people ARE having all the fun or at least you should be.

I guess he's trying to counter the world's view on sexual freedom and the facade that Hollywood presents, but I'm sure such sermons would cause me concern straight away. Such topics and discussions are for private counseling and if my pastor went off on a tangent like porn, I'd slide under the pew from embarrassment. :o

 

[Confess]

Hey, Confess...is it just me or does it look like your laundry pile is getting higher?????? Yikes!

LOL!!!!

I just got caught up yesterday!!!! YEEEEHAAAAA!!!!

Pray that all goes well this week so that it does not pile up again. Little things like going to the doctor added to Lenten services will get me behind ... AGAIN!

 

[Flipper]

Such topics and discussions are for private counseling

I've been thinking about this more. Unfortunately, secular society has turned sex into a lot of things it isn't. At the same time, extremely uptight Christians have done the same thing, in the opposite direction. Neither is healthy. In fact, I kind of think the uptight Christians may have done more harm by turning sex into some dirty little secret, which I think leads to temptation more because the unknown can be VERY appealing.

I can see and understand the pastor's reasoning, while I might not completely agree with the approach. However, if you look at the Fox article, there's another link to a story called: Pregnant 14-Year-Old Says Having a Child Is the Newest Fashion Among Teens. THAT gets a :o:o:o from me more than anything else.

 

[Confess]

It is because sex is so overly in our face is why teens are acting the way they are.

Modesty is not taught, neither is the role of Biblical man/womanhood.

Had this been taught sex wouldn't be such a big issue. There is no big mystery with sex. Our sinful nature just enjoys having our ears tickled about it and the church seems more then willing to do the tickling.

 

[Edial]

A Lutheran pastor in suburban Detroit looking for creative ways to discuss sex with his congregants has some people hot and bothered with his most recent tactic.
Epic Church Pastor Tim Kade, 40, kicked off the first Sunday in Lent with a sermon entitled, “The Greatest Sex You’ll Ever Have.”



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254684,00.html

Here is the detroit news story on it:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/LIFESTYLE04/702260357

and here is the church website:
http://www.epicwired.com/

What do you guys think?

What I did find amazing is that the context of this website http://www.epicwired.com/ is about 90% about sex.
And the rest of space provides a couple of links on the bottom where they promote their youth programs.

Imagine a youth accessing this site and staring at a picture of 2 pair of feet under covers, highly suggestive sermond titles and a title "Puresex".

What do you think the youth will look for? How "God wants people to have great sex" or an excuse to have one?

Ed

 

[LilLamb219]

Modesty is not taught, neither is the role of Biblical man/womanhood.

I agree on this.

Sex sells and now the church knows it and is using it. *sigh*

 

[porterross]

I've been thinking about this more. Unfortunately, secular society has turned sex into a lot of things it isn't. At the same time, extremely uptight Christians have done the same thing, in the opposite direction. Neither is healthy. In fact, I kind of think the uptight Christians may have done more harm by turning sex into some dirty little secret, which I think leads to temptation more because the unknown can be VERY appealing.

I can see and understand the pastor's reasoning, while I might not completely agree with the approach. However, if you look at the Fox article, there's another link to a story called: Pregnant 14-Year-Old Says Having a Child Is the Newest Fashion Among Teens. THAT gets a :o:o:o from me more than anything else.

It's not a matter of being uptight. I am the antithesis of uptight, but confidence and sexual expression are two completely different things. People are focused on sex because society, entertainment and the media are so focused on it. We're not puritans for Heaven's sake, but if you ever have to be celibate after being married, you'll better appreciate how much more evident this becomes and it's truly misleading for our young people who think being popular defines their worth.

Now, the church wants to be part of that media trend by enticing people with suggestive language and teases? There was no mention of forgiveness or God's love in that commercial. The motel sign at the end really threw me and it seems like an advertisement of some kind. Why does a church want to disguise its message as the very thing it claims to have a solution for?

It's too much and more than a little over the top, IMO. I can't believe any LCMS is using deceptive tactics not unlike those used by Jehovah's Witnesses when they knock on my door and suggest they have important information regarding my health.

 

[C.F.W. Walther]

Reclaim News Commentary

In the summer of 2005 the previous English District President, Dr. David
Ritt, promoted and funded Epic Church which was started in Trinity, Utica, a
Michigan District Church. The church started with a man dressed in a
"Wookie" suit from "Star Wars" walking in front of Trinity Lutheran Church
with a sign that read, "Join the Rebellion." Ritt called it "cutting edge
missions."

Ritt also rejected Redeemer Lutheran Church, St. Clair Shores MI request to
join the English District. The English District Board of Directors wrote on
January 19, 1998, "The English District - Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
respectfully declines to receive the transfer of Redeemer Lutheran Church,
St. Clair Shores, Michigan."

Ritt was convinced that a congregation that insisted that there are only
three Creeds that should be confessed in the worship service didn't belong
in the English District. I insisted that the first work of the church was to
confess the Gospel and Ritt insisted that the first work of the church is
"to do the Gospel." "Doing the Gospel" is nothing more than Christ hating
legalism.

Now Epic Church demonstrates how the English District does the Gospel.

The article says the new District President, Bishop David Stechholz, says,
"Epic Church is awaiting official membership." The truth is, that the
English District started and is funding "Epic Church" as a mission
congregation. Pastor Kade is on the Synodical clergy roster.

This writer was removed from the Synodical clergy roster because my
congregation refused to follow CCM rulings. God will be the judge.

First Stecholz says, "Maybe the Epic Church went over the edge of good taste
in terms of the Web site," Then Stecholz says: "'Kade's trying to do an
important thing,' said Stechholz. 'He wants to bring about a thorough
discussion on sexual intimacy from God's point of view.'"

LCMS doctrine is now written to justify the results. If Epic Church's
attendance doubles on next Sunday, Kade will be one of the most sought after
mission pastors in the LCMS.

Sex sells. There is no reason why it can't be used to sell religion. These
are the sermon titles that will build the future of the LCMS.

February 25: The Greatest Sex You'll Ever Have

March 4 : The Bedroom: Battleground or Playground

March 11: Real Desperate Housewives

March 18: Porn: What's the Big Deal?

March 25: Sex Ed: Teaching Children about Sex

April 1: Affair Proofing Your Marriage

 

[Flipper]

It's not a matter of being uptight. I am the antithesis of uptight, but confidence and sexual expression are two completely different things. People are focused on sex because society, entertainment and the media are so focused on it. We're not puritans for Heaven's sake, but if you ever have to be celibate after being married, you'll better appreciate how much more evident this becomes and it's truly misleading for our young people who think being popular defines their worth.

Now, the church wants to be part of that media trend by enticing people with suggestive language and teases? There was no mention of forgiveness or God's love in that commercial. The motel sign at the end really threw me and it seems like an advertisement of some kind. Why does a church want to disguise its message as the very thing it claims to have a solution for?

It's too much and more than a little over the top, IMO. I can't believe any LCMS is using deceptive tactics not unlike those used by Jehovah's Witnesses when they knock on my door and suggest they have important information regarding my health.

Sorry, I have to disagree with some of what you are saying. I know too many Christians who think sex is some evil thing to only be done for procreation. That's absolutely wrong and yes that absolutely feeds into what our society has become because people naturally rebel against that. No, that's not the only thing causing our society's problems regarding sex, but it's one of the big causes for sure.

I never said I agreed with what that church is doing. However, it's much more than the secular end of our society and our sinfulness that's led to this. How many teenage moms were raised to believe that sex is a wonderful, natural, healthy thing for married couples to do, that God gave to married couples? I have yet to meet any, including my sister.

 

[DaSeminarian]

Sorry, I have to disagree with some of what you are saying. I know too many Christians who think sex is some evil thing to only be done for procreation. That's absolutely wrong and yes that absolutely feeds into what our society has become because people naturally rebel against that. No, that's not the only thing causing our society's problems regarding sex, but it's one of the big causes for sure.

I never said I agreed with what that church is doing. However, it's much more than the secular end of our society and our sinfulness that's led to this. How many teenage moms were raised to believe that sex is a wonderful, natural, healthy thing for married couples to do, that God gave to married couples? I have yet to meet any, including my sister.

Sex is only evil if it is outside of its intended purpose. Within the confines of Marriage for the purpose of procreation. I am coming to understand more and more that contraception is the bigger evil within marriage. Outside of marriage it is just plain wrong.

 

[Flipper]

Outside of marriage it is just plain wrong.

I agree.