Redding, California

Megan Rapino is from Redding California. Megan is one of the stars of the US Women's soccer team. I was reading an article about her [see the link below for the entire article] and I was stunned to read of some of the practices of a local Redding Church.

click here to read the whole article

According to the article, the town is also home to another divisive, wildly successful, cultural claim to

fame: the Bethel Church. The multimillion-dollar revivalist megachurch has stirred controversy in Rapinoe’s hometown and throughout the religious world for its embrace of consumerist Christianity, extensive gay conversion therapy programs (Rapinoe is an out lesbian), and semi-mystical practices. Bethel members believe that miracles can occur on earth, and YouTube is filled with footage of their efforts: from faith healing, to “fire tunneling” (where members form a “tunnel” with two lines and speak in tongues to people passing through), to “grave sucking”—where someone lies on a grave to “suck up” the dead person’s blessings.

Gay conversion therapy??? Fire tunneling???  Grave sucking???  WOW!!! Now I have heard everything.  No wonder people are leaving the church in such great numbers.

As for me, faith should be something normal.  Something beautiful and simple and normal.  It should make sense to those on the outside.  Our life together at church should be warm and kind and sensible.  Snake handling is not needed.  Just love and kindness and grace.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

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I am leading a trip to Ireland next year. If you are interested in reading about it, or joining in, the link is below.....

Treasures of Ireland
July 13-22, 2020
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/ir20071320a17768#eotours