This article shows the sad but true state of the Church. Catholic or Protestant? Both are the same. The Catholics depend upon the traditions of the fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, where as the Protestants depend upon the traditions of the 'reformers' like Calvin and Luther.

Both are wrong-headed.

Instead of trying to get people to go back to their 'Catholic or Protestant roots', we should be calling them back to the true faith! The Apostolic Christianity forged by the Disciples of the Lord!

The tightly-wound authority, worship, and grounding in tradition of today's church is ridiculous!

One could just as easily say, "Last week a member of our armed services treated the world to a shocking display of rudeness toward a U.S. senator."

Every woman is a"Ma'am". (If they look too old to be a "Miss".) Few people of either gender ever attain the title Senator, let's address them as such. (...Why is her "right" to become a senator in quotation marks, as though it's questionable whether she should have had the right to work so hard to get that title?)

Did she HAVE TO point it out? No. Maybe it was petty. But not as petty as writing a whole article about it.

As for the quandries males face, it's really not that hard. When to open a door... if you see a person with their hands full, open the door for them. If they look tired or pained, offer them your seat. Would you extend the same courtesy to another man? Then extend it to a woman as well. You know, common sense.

Males are "bullied" by this concept, and "vulnerable to attack"? and FEMINISTS have a psychosis? Please.

Well said, but oh so meaningless in today's "Church". As I'm sure you know, the church is NOT the building but the body, the body of Christ. But it\'s a mystical body full of mystery and power. Today's church knows neither the mystery or the power of God.

"Abiding in Christ" is more than nice words. It's a "joy unspeakable and full of glory"; a "peace that passses all understanding"; and a transforming glory, "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory... by the Spirit of the Lord".

When God is present in POWER no one can speak a single word. Stop going to chuch and started being the church! When you truly obey Christ\'s command to "Love one another as I have loved you" you will not be content to spend only a few hours a week together. Try telling your spouse, "I love you, but two hours a week is love enough". You believe you KNOW God when in truth, you have only learned ABOUT God.

When I was a child, especially during the summer time, we did what some people would have called "playing church." But, we had an actual worship service and we didn't pretend to have church.

The early church, especially during the 1st Century AD, did not have a tightly structured church service that was all planned in advance. In fact, if the Holy Spirit so desired, various members in attendance would participate accordingly. And, since the early church was a real Pentecostal doctrine church where all NINE of the Holy Spirit's during the Worship Service gifts were to be used according the the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit filled leaders only had to keep the worship service decently in order.

Most churches, even Pentecostals, do more entertainment than actually having services where members in attendance can participate.

Aren't we as Christians supposed to pray for the welfare of others when we see they are hurting or tormented? Even if they are unbelievers? Your comment "Through all of this I haven’t ever hoped for much on his behalf." amazes me. The strangeness that you talk about in your article is a sure sign that someone needs our prayers. His constant changing appearance was a sign of something going on much deeper. I am sick that Michael had to die in order for people to see him as a human being and not some oddity. I don't wish that kind of pain on anyone. This whole tragedy has certainly made me recognize that I need to pray for those that are acting out in public. Do you think anyone would do those things on purpose? To be ridiculed? Where is your compassion?

Thank you Ms. Hagelin for pointing out the inappropriate behavior of the Senator.
You spoke very eloquently (and kindly might I add) about what happened and I can't agree with you more or add anything to your well written article.
I hope the good General knows that the Senator is NOT representative of women like you and me who appreciate terms of respect for what they are.

I think this is very useful information, and an accurate depiction of what Christ was trying to convey to us (humans with finite minds) when he instructed us how to pray.

We aren't to PRAY this prayer, so much as we were meant to take the pieces of it and realize the necessity for WHY Jesus taught us to pray like this. My understanding was that the Lord's Prayer was given to us as a guide on HOW to pray. Jesus answered the disciples' question on how to pray by giving us permission to go to the Father ourselves and praise Him, ask for many specific things, one being forgiveness, and know that we will receive it. I don't believe He meant it to be recited in a monotone voice during a church service. He was instructing us on how to have a conversation with our Heavenly Father.

I love the outline and expansion here, and I'm going to post it in my cubicle to read and reread as often as necessary. Thank you for your insight. This was well-written!

I'm a soon to be 45 y/o white male living in Augusta, GA. Actually, I already am a white male living in Augusta, but soon I will be 45 y/o, so yeah, me! My household while growing up consisted only of my father and two brothers, but my father was very strick and unwavering regarding our manners. Even when I was in the military some years later, other airmen would always point out after my phone calls how they've never heard anyone say "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" so many times. One thing that I've learned over these almost 45 years, though, is that it's respectful to address someone in the manner they wish to be addressed (within reason, of course). My Uncle Clyde (no, Jamie Fox, he wasn't really "mine", we were just related...but if Michael Jackson really did "belong" to you...well...that's your business, I guess) was a state representative in SC for a time and my cousin, Strom Thurmond, well, everybody knows about him. Of all the people I've met along the way, respect was PRIMARY!

Thank you John for your insightful article. I couldn't agree more. I will definitely keep praying for men of GOD whose purpose is not to bring us to passing emotions within ourselves, but an intimate knowledge and relationship with Our FATHER.

P50116, thanks for your comments. I certainly don't intend to come across as bashing Max. His contribution to the encouragement of the faithful, including me, has been significant. I tried to point out that the over-arching tenor of his writing is not along the lines of the caricature in this particular piece, it simply well-summarized a popular notion of God on the side-lines / in the stands. And, unfortunately, there IS a temptation to build theology on literary license - a license I don't think we have when it comes to Scripture. A cloud of witnesses in the stands or the body of Christ cheering us on is a faithful analogy, but our hope is built not on God cheering us on from afar, but that He has finished the race for us and singularly deserves all cheers. Because of that, we can continue to run. To that point, the verses cited are written to remind a people not that God is cheering for them, but that He is already the Victor, so they can endure. Thanks for letting me clarify.