Speechless!

For those of you who know me, I am RARELY speechless. However, today was NOT one of those times! It started innocently enough- at Sunday school. And, YES, I know it may be surprising, but I do attend church regularly. It's a Methodist church, which in my opinion is the only way to go. We can drink and like gay people and have women pastors and we never talk about sin or Hell- only "happy" subjects. I like to think of it as "church lite". Anyway, don't let this story put you off or think that I go to some crazy, backwoods, snake handling church. This church isn't crazy- it just has one CRAZY person in it. Unfortunately, he happens to be the associate pastor.

So, this Sunday school class I've been roped into is a new configuration of the "young adult" class. To make sure that everything gets rolling the pastor (who's GREAT) and this junior preacher have been sitting in and teaching until people get it all figured out. We're doing this study of parables and looking at them in different ways, which leads to the big moment. The focus of the story today was the Good Samaritan. Well, not the Samaritan himself, but the man who was beaten. It was supposed to make you think of how the man who was helped by the Samaritan was probably very un-grateful and difficult. You were supposed to come away realizing that sometimes you have to lay stereotypes and pride aside and just accept help. A good lesson, right? Well, when preacher junior tried to get the point across, he said, "Imagine you were beaten within an inch of your life. Your friends and neighbors won't help you, they pass by. All of a sudden, the grossest, nastiest person you can imagine comes to you and offers help. I mean a really horrible person, terrible, like... a n*****!" Yes, friends and neighbors, he dropped the "N" bomb! In CHURCH!!!

Everyone was shocked- it was totally silent in the room! He then proceeded to tell us that he didn't mean "black people" he meant a "dirty n*****". He said he'd wanted to use that analogy all his life, but never felt free to do so before. Well, this leads to a number of questions. One, why did he think WE were that audience?!? Did our class of 30 something young married couples LOOK like closeted racists? I mean, we're all fairly liberal young professional people. No white sheets, no ropes and torches. Two, I think it's REALLY telling that the worst person he could imagine is a "N*****". Why not say a rapist or a child molester or a serial killer? I think that all of those people would've painted a pretty clear picture of a "bad" man. I'm going to forever find it difficult to listen to him preach on any subject now. He's a total hypocrite!

Well, I could go on, but you get the point. The main thing that I find upsetting is that I didn't just stand up then and there and say, "Shut up, you stupid, ignorant asshole!" I don't like being in situations where I react differently that I would in my "real life". I also find it HIGHLY upsetting that several others in the class just "laughed it off" later on. They all said that they "knew what he REALLY meant". What?!? What did he "really" mean? I don't think you have alot of wiggle room with a comment like that.

Anyway, I'm just very disapointed with the whole thing! We were really liking this church up until today, but now I just don't know! I can't take my children around people like that! Hell, I can't take MYSELF around people like that! Our preacher already knows about what was said and he wants us all to meet next week for a "discussion", but if the "discussion" isn't an apology, I may have to go taco box! Stay tuned and I'll let you know if anyone's umbrella gets burned!