(a) That wasn’t in the OP’s link, so I wondered where the OP was getting his information. (b) I picture “veering into the wrong lane” and “driving down the wrong lane of the freeway” as two separate things.
Same here.
I ready The Cross and the Switchblade many years ago - when I was in high school, I think - and found it somewhat inspiring although a little too Charismatic for me; there was a great deal of emphasis on speaking in tongues IIRC which I didn’t believe in.
Then, years later, Wilkerson made a big to-do about how rock and roll was evil and Christian rock, especially, was satanic and heretical. That disappointed me and I basically tuned him out after that.
In retrospect, much of TC&TSB was probably exaggerated for effect.
But no matter how much I thought the guy was off his rocker, I didn’t hate him. And he apparently did help a number of young men escape the street gang culture. So I have a twinge of sadness that he died, but not really more than for any other stranger who dies in a bad traffic accident.
Wilkerson was the founder of Teen Challenge which ministers to people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. This program is responsible for thousands of people overcoming their dependence on drugs and alcohol.
This man left a comfortable life to minister in the inner city to society’s most wretched and some people want to celebrate his death.
Celebrate his life and grieve for the people he left behind.
Actually, the stated purpose of Teen Challenge is “To evangelize and disciple those with life-controlling problems.” The main purpose isn’t to help them overcome their addictions(among which they include homosexuality), but to convert them to Christianity, which has caused some controversy in countries where Christianity isn’t the main religion. As far as the effectiveness of this program is concerned, please note that most of the clients have already gone through a detoxification program before being admitted, and their purported 86% success rate doesn’t include those that drop out before completing it.
Any who celebrates or takes any amount of delight in the death of someone else has serious issues.
What I see in this thread is religious bigotry directed against Evangelical Christians.
That’s funny-what I see is disdain for Evangelical Christians who openly promote bigotry.
A man died, probably in considerable pain, and left behind a grieving widow and loved ones. He’s never done anything to me or mine, and so far as I know never committed a murder, a rape, or an assault, or condoned same. I think I’ll feel pity for his wife and those others who will mourn for him.
I decline to be indifferent to human suffering. One day I may need sympathy from a stranger; it behooves me to be willing to give it to others.
My standard is that only if the guy who died was committing actions that generated the deaths of others, and was glad for doing it, then I would celebrate.
Jesse Helms was the last one I celebrated as he not only voted to continue funding murdering military thugs in Central America, he was even unconcerned if other people rather than commies were going to die thanks to that support.
So, unless I find that this Christian propagandist was part of a group (Considering how old he was) that supported military thugs in the past or the Iraq war, I have to also say Meh, If OTOH he was involved to prevent those military involvements, then I would grieve.
Why can’t we do both!?
Mourn the loss of life and the impact this has on his surviving family and friends and be thankful that unsubstantiated asshattery has gone down by 0.000037%
And from his perspective, it did.
Dude could foretell the future. We will not see his like again.
Um, I, uh, see what you did there, I think.
Reminds me very much of 80s Christian comedian Mike Warnke - was (and still is, I assume) a funny guy, but his over-the-top stories of his Satanic background were more and more over the top and even I, in my more fundamentalist days, would question it. Was exposed by a Christian magazine. Most of his humour and routine didn’t even need the “I was a Satanist high priest” to work, though, and there are plenty of “Christian comedians” who don’t have an elaborate hook (and are still funny).
“It’s funny because I don’t know him.”
Warnke is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.
Yes a member of the human species has died, regardless of who or what he was, it is a tragedy, for we are all God’s children.
Not really. First, being human isn’t enough to qualify the death of someone as a tragedy; we can start with Hitler and work our way down for a list of humans whose death wasn’t a tragedy. And second, if you actually buy that religious nonsense you should be happy for him because he’s in heaven with his bigoted God.
Can you be bigoted if you’re all-knowing? Interesting thought…
Sure. It just means that when you condemn someone without a rational reason you’ll know it for certain.
Well the God described in the bible is clearly not all knowing. That’s just something that his fans ascribe to Him.