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Part 1, My journey

When I was born, my father was a music director in a Presbyterian church. My grandfather had been music director at Tabernacle ARP in Charlotte (it eventually died and is currently being used by the Great Aunt Stella Center and Uptown Church). My great-grandfather had been pastor of several Presbyterian churches in Concord. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church.

In one of those churches (Sugar Creek Presbyterian), my parents were confronted with the idea that the Bible was to be read and obeyed, and it changed their lives. It was also at that church that they were exposed to the charismatic movement. Eventually, my father took a call as music pastor for Clear Creek Baptist in Midland, NC. We went there for several years and then my parents started a full-time counseling ministry. During that period, my father was asked by a friend to help with music at his Methodist church. We also attended a charismatic leaning, non-denominational church for a while. We eventually settled into a Baptist church, but we traveled and sang in a variety of church throughout the south until I left for seminary. These churches ranged from heavily liturgical to whatever the opposite of liturgical is.

I went to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, but I wasn’t a died-in-the-wool Baptist. My years of exposure to a wide variety of different churches allowed me to see the strengths and weaknesses in those denominations.

In the late 90’s, my brother began having conversations with Roman Catholic priests and leaning in that direction. We had been raised to believe that the Roman Catholic Church was the “Whore of Babylon” in Revelation and the Pope was probably the Anti-Christ. I was concerned for my brother and quite frankly, I wanted to “save” him. I joined a forum in which he was involved and began asking questions. Rather than being completely put off, I gained understanding. I didn’t agree with it all, but I learned things about Catholics that I never knew. I didn’t reject it out of hand any more, but I couldn’t accept it either. My biggest hang-up were the extreme issues within the Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, many of which led to the Reformation.

My brother felt the same way and continued his search. Several years later, he came across the Celtic Catholic Church. They are an independent Catholicism that pre-dates the time when Rome basically “took over.” I was intrigued for a variety of reasons that I will spell out in later blogs. I might have made a move then, but I had one problem…how was I going to provide for my family? There are no CCC congregations on this side of the country and I was not even thinking about church planting at the time. For the sake of a job, and money, I walked away. I kept in touch, but I stayed at a distance.

Then the events at First Baptist happened. I found out from one of the deacons that the person the NC Baptist State Convention sent to “help” actually advised the church mafia on how to get rid of me. I tried to plant a church through the NC Baptist State Convention, but they slammed every door in my face (I want to add, however, that the leaders of the Cabarrus Baptist Association were incredibly supportive). I was being punished for obeying the Bible and doing what was right in that “church.” This was the straw for myself and Marilyn. I felt so betrayed that I nearly left ministry for good. We floated around various churches for next few years, but we realized that we would never go back. It was clear that the “everyone does what is right in their own eyes” version of Christianity practiced in most Protestant churches was wrong, destructive, and we weren’t going to participate any longer. I’m also going to break this down a little in the next few posts.

Now I want to be really clear…there are many great and Godly people in every church. It’s just the system that is broken. It’s like public education. I think most teachers are amazing, but the system is flawed. I am telling you what I am doing, and why. If you, dear reader, choose to do something different, that is between you and your Savior. However, if you are intrigued and/or convinced as I was, read on! I would love to converse with you further!