I Will Not Trash

Don’t be mistaken. I do not plan on trashing the church. Especially Rothesay Vineyard, the one I just left. Sure, it hasn’t been easy. It has been one long fight, a never-ending source of stress. Sure, there have been cruel things said to me by people I love. Sure, I have been dragged further and further into financial disaster. But really, I haven’t minded all that as much as people might think. I signed up for it, and that is what I got. My critique of what I think is all wrong with religion and the church will continue to be the focus of this blog. But that is a different matter altogether.

I won’t trash the church because the people within it are my friends. It isn’t the people I’m quitting. It’s the payroll. People mistake my leaving Rothesay Vineyard as a disgruntled flight and that if they’ve left Rothesay Vineyard disgruntled they will find in me a sympathetic ear. Wrong! As someone once said, “I left the church in order to enter the ministry.” I do believe that I will help people within and without the church even more by doing this. Rothesay Vineyard has been a wonderful training ground for me in all kinds of areas. Most of all, the church has actually helped me get to this place of freedom I am now experiencing. They allowed me to continue to grow, stretch and challenge in all kinds of ways until I realized I don’t fit anymore. They gave me the freedom to find myself, my voice, and my call. I emerge from the crucible better suited to do what I know I must. And I’m grateful to them for that.