Some of you may not be aware of The Dallas Observer’s blog called Unfair Park. Basically all the writers and editors at the Observer blog there. I follow it with my feedreader, and read maybe one post every couple of days.
A few weeks ago they started a new regular feature called Bible Girl: The Unfair Park Religion Column. Yesterday’s column was incredible. Typically when I read stuff on the web, especially long articles, I read a couple of paragraphs, do some work, go back and read a little, etc. But this one was different. Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. By the time I got to the end, three comments had already been posted. I planned on blogging about it yesterday, but it didn’t work out. Now it’s gotten other publicity, like being mentioned in Frontburner (D Magazine’s blog) as well as an additional mention in Fair Park.
It’s about a personal experience in her life. I’d tell you about it, but anything I say about it will not do it justice, other than to say that the sheer guts it took to write and publish a column like that amazes me. Read it yourself. Now. Or as soon as you possibly can. It is definitely worth a few minutes of your time to stop whatever it is you are doing and read this column. Seriously. Do it now.
Just two short quotes from it (that won’t negate the need for you to read it):
The Apostle Paul said, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ.” This is how I’ve come to understand his words: You don’t know who you really are, who you were really meant to be until you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Until you’ve surrendered your all to him[...]. That’s the death Paul is talking about. You must allow Jesus to remake your life as he sees fit.
and
I ended up in a church of misfits, of people who once led busted lives. Former drunks and crack addicts and people who once suffered from documented mental illnesses. All manner of bad boys and girls. We were people who desperately needed intervention from above—go-for-broke kind of folks. General admonitions to be good and to be kind and to study our Bibles daily just weren’t gonna cut it. We needed God’s supernatural power. In that kind of atmosphere, people who want it bad enough get healed.
As you would expect, she is getting hammered in the comments. But as things are when you try to take Christ’s message to the world, it will not be well received.
