Dogs in Church Redux

One of the latest trends in church outreach is to allow pet owners to bring their critters to church.  "Parishioners request prayers for homeless animals and homeless people.  One man requests prayers for a deceased pet who `went over the rainbow.'  There are prayer requests for people, as well.  When the offering plate is passed, people place their gifts inside and take squares of cheese for the dogs. `You feel good when you leave,' says Pam Weiss, with Baxter, a Pomeranian mix."  Sorry, Andy.  You are staying home!  Click here: Church services put paws in the pews - USATODAY.com#Close#Close

Dogs in church isn't a new idea. The Dutch Reformed allowed dogs in church back in the 1600s.  They even had church wardens to exhort owners to clean-up after fido.  Click here: Riddleblog - The Latest Post - Preaching to theDogs?

Cub's fans can rejoice.  Not only is there a good chance your team will be in the World Series this year (if you can beat the Dodgers), but now there's a Cubs-themed cemetery complete with an ivy-colored brick wall.  Not even the Yankees can boast of that.  Click here: Cubs-Inspired Cemetery Opens Wednesday - Sports Biz with Darren Rovell - CNBC.com

Speaking of baseball, Joel Osteen will profane the New Yankee Stadium this Saturday. According to Osteen, "My message is not about doctrine. I don't have to get 50 references from Scripture in a sermon for it to be a good sermon.  Churches that are helping people live out a Christian life are growing and flourishing."  As for preaching in Yankee Stadium, "When I first came to the Garden [in New York], I thought, 'I'm a preacher with a Southern drawl from the Bible Belt. How will they receive us?' he said. `But I got a greater reception here than anywhere in the world. People are so open, they stop me on the street.'"  Click here: Televangelist promises hope, positivity | lohud.com | The Journal News.   I wonder if any of the "bleacher creatures" will show up on Saturday?  Not likely.

Comments

[matt]

"My message is not about doctrine." That's like saying my words have no meaning. This explains why he is so popular. Say absolutely nothing of significance, smile a lot, tell them that God loves them (which is a doctrine, by the way) and promise lots of earthly blessings. Who wouldn't like that (except for the old curmudgeon the Apostle Paul).
What a way to put a curse on a new ball park!. I'm glad Busch Stadium didn't make that mistake!

[Alan Kurschner]

Only an egomaniac can say what Osteen says there. Utterly sad.

[James Paul]

A cemetary is perfect - because thats where the Cubs hopes of winning the division can be buried. :-)
Go Pirates!

[George]

Well, at least the dogs being catered to in that Omaha church isn't as bad as the Roman church here in the Chicago area where, once a year, either the priest or bishop, or if they're lucky, the diocese cardinal, blesses pets that people bring to church - and, of course, sprinkles them with "holy water."

According to my wife, I must be part dog, because of my super-human ability to pick up faint scents and sounds, and because of the way I bark back and forth to the neighbor's dogs. I reckon that I could erupt accordingly during her church's service and maybe they'd toss me some cheese. But the music "minister" has that one all covered already with his eclectic choice of praise songs, worship team characters, and heavy metal accompaniment. I suppose I could just crawl underneath one of the pews and whine or howl loudly while they're playing/singing.

[PB]

Who let the dogs in? I might, for one...my wife regularly brought our German Shepherd to visit my Mom during Mom's last few months with us, to Mom's delight and the delight of staff and residents at the nursing facility...so at the memorial service the dog not only attended but accompanied my wife to the podium for her Scripture reading...and during the 23rd Psalm, at the verse "He makes me to lie down in green pastures...", the dog lay down on cue without command. Not a dry eye in the house.

["lee n. field"]

>One man requests prayers for a deceased pet who `went over the rainbow.'

One of our customers is a mortuary. They recently built a crematory for pets. When I first say this "rainbow bridge" stuff in their materials I thought it was some odd trendy pagan thing (ya know, Thor, Odin, Bifrost Bridge, all that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifr%C3%B6st)), but that's the way they talk about pet death now. Here ya go: http://www.rainbowbridge.org/ .

Here's another: http://www.rainbowbridgepetcrem.com/ (not our customer).

(Our cats get buried in the back yard with minimal ceremony.)

[Randy Gill]

We aren't even 20 games into the season yet and somehow the Cubs are the central division champs. We'll see about that,(said the guy from St. Louis.)

[VJ]

Thanks Randy for reminding Pastor Kim that St. Louis is on top with plans to remian there. Why does everyone forget the rich tradition of "Championship" baseball in St. Louis? Sorry Pastor Kim but St. Louis has won a more recent World Series(2006) than the Yankees and Cubbies put together.
- Although my Dad and I are Yankee fans as well. I would love to see a St. Louis vs. NYY World Series this year.

[Mark S]

Here's what I thought when I read the last bit: "No, Joel, you're not a preacher. At least not a Christian preacher, of the true Gospel. You're a motivational speaker who tells people what they want to hear. If you'd stop with THAT, most of us wouldn't have much of a problem with you. And you'd probably end up in a slightly less hot and torturous part of hell -- unless of course God grants you repentance. But you feel the need to appear to be religious. And because your dad called himself a Christian pastor, you figured that would be your best nominal route. And about your accent: it couldn't BE more fake. There's a reason I call you the used car salesman from Houston.