My girlfriend's son just graduated with a 2:1 in Chemistry. These last three years have turned him from a boy into a confident young man. He has been going through lots of changes, learning who he is and what he wants from life. These have been very formative years.
He is the age I was when I left the Jesus Army, and it has only just occurred to me that I spent my "university years" in the JA. They weren't just any three years in my life. They were my "leaving home for the first time" years, my "becoming a man" years.
It is no wonder, then, that those three years - that very short period in my life - has become so fundamental; that the JA had such a shattering and long lasting effect on me. The Jesus Fellowship Church is my Alma Mater (my "nourishing mother").
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Monday, 5 July 2010
Firefighting
For a few years, now, I seem to have been firefighting postings on Jesus Army Watch, not because it is my job or indeed my forum, but because I feel that it has a role to play, which is undermined by some frankly lunatic posting. Interestingly, it is not the only forum, though. John Everett's group attracts a different, more sober type.
This morning I realised that perhaps instead of trying, largely unsuccessfully, to defend the bona fides of JAW by urging greater honesty among JAW posters, I should think about what sorts of people post on the site. And I realised that maybe what we have here, in microcosm, is what we have with the JA.
People who join John Everett's group were, like me, "members" of the church and community, whereas people who post on JAW, seem to be attracted to it because it allows them complete anonymity and free rein in whatever abusive postings they wish to write...and they are or were mainly "camp followers", fringe members who were already quite damaged people before the JA met them.
In fairness to the JA, when they say that someone "was never truly one of us" it is almost certainly fair comment these days, when the church has liberalised so very dramatically. In my time the same phrase was a way of discrediting someone who might even have been a celibate elder (I believe it was once said of John Everett in a red-top, for instance).
Perhaps all churches SHOULD target the sorts of people who have the potential to be dangerous enemies if they become disaffected. In its efforts to appear less controlling (or perhaps even its desire to control less), the JA has amassed a large number of mentally ill, drug abused, unstable associates at its fringes, who when they leave and start posting in anger, have the potential to damage the JA and who are not apparently constrained by the same norms of fairness and honesty as people with less turbulent backgrounds.
The irony is, though, that they discredit the JA-Watch site more with their absurdly exaggerated claims and their paranoid rantings, which are easily dismissed by the JA and which any sensible reader will recognise for what they are anyway.
Far less extreme posting from people who really were fully committed members of the fellowship carries much greater power and is considerably more credible, which is why I do hope that John keeps his group going. Perhaps it is time to accept that JAW is no longer worth saving, ditch it and support The JA Blues.
This morning I realised that perhaps instead of trying, largely unsuccessfully, to defend the bona fides of JAW by urging greater honesty among JAW posters, I should think about what sorts of people post on the site. And I realised that maybe what we have here, in microcosm, is what we have with the JA.
People who join John Everett's group were, like me, "members" of the church and community, whereas people who post on JAW, seem to be attracted to it because it allows them complete anonymity and free rein in whatever abusive postings they wish to write...and they are or were mainly "camp followers", fringe members who were already quite damaged people before the JA met them.
In fairness to the JA, when they say that someone "was never truly one of us" it is almost certainly fair comment these days, when the church has liberalised so very dramatically. In my time the same phrase was a way of discrediting someone who might even have been a celibate elder (I believe it was once said of John Everett in a red-top, for instance).
Perhaps all churches SHOULD target the sorts of people who have the potential to be dangerous enemies if they become disaffected. In its efforts to appear less controlling (or perhaps even its desire to control less), the JA has amassed a large number of mentally ill, drug abused, unstable associates at its fringes, who when they leave and start posting in anger, have the potential to damage the JA and who are not apparently constrained by the same norms of fairness and honesty as people with less turbulent backgrounds.
The irony is, though, that they discredit the JA-Watch site more with their absurdly exaggerated claims and their paranoid rantings, which are easily dismissed by the JA and which any sensible reader will recognise for what they are anyway.
Far less extreme posting from people who really were fully committed members of the fellowship carries much greater power and is considerably more credible, which is why I do hope that John keeps his group going. Perhaps it is time to accept that JAW is no longer worth saving, ditch it and support The JA Blues.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
The JA Blues
John Campbell (who controls JA public relations) urges people like Daniel Stonell not to post on forums or groups like Jesus Army Dialogue. Older members, who are generally more canny, know better than to do so anyway.
Young members, fringe members or somewhat disaffected members who wish to prove their loyalty to any JAs who may be reading (and who we have known, not infrequently, to go on to split shortly afterwards) will often express their radicalism in terms which are indicrete and therefore make the JA look cult-like, at a time when the JA is anxious to look mainstream.
The purpose of John Everett's site, The JA Blues, is to provide a haven of contact for ex-members, many of whom are very vulnerable (some having left only recently) and must not be intimidated or bullied by people still in the JA, which was why suggestions that they had demons led John to remove Daniel.
I support John in this. I am not a natural censor, but if JAs want to argue or to attack or criticise ex-members (generically, not personally), let them go to Jesus Army Dialogue (if they are brave enough to resist the church's blanket ban on posting there, which is frankly unlikely). The JA Blues is not the place to do it. Alternatively, if they would prefer not to post at a venue over which I have some control (because I am known to be rather persuasive, according to Sarah Hughes, anyway), they can always post at Jesus Army Watch.
John Everett is currently on holiday and has asked me to look after The JA Blues while he is away.
Young members, fringe members or somewhat disaffected members who wish to prove their loyalty to any JAs who may be reading (and who we have known, not infrequently, to go on to split shortly afterwards) will often express their radicalism in terms which are indicrete and therefore make the JA look cult-like, at a time when the JA is anxious to look mainstream.
The purpose of John Everett's site, The JA Blues, is to provide a haven of contact for ex-members, many of whom are very vulnerable (some having left only recently) and must not be intimidated or bullied by people still in the JA, which was why suggestions that they had demons led John to remove Daniel.
I support John in this. I am not a natural censor, but if JAs want to argue or to attack or criticise ex-members (generically, not personally), let them go to Jesus Army Dialogue (if they are brave enough to resist the church's blanket ban on posting there, which is frankly unlikely). The JA Blues is not the place to do it. Alternatively, if they would prefer not to post at a venue over which I have some control (because I am known to be rather persuasive, according to Sarah Hughes, anyway), they can always post at Jesus Army Watch.
John Everett is currently on holiday and has asked me to look after The JA Blues while he is away.
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