Baptist pt. 2

     This past Sunday was the second service I attended at Tidewater Baptist.  I apologize if my writing jumps around a bit, but my writing matches my thoughts, it's pretty scattered.  The service began with a prayer by the head pastor Pearson, followed by a traditional hymn titled "Be Thou My Vision."  I've been attending a more modern, charismatic church for so long now I forgot how it feels to hold up a hymnal book while singing.  I actually felt as if I was a part of the choir.  This baptist church had one man lead the worship songs; one hand held the hymnal, the other hand conducting the congregation as if most people actually knew what he was doing.  The pastor also does the announcements.  The head pastor would be considered, by the world's standards, a man's man.  He is masculine, confident, and direct.  He has a deep voice that bellows throughout the room.  One interesting aspect about Tidewater Baptist is how the pastor and the church's congregants would have dialogue in the midst of announcements.  Women and men would raise their hands or voices when something needed to be said in addition to the announcements, and the pastor would respond and reiterate.  The atmosphere is communal with a tight knit group of individuals and families.  

     The sermon was alright.  However, as a disclaimer, it needs to be noted that everything I say is interpreted through a personal lens of experiences that differ from every other individual.  From what I can tell (and know from previous experiences), the pastor holds a reformed theological position.  I don't always respond well to messages from this viewpoint due to its lack of sensitivity in certain aspects of scripture or interpretation.  Next post will be an attempt to expound what is reformed theology.  There were some good ideas presented in his sermon.  He stated early on that giving money to a church or cause does not mean grace has been perfected.  Although this seems obvious, it is surprising to see how many Christians believe that giving will be directly linked to their salvation or prosperity.  A colloquialism that I have been holding close recently is that you can't throw the baby out with the bath water.  Although there are seemingly endless differences within the different denominations, an open mind and a compassionate heart will allow us to see past these non-essentials.