Mega Church Pastor Jim Swilley After Coming Out...

Bishop Jim Swilley, founder and pastor of the Church In The Now in Conyers, Georgia recently came out of the closet this week, famously declaring that "being gay isn't a choice."  This is one of those times when we all get excited that a person of faith finally acknowledges something that the rest of us have known for some time.  That being said, Swilley is a savvy veteran of the mega church industry, and he realizes the challenges that lay ahead.  On his blog this week, Swilley took time to thank all of the people that continue to support him, and advertise a little about his church.

Whether or not you agree with it, the reality is that these massive mega churches need a lot of money to sustain what they've built, and they count on the contributions of their thousands of members to pay for everything.  One of the big risks that Swilley has made by coming out is the reality that he could be risking his congregation, and therefore his 43 acre "worship center" that looks a lot more like a roadside attraction than it does a church.  At a time when much attention is focused his way, Swilley is opportunistic enough to post an 18 paragraph summary of his church, their mission, their future aspirations, and an explanation that the church needs to grow in numbers in order maintain what they've built.  He also takes the time to thank atheists and agnostics for their "beautiful messages of support," which is nice.  He says the experience has led him to see God's love like he never has before.  

I'm wishing Swilley the best, but I remain critical and skeptical of mega churches and their true aspirations.  Though Bishop Swilley claims to have always preached an accepting message, I maintain that the message of secular humanists is supremely accepting.  Every time a church preaches an accepting message, they're considered enlightened, but as I said earlier they're usually a few steps behind the rest of us.  Don't forget that they still believe that we're going to hell, as that is an uncompromising position amongst Christians, however accepting they may be.  

Maybe the overwhelming feeling of "God's love" that Bishop Swilley is experiencing is really a genuine love and empathy that humans are capable of?  Maybe these sentiments he's experiencing are nothing more than the accepting attitudes and encouragement of good people?