Interestingly enough, the group's founder R. Brad White is a former atheist. He was raised in a Methodist family, but he himself was not a believer as he relates that he "had zero connection with God."
That changed when he received God's personal calling. Now, he's on assignment to help erase the negative image associated with Christianity and to reach out to those that feel they have been rejected and abused by the church.
Joe Zamecki is one such person who feels he was neglected, “My church didn’t care ... No one called, no one cared.” He approves the efforts behind "Changing the Face of Christianity." However, concerning the Bible, he thinks Christians need to "throw out the book" in order for the church to be perceived as "friendly."
A former Catholic who tired of the obligations such as giving money, promoting Christianity, and performing religious rituals, he is now Texas State Director of the American Atheists.
He confided that his experience with Christianity left him angry with God to where he prayed, “God, would you please liberate me from religion.”
Zamecki no longer believes there is a God, and He insists that God in Leviticus is hateful. Therefore, His followers must be hateful as well or else be hypocrites of their own religion.
White disagrees and reasons that Zamecki doesn't “grasp the complexities” of the Bible. While God established the law in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ of the New Testament taught through example by living standards of the law.
Regarding his group, he explained, “What we are pushing for is a [return] to real Christianity."
The point isn't to go soft on biblical principles; it is to change reactions of the people who believe in them.
“What we’re suggesting is living the Bible as opposed to picking out one verse such as ‘homosexuality is an abomination’ and using that as leverage to hate people."
"Where we go wrong, is when we become so laser focused on homosexual sin (that we don’t commit ourselves), that it’s as if we are excusing all the other sins WE DO commit. That’s why outsiders see us as hypocrites."
Original article with references and video, click here.
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