Local Church is F-Bombed

The blog run by the editors of Christianity Today and Leadership Journal have several articles about a pastor who made an incredible decision.

Mike Sares pastors a congregation called “Scum of the Earth” in Denver, Colorado. No, Scum of the Earth is not your typical congregation. Scum calls itself “a church for the right brained and the left out.” They embrace authenticity, creativity, and those who are on the margins of society.

It appears a young lady contacted Sares about sharing a poem in a worship service. She warned the pastor that the poem had about sixteen uses of the "F-word," probably the single most offensive word in the English language.

Sares eventually asked the poet to cut the offensive words by half, saying that "the poem was not a crude attempt at humor, and it was not immoral. In terms of obscenity, you’ve got to think of what might be considered obscene in your own congregation. In our setting, the F-bomb is just another noun/adjective/verb that expresses frustration for many people. It’s not cursing in terms of taking God’s name in vain, or asking God to damn someone to hell. This poem was being spoken as an honest hymn of redemption."

You can read the news and the fallout here:

1. Original post
2. The Fallout
3. The poet speaks out
4. The pastor responds