Thanks for checking back and answering my question. Tomorrow I’ll be posting about the growing trend of hyper-authoritarianism. I hope you’ll check it out and chime in with any first-hand information that could be beneficial to our readers. It’s with a very heavy heart that I share what I’m discovering.

I left in 1982 in the face of what I felt were growing contradictions in the “movement”. My reasons for leaving were complex, but this was an important factor.

Mark

The Gathering of Believers started in 1977 as an extension of the TAG (Take And Give) ministry which was started earlier as a Tuesday night weekly teaching at Christ Church in Washington DC.

I was there.

Mark

Just as we theorized, Mark Dever IS the one who introduced C.J. Mahaney to Al Mohler. See Ligon Duncan’s comment below on the T4G blog at this link:

http://www.t4g.org/blog/page/3/

“T4G is a biennial conference that grew out of a set of (now Gospel friendships. Mark Dever, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney and I had all been friends for a number of years (Mark, Al and I have known one another since the 1980s, and Mark introduced Al and me to C.J.).”

As a teenager growing up in a nominal religious home, I used to be fascinated by the stars and the universe. I used to think that it would be wonderful to jump on spaceship and just go out into universe, seeing all there was. That is why I loved Star Trek. Underneath it all was a longing to see beauty and to understand what it was all about.

So, one night I was reading an article in Life magazine called “The Groovy Christians of Rye New York” (now you know how old I am). In the article some teen commented that faith wasn’t a religion but a relationship with Jesus. I was stunned. I was watching Star Trek at the same time. Suddenly it all made sense. This universe was created for a purpose by a God who loved me. That all made sense to a confused teen who loved dreaming of the stars. So, during the episode, I said I believed. It was kind of a simple conversion. I didn’t know about a sinners prayer or even how it all worked. Yet I knew it was about Jesus.

The following week I went to a small high school Sunday school class I attended off and on in a very dead church. The leaders, however, were two folks from Gordon Conwell that were trying to reach out to some very uninterested teenagers. They read 1 John1 and asked us if we knew what it meant. Until this time, I never understood what I was reading.But, this time I knew. I raised my hand and starting talking about emerging from the darkness into the light. Their jaws dropped and after the class asked if something had happened. In my simple fashion, I said, I believe now.

I don’t think CJ would have liked this conversion. I didn’t understand the depths of my sin yet I knew He forgave me and that I was free in Christ.

Someday I hope God will let me see all the awesome sights in the universe.I would love to see what a black hole is all about and see Andromeda. Maybe He will also let me see if He created other beings in other places and what that all means with salvation and the Fall.

Kind of a unique story, huh?

I am so sorry for you. A former SGM pastor, huh? I know it must be painful but you have escaped. Don’t forget, no matter what happened, God wanted you to be a pastor no matter what the Mahaniacs have said. And He is the Author of the call, not some egotistical patriarch.

Borg Queen? Hmmmm …
Data is easy. He wanted to be like Picard and the rest. Here the ranks run deep at SGM. If you could go to T4G in a couple of months you’d see many CJ wannabes.

Q – can we nominate a couple or 3 blogs?

Saved during ST? Do tell, do tell.

Another bald fictional character worth mentioning – Dr Evil from Austin Powers. Just something to ponder … ROFL!

At the risk of sounding stupid, wasn’t Riker #1 which would make CJ above #1 which would fit right into his head apostle stance. Also, IMNHO, Picard was the greatest of all captains. One observation though, despite the fact that they can cure cancer in the future, they still haven’t cured male pattern baldness which would make CJ and his bald Mahaniacs quite happy, I think.

Now, here is a hard one. Who could be the Borg Queen? And one of my all time favorites, Data, the android who wishes he were human? I bet you might have some candidates.

Agreed on Harris for Crusher. The only thing, though, they got rid of Crusher when he went off with the Time Traveler which probably meant he kissed dating good-bye. Too bad that isn’t possible.

Finally, who could be Q, the thorn in the side of Picard?
Now, for a true story, promise, I became a Christian at 17 during an episode of Star Trek. Cross my heart.

If CJ is Picard then Jeff Purswell or Dave Harvey must be Ricker, #2. Let’s make’m both #2.5! Josh Harris would do nicely as Wesley Crusher.

‘course humility would prevent CJ from being #1. Drat, the numbering scheme is messed up now!

Heading for the nearest transporter,
Former SG Pastor