Youre never gonna save me

My thoughts on the closed minds of one culture towards another culture:

This is no particular order and may come off rather ranty, sorry.

I'll try to begin at the start the reason i am posting this.
1. I am a Christian, and i believe in respecting others where they are at, and what culture they come from.  Its called caring about people.
2. I love punk music, and i enjoy hardcore shows, and the type of pit that goes on at them.
3. Often times hardcore is more accepting towards my actions then Christians.

This past Saturday I went to see a band named A Plea for Purging.  One of the few bands who i can say did not use the fact that they are Christians to get signed, but at actually awesome musicians.

I'm going to begin this with the verse,
To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation.  I Corinthians 9:22


Now onto what I want to say.  AT this show I did what a kid like me would do at any metal show. Goof off and have fun.  In the previous shows i've been to rarely has someone gotten hurt and people have all just enjoyed themselves.  However as i look around the people who are clearly a part of that church are allowed to swing as hard as they want at me and my friends, however as soon as we have fun there's a huge problem.  As the night goes on i continue to barely even mosh but instead do things like the mocarina, rollover, put my sweater over my head and do a cartwheel, have my friend nate jump on my back and run in a circle.  the point is all things that hurt not a single person.  Yet at each of these things security had a problem with me.  I'm sorry here's what i dont FREAKING UNDERSTAND how can you claim youre accepting hardcore kids, when youre church kids are allowed to swing at us as hard as they want but as soon as i have fun that hurts nobody i get in trouble.  And you claim a Savior that becomes what other people are (without sinning) to show them love? and That there's a better way?


This is where i see the problem.  This church, like many others i've noticed, has found themselves to be fooling themself into thinking they are accepting the hardcore community.  And honestly, they'd never save a kid like me. I can promise you that.  This is an attempt at trying to take hardcore kids and bring them to a church.  The church allowed kids to not even smoke outside the building.  If you have kids who want to smoke, or are addicted to smoking, they will NOT show up to your show because of that.  Oh hey, there's a way of pushing away their culture.  Why cant they smoke outside? its not gonna harm your church? In fact it will show that you love that kid if they do smoke.  Secondly a hardcore show is supposed to be like a party a bunch of people just having fun and enjoying thsmelves.  Thats part of the culture.  Please understand that.  Honestly it was as if that church was trying to save a person who's poor and scraping for food daily, while wearing a Brand new suit.  It just wont happen.  To save hardcore culture you have to respect what it is.  While i would have understood if they were mad at me for moshing on kids as hard as i can, I was not doing that i was simpy goofing around.  There's no reason for a person to get thrown out of a venue for having fun that hurts no one.


I dont want to end this without a solution.  I believe There is a God, and That God loves kids.  I want this God to be at shows, and I want shows to be a part of churches, however when a church expects kids to change their lifestyle just because of the building the show is, I realize how judgemental CHristians are of people on the outside.  The change I see has to happen in people, and through loving them, regardless of how they act.  If someone's at your church, they in fact are a person.  Each person has had their own hard way, if they have bad habbits stop, PLEASE stop viewing them as a 'sinner' and view them as an equal who just hasnt accepted a gift, because honestly how that show went down continued to push me away from the CHristian church yet again..