I’ve had tons of comments on my previous post about Mysecret.tv (the cyber-confession website of Lifechurch.tv), so I thought I would follow up with what others are saying about it.
The Parish: MySecret.tv or Voyeur Driven Church (also see The Parish: A Better Analysis on Mysecret.tv
I’ve written many, many posts about what happens when marketing language enters the church. One of the inevitable results is that marketing methods also enter the church. So now we’ve got the simulacra of an ancient Christian discipline, the false promise of freedom, and an offer of sermons to draw people to Lifechurch.tv, all in a medium that accomplishes nothing for anyone.
The Parish’s post makes a great segue to this post from a site that celebrates “marketing” the church . .
ChurchCommunicationsPro.com: Internet a ‘Roadside Billboard’ With ‘Pull Over’ Benefits, says Forbes
I won’t paraphrase what this innane website says, except to say that it illustrates perfectly how wrong Mysecret.tv is.
. . . Our state newspaper, the Daily Oklahoman, ran a story on this so I’m sure millions of people are flocking to the site. I just think this is irresponsible use of religion–to post “sin” online for the world to see, instead of making it a matter between a person and God.
Another issue I have are the categories of sin and what is/is not a sin. I think it’s safe to say that my understanding of sin is different than what LifeChurch would preach, but hey…..
The Ember: What’s your secret? – a rather sympathetic look at the website
Making Chutney: MySecret.tv — In search of brokenness
. . . Almost all the confessions at MySecret have a raw honesty about them—the confessors truly believe they have sinned. And some have.
But then there are the posts where the confessors seek forgiveness for simply being human. There are folks who have bought a package deal of what it means to be a good human, and when their lives don’t measure up, they count themselves failures.
I was there once.
Possibly one of the best thoughts I’ve seen about the site (you really need to read the rest of this post), and reflects my own life dead-on-the-money.
The Swingset: The Beast…Pt. II (also see Part I
As a member of Lifechurch, maybe I can add some neglected background on the subject. Confession, even anonymously, is meant to be a first step in the process. Forgiveness for your sins is a personal matter between you and God. Healing, however is a much more human-to-human activity.
Imagine if you will, you have prayed for and recieved forgiveness for some particular sin (pick one). Good for you!! Your sin though, doesn’t end with you. Someone else was affected…possibly even hurt. Confessing to him/her and the forgiveness from the other brings the healing that mends erlationships.
I’m speaking from personal experience here. God forgives unconditionally. People are harder to convinve, so we hide. We hide our shame of past sins from parents, spouses, friends. That shame will not go away without airiong it out to those we love and recieve thier love and forgiveness in return.
THAT is what mysecret.tv is all about. If you can gather the courage to talk about yourself openly, then you are ready to take the next step.
J.M., thought you might be interested (or not) in my insights from MySecret.tv … they’re posted here: http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2006/09/8_lessons_from.html
If I may … I’d also suggest watching the new 3.5-minute video Pastor Craig has posted on the MySecret site home page.
–Innane site guy
To Mr. Branum:
Why does it matter to you where people go to confess their sins? This is a way for someone, who has no one, to get those sins off their chest, to get some relief. I have witnessed an abundance of people who have confessed on mysecret.tv who have drastically changed their lives around for the better, people who had considered suicide, adultry, etc. This was the first and most important step in the lives of these people and their families. So, why does it matter to you?