Could it also apply to nudism? I know that I started sleeping nude before age 13.

Barna: Spiritual training must start early.
http://www.religionjournal.com/showbrief.asp?id=730

a.. Churches should not underestimate the importance of ministering to young
children, says researcher George Barna, discussing his new book,
"Transforming Your Children Into Spiritual Champions." "Adults essentially
carry out the beliefs they embraced when they were young," he said. "The
reason why Christians are so similar in their attitudes, values and
lifestyles to non-Christians is that they were not sufficiently challenged
to think and behave differently - radically differently, based on core
spiritual perspectives - when they were children."

Barna's research produced four arguments for the importance of reaching
children when they are young, according to a report by Barna Research Group:

a.. "A person's moral foundations are generally in place by the time they
reach age 9. ... After their first decade, most people simply refine their
views as they age without a wholesale change in those leanings.

a.. "A person's response to the meaning and personal value of Jesus Christ's
life, death and resurrection is usually determined before a person reaches
18. In fact, a majority of Americans make a lasting determination about the
personal significance of Christ's death and resurrection by age 12.

a.. "In most cases people's spiritual beliefs are irrevocably formed when
they are pre-teens. 'In essence,' [Barna] noted, 'what you believe by the
time you are 13 is what you will die believing. Of course, there are many
individuals who go through life-changing experiences in which their beliefs
are altered.' After age 13 most people focus on gaining 'reassurance and
confirmation of their existing beliefs rather than [gleaning] new insights
that will redefine their foundations,' Barna said.

a.. "Adult church leaders usually have serious involvement in church life
and training when they are young. ... A national sample of pastors, church
staff and lay leaders showed that more than four out of five of those
leaders had consistently been involved in the ministry to children for an
extended period of years prior to age 13. One implication is that the
individuals who will become the church's leaders two decades from now are
probably active in church programs today."

Barna's research found that at the typical Protestant church, more than four
of 10 people ministered to during the week are children, but seven of every
eight ministry dollars are spent on adults. However, spending more money on
children does not automatically produce great results, Barna said.

"The most important resource, we believe, was the amazing amount of prayer
for children and parents that was evident at the most effective ministries
to children," he said. "Some money is required to see serious life change
happen, but the more important resource is the commitment of adults to see
the spiritual wholeness of the children - which means sacrificing some of
the emphasis upon the ministry to adults."

Ralph

Ralph, studies have shown that fifty percent of the total knowledge a person will ever achieve would be learned in the first two years of life and the next twenty five percent would be learned in the next two years. When you tell a person that a child learns seventy five percent of a lifetime of knowledge before they can read they are amazed! What they learn and how is the key! A child learns by watching and listening, Would you like to guess to whom? YOU! The building blocks of life are the core values that YOU speak and demonstrate into the life of your child before anyone else has a shot at them. Peer pressure is at best a temporary distraction to your children. When God said train a child the way he should be trained, and when he is old he will be found doing what he was trained to do, He was right. An interesting aside to this if you remember, the Hebrews where told if your children are rebellious, take them outside the gates and stone them. When we look at the ten commandments we see honor your father and mother that your days on earth might be long, we think that is a promise of loonnng life. To those Hebrew children that meant they will see the sun rise tomorrow. I must stop, this could go on for pages. Bearone

When I said YOU, that also includes the exposure you provide for them to church, sunday school, friends, and even the proper T.V. or videos. Bearone

For some, they even reach the reading by then too! It shows, we have a lot of work and responsibility the next four years....uh make that three now!

Boyd

This is absolutely true! Our pastor was talking about this yesterday (not the site, but the subject). He was saying that once you pass the age of 19, it's very hard to bring people in to Christ.

Did you know that the reason 70% of the "unchurched" do not attend church is because they were not invited? Boy, that hurts!

The first thing you need to do with anyone you are interested in bringing to church, especially when they are unfamiliar with Christianity, is to have a relationship with them. So invite somene!

CSR.
C, Cultivate
S, Sow the seed
R, Reap
(Stuff we are learning at church)

by the way, here is our church website for our greensboro congregation.

look around for About Us, and you will find the picture of our pastor and his wife, and a picture of the congregation.

My wife and I (on the right) are in the back next to the door, (I'm wearing a white shirt with tie...rare) (I know, I need to lose some weight) and she is operating the sound equipment. Actually, she has her hands up during a song worship.

Boyd
http://churches.wcg.org/greensboro-nc

So do the pastor and/or the congregation know that you are a nudist? My wife and I ran into BIG problems when ours found out. The end result was that we changed churches.

One of the older members asked me on Sunday, "You still walking naked through the woods?"

I said, "Every day."

He said that the trees don't have leaves now. People can see me.

I told him that they don't have to look.

The first time the preacher came over. I made sure that I was nude in the side yard. I had to walk into the garage to get my shorts when he showed up.

His wife showed up at the end of the cul-de-sac one day while I was on the driveway, about half way in. She didn't drive in. She told me later. I didn't see who it was at the time.

The campus minister passed out something about the youth camps at nudist clubs in his class. I wrote him e-mails referring him to this site and Rockel's to research the topic and pointed out to him that early Christians were baptised nude, ran track nude, etc.

Ralph

My wife Myra and I talked about it last night. We still don't know if we should tell our new church about our being nudists right away or if we should wait until we are ready to be active workers again.
We hope we don't get the same kind of knee-jerk reaction the second time, but we seem to be some of the few conservative Southern Baptists who don't immediately associate being a nudist with something sexual.
I guess we'll wait and see how it goes.
Hey Boyd, look for us Wednsday evening on the interstate. We'll be the ones heading to Winston-Salem. Going to see my step-daughters for Thanksgiving.
God Bless, cause I'm gonna be late for work now.
Kevin P

It took a while for us to get up the nerve, but when we decided, I invited my pastor over for a "talk". Basically, I said, "we need to talk" in an email. He came by our house. Of course, we were dressed. We talked about it, and he had no problem right away. Then we got off on to talking about other church business that we were involved with.

I told him he can tell the congregation if he wants to, but to do so at his own time, if need to told. He hasn't yet.

The important thing is, why are you telling them, is it necessary, and are you ready for the big answer?

For your trip:
Look for the nude guy waving at everyone on the side of the freeway! If I stay there long enough, I might end up waving at you! If you don't see me, either it's too cold, you took Business 40 and I'm on bypass 40...or was arrested.

Boyd

Just tell them that you suppose they're not the 1st century church, as they baptised their people nude.

Ralph

Our pastor knows and have seen the website. A couple of "couples" know about it.

Not advertising it there. But no problems either.

Boyd

Many pastors and most laypeople have only the most superficial knowledge of the Bible and of Christian history with respect to nudity. When you're in a tradition that interprets the only verse they know literally, then it gets really hard.

We've had a similar experience, and it's painful. But God is good, and no congregation or denomination has a lock on the Word.

In the future we won't join any church until we have first talked with the pastor to learn his/her attitudes.

For whatever it may be worth I have for ever believed a half truth to be a whole lie, however I also be lieve God would have us "confess" those things we may need to confess to those in need of a confession. If I offended Boyd in a personal way I am to deal with that with Boyd and any one else directly involved. If I offended the entire church then the entire church needs to hear. I had a friend who was saved and went directlt to his wife and confessed EVERYthing he had EVER done. He lived....alone. Your comment about bible knowledge is dead accurate. Bearone

There are things I have confessed to my wife before marriage (if failed, then no marriage...safer that way than after). However, there are things I have not, for the fact it really isn't necessary. I don't lie to her or to God, God knows. I'm sure there are things my wife has to keep between herself and God.

As for the church, I would have to sin against that congregation before I stand up and confess my sins to anyone like that. So far, my sins have been against individuals or small groups. Even if a church was sinned against, I would confess to the pastor before I would the whole congregation because sometimes, that is enough. A good pastor will advise you to do the right thing. (I've had some dumb pastors, but I do respect them as God's pastors...Thanks King David for that good example).

Like my "confession of naturism", I first talked to my wife, then together we privately went to our pastor. Then we gave our pastor the credibility to decide whether it is something the whole congregation needs to know. He made that call and he decided it was not necessary. Mainly because they were not ready for that kind of advanced understanding. I'm not saying here that my wife and i had all the understanding, nor are we advanced in other areas. We still have a lot of learning (and unlearning) to do. When our pastor feels the congregation is ready for the idea of naturism, then he will probably mention the subject, but not name any names.

He may go about it somthing like this:

"I know of people within our church organization (or even bold enough to say within our congregation) who are naturists and are strong members and supporters and loyal to the church"

or something to that affect.

But other than that, here is some advice to others who may read this post: Don't do anything you feel will hurt the church and you won't have to go up and confess!!!!

Boyd