Badge of Honor? Trash talking other churches

[hometown guy]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

My friend recently left his very conservative church to attend mine. He has been told for years how bad it is at my church. He has been told we don't have the Spirit and we are backslidden.

His pastor has said things like, you'd be better off backsliding than to go there or you might as well pitch a tent in sodom.

But he has been to my church and he knows the Spirit moves here. In fact it DOESN'T move like that in his former church. His words are, it's like campmeeting every day here

So, he runs into this Pentecostal lady in a nearby city and informs her he now goes to my church. She got disgusted and walked away. He has hjad conversations with her before (she is on his route) and she has warned him against going to my church. She goes to a different church than his former church but they are all x UPCs and mine still is UPC.

This isn't isolated. I have heard from others that go to his former church the were taught that from the Pastor over the pulpit.

Is this common in UC churches?

What are these churches saying about other churches? What are they being told by their pastors?

I think it must be common in all churches cause there is a more liberal church in my area and I have heard from their people that are church is legalistic and controlling and that is far from the truth...so if I were you I would just let it go in one ear and out the other...