Well, it was an interesting choice of Cameron's to attend the particular church he did and may cause me to have to amend the type of fundamentalist I thought he was. The Willow Creek Association is a large group of churches, based around the philosophy of the Chicago one (see www.willowcreek.com) that he attended and many, many other links on the web.

This group is at the forefront of the liberal evangelical movement which seeks to convert new people to Christianity and make the religion more relevant to modern day. When that church was set up, it actually hired non Christian business consultants and asked people who didn't go to church what they'd like in services. They then came up with them - so basically, its services are much the same as the self-help, new age lectures that abound throughout the States.

However, the type of fundamentalist Christian I thought Cameron was would hate this church - it has no crosses in it, and just looks like a shopping mall. The services do not quote the Gospels or from the Bible at all, in order to appeal to non-Christians.

I don't know - I will say one thing for him, he's certainly a bit of an enigma, this Cameron

And he said that Church was famous back in Orkney. I thought the whole thing was bizaare...the place was like an auditorium and not the type of Church I thought Cameron would worship in. It fits in his comment about wanting to be a tv Evangelist though.

I'm sure it is famous in Orkney, particularly if his new church is an affiliate, and you're right about the TV evangelist. It also fits in with his prior youth work - someone desiring to appeal and convert the young to Christianity would prefer that sort of place.

However, it is totally alien to someone reading the bible and taking it as a literal guide to life.

Methinks there's a very contradictory Church of Scotland conservatism/Baptist liberal evangelism battle taking place in Cameron's belief system.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO???

Run a Church like a business and rake in $100,000's!!!

Just sums up why I'm an Atheist !!!

The Church just doesn't work today does it?

Churches like that are spring up all over the place. I can name at least three in my local town and they're all based around American ideas.

Now here's the rub.

They prey on the vulnerable. They scour the scummier housing estates and target the poor and poorly educated, dragging them in and indoctrinating them.

No money to donate? No problem. They'll make you work - all 'voluntary' of course and there's always a good labour pool so the richer members can hire cheap workers on the black economy to do their gardening, childminding etc.

Whole thing's a bloody sham.

well said edna

I must say I was a bit surprised to see Cameon at this 'meeting' too.I noticed immediately it was not a Baptist service and that guy on stage was no minister.

I can't figure Cameron out at all....why did he go to an evangelical meeting and not his regular Sunday service? Even where he stands on religion seems a bit curious.

Possibly because Gos was there? Perhaps, as Gos is clearly not a strict Sikh, Cameron sees the chance to convert him and wanted to appeal with this 'nearly secular' Christianity.

On the other hand, he did seem to be taking notice of the service himself so I just don't know. I agree, his actual beliefs are as much an enigma as the rest of him. Oh, I wish I could sit him down where I know I would get honest answers and just ask him to find out where he stands. I can understand Jon's frustration - he appears to be a complex character but we know almost nothing about him.

I'm no religious expert sympathy but I wouldn't call that place a 'Church' at all.Any 'Christian' venue that has no crucifix,a stage instead of an altar,no priest or minister is not a Church in my book.....they could hold one of their 'meetings' in a local rock music venue and it wouldn't be a problem.

They've held rock concerts there too - 'Christian' rock of course, but concerts nonetheless.

A good point about Gos,perhaps there are even theological reasons as to why it would be innapropriate for Gos to attend a Baptist service.

Cameron is an enigma as you say.What exactly is he? A fundamentalist or a liberal? I would have expected many conservative Baptists to disapprove of that evangelical prayer meeting (or whatever you want to call it)

They and Cameron may call it a 'Church' Bodders,but in reality it's just a building where they meet once a week.When you think of a church (or a synagogue or a mosque or whatever),you think of a place that's situated on sacred or consecrated ground with religious trappings inside.

That place looked more like a music venue inside,but it's the lack of ministers that make it not a Church in my book.That guy on stage looked like some sort of lay preacher.

Prayer meeting seems to be the best compromise. I know a lot do disapprove - if you're really bored, you can search on the web and you'll see many articles from more conservative ministries attacking it as too secular.

Cameron, who takes parts of Leviticus literally, approves of this. All I can do is agree that I'm very confused

Bretheren are the same. No ministers and they meet in gospel halls instead of churches. When a member of the sect needs to get married they have to bring in the civil registrar.

For the record, any Baptists I know have a cordial dislike of the Bretheren

So, basically, it's Christianity for people who don't believe in God, read the Bible or understand the rituals of worship? What next? Football without teams or a round ball (after all it can travel quite quickly and it might hit someone). Airports without planes (after all, they might crash!!)?

I am not a Christian but this tendency to water everything down so that it won't freak people out really gets to me.

If Cam approves of this approach either he is broader-minded than I thought (a happy prospect), didn't want to offend the friends who do go there (not likely) or less sure of his own beliefs than he wished us to believe when voting (entirely possible).

I don't think Cameron himself knows who he is. I think he tries to be what he believes a good Chritian is but to do this he has had to repress a lot of his true nature. Only in "extreme" situations does the real Cameron seem to emerge (as in BBSA trip (anger), when Lisa was in the house (bitchiness) and when he spent time with Anoushka and Tania (sex) and Ray (confused sexuality)).
If he is really into a new agey kind of church then he should no that repression is not to be encouraged. It should be "brought into the light" so that it can be understood and transformed into positive energy.
My theory is that Cameron has a very successfull brother which brought on sibling rivalry thus he needed to do something dramatic inorder to become recognised .. hence the BB3 and BB4 application. However how to explain the fact that he was an over 30s virgin ... hide behind religion ... and how to combine the two to be famous .. well use BB as a stepping stone to be a TV evangelist. How to ensure he wins BB ... put on wide eyed little boy act so mums find him cute and girls want him as a daddy.