After reading an extremely negative review from an anonymous poster who grew up in our church, I feel that it is best if I give a gentle response that paints a different picture. I have attended Maranatha Baptist Church of Clarkston for 56 years and have seen this ministry undergo several transitions. While Maranatha has navigated through issues, it is important to understand that this place is far from the bad place portrayed by some. If someone is going to state the weaknesses of this place, then please let the negative statements be fair and precise. Maranatha seriously attempts to handle the Bible with integrity. When Bible talks about hell and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, neither topic is supposed to be pleasant. They can be unpleasant topics even to believers. But we don't want to ignore them. The Bible mentions them to direct us away from our sinful condition and toward eternal life through faith in Christ - who sacrificed himself for our sins. The bad news is that hell is a real place. But we don't have to run to the bathroom to vomit over it (as another reviewer said) because God offers a solution in Jesus Christ. God's way of salvation from hell through Jesus Christ brings us rejoicing in hope (Romans 12:12). Hell no longer brings fear. We are secure in Christ. We believe the Bible teaches complementarianism (rather than egalitarianism) in the family hierarchy. Wives are of equal value to men – but they must also seek to submit to their one husband (not to all men). Children are of equal value to their parents, but they must seek to submit to their father and mother (Galatians 5-6). We believe that the Bible is clear that every human of both genders has some authority to whom they are to submit – and that this concept is not evil. Romans 13, for example, expects believers to submit to appropriate government authority. Even Jesus Christ, God the Son, submits to God the Father (John 6:38). Some forms of Christianity and many world-system ideologies hate the idea of the Biblical human hierarchy of submission – but it is what the Bible teaches. Regarding the charge that public schools are frowned upon - the claim is incorrect, unfortunately. We have a healthy mix of opinions about private, public, and even hybrid schools. The members respect each other’s choices. Regarding homeschooling, the Bob Jones University curriculum is just one of the multiple choices used. We have young people who attend various Christian and secular local and state universities. Two of our pastors did not attend BJU at all. Casting Maranatha Baptist Church as an “extreme church” is subjective name-calling without proof. If Maranatha Baptist Church is “extreme” because it seeks to handle the word of God with integrity, then the charge is true. Now for the positives. Maranatha Baptist Church is a group of people that are imperfect but trying to do the right thing by God’s grace. I have seen scores of families saved from spiritual, psychological, and financial ruin through the love of the people in this assembly over several years. Before one decides to cast Maranatha as a bad place, I recommend that you visit to test it for yourself. Believers are commanded to respond in genuine love which includes blessing those who persecute us (Romans 12:9 and 14). I ask for God's blessing in wellness to those that attack Maranatha Baptist Church with unfair statements. May God also bless you by gently drawing you to Himself by seeing the love that this assembly has for each other and outsiders.