The churches do also. I attend Sunday morning and Sunday evening services, and Wednesday. Our pastor never talks about it. I have visited at some other churches and I have never heard any pastors speak of it there either. Very few pastors take on anything controversial today. They are afraid to make their congregations mad. They are afraid to lose the tax exemptions. They have no back bone. It took us a year to find a church when we moved back here to Alabama. Now our pastor has gone simple with his sermons. He preaches these days like he is preaching to a room full of brand new Christians. People who have only been hearing the word for a few months or a year or two. He has quit going into the tough areas. He has gone down a road where he is afraid that he will scare the old folks, and does not want to scare off the people who are coming with anything controversial. We come home on Sunday mornings now and discuss when we just heard todays sermon. Was it a month ago or two months ago he gave this same sermon. We are now in a search again to attempt to find a church where a pastor will stand up for the Word of God and is not afraid to speak it. We have been visiting a church the past couple of weeks where the pastor seems to be that man. We will continue to visit there for a while and hope he continues to bring God’s Word direct from the pages of the Book. The Bible warns us of these days in these last days of a dying world. Pastors falling away from preaching God’s Word with authority.
Agreed with much of what you say.
In many ways though even the new Pope seems to be scaling back and stepping away from the Church’s edifice of morality. Simplifying the message to one of forgiveness, mercy, and grace. I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing. If we are in the last days, then many like the thief on the cross, need to seek God’s forgiveness.
I also don’t think ministry is just up to the priest, preacher or pastor. It is up to the congregation. Attending services these days really isn’t enough. One needs to be involved in the Life of the Church too. I myself am guilty of a ‘services’ only member, but have made the commitment to change that habit.
We often speak about this in our men's Sunday school class. (yes, we old men meet separately from the women's Sunday school class.)
I need not ask which church you belong to. It does bother me that a group here are constantly emphasizing where other Christians are not living up to their charge and duty.
I listen to such a pastor on the internet, and his church is in Alabama. I am stuck in communist and apostate Red Hampshire where you would NEVER find a pastor such as you describe.