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As old-line Southern Baptist churches struggle, a dying one has an epiphany
Washington Post ^ | 5/30/15 | Stephanie McCrummen

Posted on 05/30/2015 6:29:21 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper

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To: demshateGod
Southern Baptist churches are dying because they left the KJV, started using shallow praise choruses, and went all in with Rick Warren. If you’re looking for sloppy, syrupy, entertainment, there’s always going to be a better venue.

My SBC church is growing and thriving. We use the NIV - there's nothing special about KJV and a lot of folks can't understand the archaic language. We DID do "40 Days of Purpose" many years ago - then we caught on to Warren's game and no longer pay him any mind. As for "shallow praise choruses" - nope, only solid Bible based worship. What you are describing doesn't fit any SBC church I've ever been in (though Satan can trash any church if he's let in).

21 posted on 05/30/2015 9:00:00 PM PDT by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Still bitterly clinging to rational thought despite it's unfashionability)
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To: LukeL

There are already more Coptic Christians in the US than in Egypt.

It’s fascinating to attend one of their services. It’s a mix of alien and familiar. Hearing a language you don’t understand, but suddenly realizing they are saying the Lord’s prayer or singing a familiar song.


22 posted on 05/30/2015 9:03:22 PM PDT by MediaMole
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To: demshateGod

If a cult was all that was keeping the church going, it was better fizzled.


23 posted on 05/30/2015 9:12:07 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: demshateGod

This claim of yours is presumptuous and vigorously refuted on many many angles.

Contrariwise, it is necessary to strive for the best scriptural rendition possible, with all uncertainties about what that might be, well noted with honesty.

This is called the “lower criticism.” It aims to understand exactly what the originals said, at an ideal.


24 posted on 05/30/2015 9:14:53 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Some Fat Guy in L.A.

That’s certainly superior to dry religious pride set up around an artifact.

The Holman bible is probably the one that best reflects classic Baptist doctrine, but the point is not to get hung up over any particular bible rendition: one should test everything. If even an angel preaches a different gospel than the one of Christ himself, reject it as from hell. And that requires intelligent understanding of the overall meaning, not legalisms.


25 posted on 05/30/2015 9:22:19 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: demshateGod
I disagree that not using the KJV is a reason for churches going downhill. I personally use the NASB, and find it very understandable without overly trying to simplify things and thereby losing meaning.

I do agree with you that churches have moved away from preaching and teaching properly from the Word of God, instead speaking messages that are pleasing to mens ears so as not to offend anyone of make anybody uncomfortable. They have tried to become cool, hip, and more worldly thinking they can attract people on their own strength and being more like the world. They forget that the church is not of this world.

They fail to teach the young people the doctrines and truths of the Bible. The old hymns hold a lot of doctrines and lessons, and were written by men and women who were truly moved of God through trials and life experiences that provided beautiful insight.

You cannot blame the churches or the pastors completely, a lot of blame goes to christians who go to church wanting to be entertained and catered to. They forget that they go to church to offer up worship, as a priesthood in service to the Lord. They want the pastor to be entertaining, funny, and cool. Not to get too biblical on them. The messages should not talk about sin or consequences. The music needs to be entertaining and fun to listen to and participate in. The "music leaders" need to be vocal artists and experts with musical instruments. They forget that God does not care how accomplished the musicians are or how crisp the singing is, but the sincere hearts of worshipful believers lifting up their voices in song.

The church needs to repent and remember that they are not of this world.

26 posted on 05/30/2015 10:41:47 PM PDT by Moorings
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To: demshateGod

Erasmus is not without his detractors. Many corrections of his work and his Byzantine source materials have have been made in later editions sourcing earlier greek. But my point is that the KJV is just a translation. Elevating that translation to a root cause of decline is cultural centric at best.

You must prove that Christianity has NEVER flourished without the KJV.


27 posted on 05/31/2015 3:54:02 AM PDT by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: demshateGod
Once the compromise on the Bible, everything else it easy.

I might suggest you do a little research on how our Bibles came into being...

All Bibles are translations from the original text, whether from the Church of England or the Catholic Church...

Granted some translations are better than others and some including the KJV had minor translation errors...

That's why the 1611 AV KJV Bible was the third translation done by Church of England...

Puritans found translation errors in the first two Church of England approved Bibles...

I say this in christian love, it is ignorant to think the KJV is one and only translation that should be used within the walls of the church or in your personal studies...

At some point in the near future China will have more Christians than the USA, their Chinese translation is not the KJV, does that make their churches and teaching not valid...

Whatever translation one uses it is the Holy Spirit that makes the Bible logos, not the written words on the page...

Maybe all these Churches you think are failing because they use the wrong translation are actually failing because the written word is dead to them and they are dead to the Holy Spirit.. ?

28 posted on 05/31/2015 5:14:18 AM PDT by Popman (Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: SoFloFreeper
Acronyms are so blasted annoying in threads where they assume everybody GETS IT.

KJV = "King James Version" of the bible.

You're welcome.

29 posted on 05/31/2015 5:21:25 AM PDT by MaxMax (Call the local GOP and ask how you can support CRUZ for POTUS, Make them talk!)
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To: SoFloFreeper

Bump.


30 posted on 05/31/2015 7:03:52 AM PDT by gov_bean_ counter (Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools)
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To: SoFloFreeper

I call for the conversion of all immigrants from the middle east being settled in the South by Obama.

They must all come to know Jesus!

We must convert them so they can be saved.


31 posted on 05/31/2015 8:00:05 AM PDT by dila813
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To: dila813

Visit the local mosque and start preaching...


32 posted on 05/31/2015 8:03:42 AM PDT by Popman (Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: Popman

That won’t go well, living in the NorthWest, You get attacked by people as if this is a hate crime.

We catch them in the Mall Parking Lots and other places they visit.


33 posted on 05/31/2015 8:27:12 AM PDT by dila813
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To: dila813
We catch them in the Mall Parking Lots and other places they visit.

Is that like a catch and release program ?

Christians or hate filled liberals ?

34 posted on 05/31/2015 10:38:54 AM PDT by Popman (Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: Popman

?


35 posted on 05/31/2015 10:43:39 AM PDT by dila813
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To: dila813

I was wondering who you were catching ?


36 posted on 05/31/2015 11:51:33 AM PDT by Popman (Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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