[txrefugee]

We have all the signs of the Last Times. One of them is The Great Falling Away.

And then The End shall come to His Story.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

[ColdSteelTalon]

the Churches are looking more like the world. That’s why I am careful what Church I set my foot into.

[GeronL]

but change the ancient beliefs

No way.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: but only after decades of spectacular growth ::

Based on who’s standard?

[Kartographer]

"Ms. Evans critiques hashtag campaigns, young-adult groups with names like “Prime” and “Vertical,” and concert-style worship services. She mocks talk of “market share” and “branding,” and in so doing sounds every bit as traditionalist as those who despise the praise choruses of the typical Evangelical megachurch and long for the simple “old-time religion” of their grandparents."

They use some of this in my and sometimes I do wonder about it and long for a bit of “old-time religion” of my grandparents, but then in service I look around and I see the young people with their tatoos and piercings raising their hands in praise of God and I am reminded this is their time. These are the parents of the next generation if they are Godly and believers then there is an excellent chance that their children with be as well. The church dies without new blood, How many churches have you seen that in their piety they fail to reach out a make believers out of young people and as their members age the congregation dies off with no new blood coming in to carry on the work.

Even the most conservative of today's churches would seem very liberal if you were to compare them to the churches of 100, 50 even 25 years ago. My pastor tells the story of how in his first church he and the music director decided to put up TV monitors so the words to the Praise and Worship songs could be displayed for the congregation to follow. It was as cheap or cheaper than new hymnals and new songs could be added to the service at anytime. But he actually had a small group of members quit because he had brought in TV' the Devils tools into the church!

The other thing that I find troubling is the how the term Mega Church has become so derogatory even among Christians. If the Church is preaching the word and not 'Fluff and Puff' then I would hope that it is packing them in! Well I like a small church some say, so what are you going to do put a limit on attendance? Stand outside and when your chosen threshold is met stop anyone else from coming in and lock the door? Or when one more person starts attending your church then you deem right quit and mover to another? I wonder if these types if they had lived in the time of Jesus would have put up a rope barer to limit attendance to the Sermon on the Mount?

[mulligan]

If one wants to destroy anything and/or everything, just look to government. And that includes both sides of the aisle. Democrats and liberals just do it faster, but cannot do it alone. The Republicans talk restraint but are enablers.

[NorthMountain]

If You Want to Destroy Your < fill in the blank >, Follow Liberals’ Advice

[Gamecock]

We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.

OK, easy enough.

I am against abortion!

I am for the protection of life in the uterus.

[cookcounty]

Shocking Church service in Egypt: 50,000-70,000 Christians gathered to pray for their country. Check this out. Shockingly wonderful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTU-MwzZWhY

[tanknetter]

The writer leaves one item, perhaps the most important one, off the “list”: that anyone who doesn’t agree with the list (and Progressive definitions ofvwhat they mean - “truce” being code for surrender by Conservatives, for instance) should be systematically bullied, marginalized and driven into exile.

I’m, ironically for the original article being cited, Episcopal. With a long Episcopal family lineage. I was born to Episcopals, was Christened, took first Communion and was confirmed Episcopal, and will die Episcopal.

It’s my heritage. But I have only been in an Episcopal Church three times in the last 20 years (one wedding, two Christenings). I didn’t leave my Church, but it did leave me.

The cause of that was Gene Robinson. And, frankly, it wasn’t so much that he was elected a Bishop as how the Church leadership at the time not only refused to make any accomidation for those who opposed it, but also invited any one who wasn’t willing to submit to their “revised” doctrine to leave the Church. When people, people of good conscience, did, the ECUSA called in it’s lawyers to punish them and make examples of them, by stripping their congregations of their parish property.

Which was decidedly Unchristian and intolerant of a Church purporting to be ... Christian and tolerant.

[vpintheak]

These are all great Christ-like things:

We want an end to the culture wars.

We want a truce between science and faith.

We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.

We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.

We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.

We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.

We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers.

But they ALL MUST be backed by sound Biblical doctrine!

[avenir]

We want...we want...we want.

The leech has two daughters: "Give" and "Give"--Proverbs 30:15