Posted on 04/25/2005 11:57:39 AM PDT by Keyes2000mt
As we look at renewing the culture in regards to human life, education, and the media, there's one thing that's required of the church more than anything else: repentance. Repentance is more than just saying your sorry, its changing your way of doing things.
The Sins of the Church
One of the greatest errors of the Evangelical Church is its introduction of consumerism into worship. An usher of one of the Montana's largest churches told me to "Have fun" as I arrived for Morning worship. Of course, wasn't that the cry of David's heart, "Let us go to the House of the Lord and have fun." Does the underground church in restricted countries risk their lives so that someday they can have a singles group go out to McDonalds?
The egocentric view of our church life, as if it's a diversion, a mere act of entertainment, misses the point of worship. Can we be surprised that churches are producing few great leaders when our very worship is based on our own selfish choices and slick marketing campaigns as churches sell themselves as cheaply as Levi jeans.
If Christians wonder why they're not taken seriously by the culture around them, they need only look in the mirror. How can the secular world take our faith seriously when we treat it so lightly?
Evangelicals have a great deal of pride. We're proud of the experiences that our particular denominations teach. Some will go as far to declare that those who are not in their particular tradition will not be saved, regardless of whether they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, accept Him as their Savior, and stand by the great uniting principles of traditional Christianity.
Indeed, search the Internet and you will find no lack of apologetic arguments where Christians battle Christians over issues of great import such as the correct name to call Jesus, whether you should be baptized in the name of "the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost" or "Jesus" only. Another popular topic is the Sabbath. You'll have people writing long screeds against Contemporary Christian music or a hated Bible version. Yet, through all the debates and the noise, you'll never move one inch closer to God.
Of course, these Christian apologists attack Christians by disregarding the biblical commandment to avoid "foolish questions, contentions, and striving about the law which is unprofitable and vain." (Titus 3:9)
I've had ministers tell me that they will not lift a finger to stop abortion because they fear the pro-life movement is an attempt to unite the church. Thus, they will wash their hands of the unborn so that they may be pure from any influence from Catholics or other denominations. We could go on, but it's time for Evangelicals to learn humility before God and man and cease attempting to prejudge the eternal future of those who call on the name of the Lord.
We must also turn from selective morality. Most pastors have no problem speaking against homosexuality, abortion, and other sins no one in their congregation is practicing openly, however rampant no-fault divorces will get few words in many churches. In some churches, you will hear more condemnations of women's clothing styles than you will the destruction of marriages without just or biblical cause.
Every issue we talk about, the church has been part of the problem. Divorce has been rampant in Evangelical Christianity like nowhere else. Many Christians support immoral films, and even those who are more discerning have to define deviancy down in choosing movies they'll see. Most Christians send their kids to public school and don't read the curriculum and aren't active in their local PTA.
The church needs to get back to basics. First of all, the church needs to be a place that nurtures and disciples young families and teaches against no-fault divorce. Secondly, churches need to get back to an idea of personal holiness. Too many churches have taught people to live just like the world around them in their entertainment and the decisions they make and its no surprise that their life does not go well.
In finances, Christians need to reprioritize their lives. Watching commercial Christian television and radio, every other ad is for debt consolidation, home business scams, or avoiding bankruptcy. This indicates the advertisers know a lot of Christians are over their heads in debt trying to live a lifestyle they don't need and can't really afford.
Thus, they find themselves in a situation where both parents have to work full-time, leaving no choice but to send their children to public school. The Bible tells us that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. If God and family are truly what Christians treasure, its time for us to start living like it.
The most evil thing ever foister on the church was tying it's tax exempt status to it's ability to teach whatever it wanted with regard to politics. The Satan loving liberals must be particularly proud of that one.
I am never surprised to find out new fun facts about all these "Churches of What's happening Now". Really, how far does one go to be relevant to the folks in the pew (or sitting in lotis position on a silk pillow)? I am a Catholic of sorts and I really appreciate a nice quiet Mass without too many distractions where my feeble mind can collect some feeble thoughts and connect to my God in my own limited way.
Well, I don't trust smiley faced Christianity, and I are one. I DO want to see smiles at church, but real ones, not the phoney ones pasted on at (sorry) certain evangelical denominations.
So sorry evangelicals, guess you all have problems too... maybe your faith isn't rooted as deeply as you'd like. Join the club. Find the perfect church, join it, and it won't be perfect any more.
Sometimes when I'm working hard at church I stop and think I'm having too much fun to call it service. But it's different from happy clappy joy joy. Christian joy is about living it, rain or shine, good mood or bad, good circumstances or poor, good health or not. Repentence means exactly what the article said, but I would say it like this -- along with God's love comes accountability. Gentle, loving, kind, but enduring accountability. And from that grows humility.
How will YOU do when it comes time to give account? That's what I thought. Thank God for his Mercy and His Grace. I asked a Muslim man I used to work with why he was eating on the first day of Ramadan. He replied "Because I'm a BAD Muslim. My penance would be to feed a poor person for 30 days, but if I don't do that I have to feed another one for 60 days and so on... there's no way out." I said to him "Thank Goodness for Mercy, eh?" He just looked nervous, and I left it at that. Thanks be to God for His Mercy and Divine Grace.
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