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Thanks, folks. The bulk of my post was a cut-and-paste, though I was reading it and saying YES, YES, YES, because it's all so true.

IMO, the Southern Bapitists have been steadfast in their values, beliefs, and teachings in accordance with Jesus and biblical verse.

I'm a Southern Baptist myself. I attend a church that averages 600-800 in Sunday morning worship service. Our pastor is a devout, Godly man who preaches the Bible unapologetically.

With all that said, though, I must say that we--and that certainly includes ME--Southern Baptists have our own problems. I think we too get far too wrapped up in the comfort and convenience and the entertainment aspect. I think we far too often hole up in the sanctuary on Sunday, get our own spiritual batteries recharged, take comfort in feeling like we have at least one place of sanity left. There's nothing wrong with any of that, provided it doesn't become primary and provided it doesn't hamper our taking the truth OUT of the church. I personally need to do a much better job of that.

As for our country, it breaks my heart. Lib, in your original post, you asked what we saw coming in ten years, in twenty years, etc. Provided the Lord doesn't return by then, and provided there hasn't been cataclysmic judgment or war, here's a snapshot of where I think this country will be in twenty years:

Homosexuality will be rampant. What we see in Disney World today will be commonplace on the vast majority of American streets. Gay "marriage" will be legal in around 75% of the states, and gays will be as protected as racial minorities are today.
Christians will be a TINY minority, almost universally scorned by the rest of society, branded as haters. ALL traces of Christianity will be banned from the public arena.
"Hate" will be a HUGE buzzword of a label that will be slapped on anyone who dares to criticize any kind of behavior as wrong.
Pedophilia and incest will be far more accepted than Christianity.
The United States will be wholly subject to world courts and governing bodies, its sovereignty diminished by staggering proportions. We will be participating in international tax schemes.
We will no longer be able to legally purchase firearms, and the murmurs about collecting existing guns from citizens will be rumbling loudly.
Network television will regularly feature nudity and sexual content that would warrant an "R" rating today.
Abortion will be not only legal, but government funded on a regular basis.
Tobacco will be illegal.
Lawsuits against restaurant chains for making people fat, the kinds of lawsuits that are just now getting started, will have been at least as successful as tobacco lawsuits have at this point.
Conservatives will still be talking about the next election as if it's gonna make a hill of beans difference, still unaware that they have played the part of frogs in boiling water for decades. Many things we consider liberal today will be so commonplace that they will be the status quo that conservatives will be trying to protect.
MM

Homosexuality will be rampant. What we see in Disney World today will be commonplace on the vast majority of American streets.

Why? Are you going out to bugger someone now that it's legal? Do you really believe that the LAW prevents people from having sex?

Your words ring frighteningly true. Only by the grace of God will we get through.

As to your comment about about the churches becoming our last sanctuary of sanity (disputable in light of the caving of many to PC), it reminded me of something a former priest used to say (I am Episcopalian). "You will not find God in church unless you bring Him with you."

The problem with our churches are twofold in my opinion. First, far too many have allowed themselves to become IRS approved 501c-3 CORPORATIONS and in exchange for all the tax benefits associated with this status the fedgov has literally muzzled the pastors of these coporations with the threat of revoking their status should anyone start to publicly declare the truth about the wide range of self destructive problems we're facing as a nation.

Also, a recent conversation I had with a pastor of a huge congregation in the Dallas area sums up another factor contributing to our demise. I approached him with a basic question as to why his sermons weren't more strident about issues such as homosexuality, abortion, education system, patriotism, etc.....and his ansers was classic: "well, we just don't want to offend anybody, we just want to keep bringing more people into our church family". My retort was: "that's all well and good but if we're hearing week after week the plain vanilla "series of messages" that speak nothing about the real war going on outside of the church as well as the fact that we're not discussing effective means for Christian families to armor themselves in standing up to the evil permeating our society then what reason is there to keep attending this church?". With that he mumbled something and turned away to greet other parishoners.....the next week he announced another big new building project which I refused to give any $$ because he sure OFFENDED me with his attitude.

Will you marry me?