Posted on 02/21/2006 2:17:28 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
THE head of the World Council of Churches has expressed concern about the spread of megachurches around the world, such as Hillsong in Sydney, saying they could lead to a Christianity that is "two miles long and one inch deep".
The WCC General Secretary Samuel Kobia said megachurches - huge Protestant churches with charismatic pastors, lively music and other services - mostly ran on a business model to make worshippers feel good and were shallow in their theology.
Megachurches, which pack in thousands for rousing Sunday worship services, are popular in suburbs in the United States. Most are evangelical or Pentecostal, with few or no ties to mainline churches such as the Lutherans or Episcopalians.
Mr Kobia said the megachurch movement, which is not represented in the mostly mainline Protestant or Orthodox World Council of Churches, broke down borders among denominations with a populist message.
"It has no depth, in most cases, theologically speaking, and has no appeal for any commitment," the Kenyan Methodist said at the WCC world assembly in this Brazilian city.
The megachurches simply wanted individuals to feel good about themselves, he said.
"It's a church being organised on corporate logic. That can be quite dangerous if we are not very careful, because this may become a Christianity which I describe as 'two miles long and one inch deep'."
Reverend Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director of the 400 million member World Evangelical Alliance, said at the assembly that "historical and deeply-felt issues" separated them from other branches of Christianity.
The largest US megachurches attract some 20,000 worshippers every Sunday. Abroad, megachurches have also sprouted up in Australia, South Korea, Britain, Canada, and other countries.
According to a report by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, there were 1210 US churches drawing more than 2000 worshipers, the official minimum for a megachurch. That was double the number in 2000.
The WCC groups nearly 350 Protestant and Orthodox churches that mostly broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the Great Schism of 1054 or in the 16th century Reformation.
Yes, it is a problem, but you can start your own group using church members and sing in other places. We do a lot of singing in retirement homes and hospitals.
Nothing says you are limited to worship in the sanctuary. Quite frankly, outreach to people who really need His love is as important as "singing to the choir" in a worship service.
Possibly more important.
Also, you have creative control.....hehehehe
My thought exactly !
No, it is Bible, not philosphical speculation.
God ordained the elect from before the foundation of the world, based on nothing in the individuals themselves, based solely upon His good pleasure. Or else our righteousness saves us. And Scripture clearly says it doesn't.
Well, you haven't provided any that proves that.
What Scripture does say is that God wants all men to be saved (1Tim.2:4), Gave His Son so all men could be saved (Jn.3:16), That when Christ was raised up, He would draw all men to Him (Jn.12:32), that those who do not come to Him do so because they love not the truth (Jn.3:20), that faith is not a work (Rom.4:3-5).
No one is Predestinated to be saved, they are predestinated because they are saved.
If God saves men on "foreseen" faith, they why does he go ahead and make someone anyway whom He knows will not "choose" faith and who will burn in hell? Doesn't seem like much of a "choice" to me.
Gee, and since when are your God?
Funny, how Calvinists talk about how they know exactly how God should behave.
That was Calvin's biggest mistake, he thought he was smarter then God.
So it makes more sense that God himself creates the people to send them to hell without any choice?
No God wants them be saved, but it is they who choose against God.
God's love wants only those who want Him.
That works for me. Ephesians shouts it. God decides who goes to heave; we don't. If we had the last yea or nay, we would be the final arbiter to our salvation. "ye shall be as gods..."
No, we have the final say on deciding on accepting the offer of salvation.
That doesn't make us 'gods' that makes us dependent on the gift for our eternal salvation.
Eph. speaks of being in Christ and that is how one gets Predestinated to be conformed to Christ's image.
God see's who would believe and get into Christ and on that basis they are locked into a predestinated eternal plan.
Calvin's view of predesination was simply a futile attempt at maintaining eternal security.
Eternal security is based on being in Christ (Eph.4:4:30, 5:30, 2Tim.2:13), not some Sovereign choice by God to save some and damn others.
Read some more of the Institutes, not just an Arminian commentary. 8~)
I have them read and marked.
It is not an Arminian commentary that undermines the Institutes, it is the Bible itself.
Gotta go. Can't play today. Enjoy the weekend.
I hope you had a blessed weekend, as did I.
bflr
Amen, Dr. Eckleburg. A great post and thanks for the ping! :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.