[redgolum]

The spirit of AntiChrist has been in the Church since the beginning. Paul warned of it. What we are seeing is the rise of an AntiChurch, in a way which we didn't see before. Beyond schism and heresy, which have also been since the beginning, the biggest threat to Christianity today is that many have "A form of Godliness, but denying its power". How many people have you met who only view the teachings of Jesus as a philosophy? How many pastors/priests have you met that do that?

I haven't read the story cited in the article, but have heard it mentioned a few times. Pelakin talks of it in "Jesus Through the Centuries".

[livius]

I don't know if you read First Things (a magazine that one might describe as "ecumenical orthodoxy"), but there's a good article in this issue about the "metaphysical religion" that many Americans have adopted - including many churches, whether formally or informally. Someone has written a book about the history of this aspect of American religion, and Fr. Neuhaus' review of it is very interesting.

Many people continue to go to creedal churches but their actual beliefs are entirely different. This ranges from things like viewing Jesus as a great philosopher to believing in reincarnation (something like 30% of self-identified Christians say they believe in reincarnation!). It's an article worth reading.

[Quix]

Yup. Caught it. Thanks.