Posted on 09/24/2009 8:37:40 AM PDT by GodGunsGuts
We are losing our children! Research indicates that 70% of teens who are involved in a church youth group will stop attending church … [1]
Similar statements from Christian leaders aren’t new, but many still can’t seem to identify the root cause of the problem. However, most front-line evangelists in the Western world have reached a consensus. The following quote is from a person who shares his faith more times in a month than most Christians ever will in their lives...
(Excerpt) Read more at creation.com ...
I don’t know if the Pope is a Christian or not. Only God knows.
You can sometimes tell by the fruits of their lives, but in the end, only God knows.
or does he follow man's belief that the world was created without YHvH ? Is he a follower of the Messiah ?
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
“I don’t know if the Pope is a Christian or not.”
The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church on earth. You cannot state with certainty that he is a Christian?
“You can sometimes tell by the fruits of their lives, but in the end, only God knows.”
I was accused earlier in this thread of being haughty, arrogant, and dismissive. Answers such as yours in response to the question as to whether Catholics are Christians are even more deserving of such description.
Are you a Christian? Are you and God in agreement on that point? How would I know?
Yes, I am a Christian. I received Christ into my life forty years ago. People who know us, know that we are Christians. Our lives reflect it. Of course you wouldn’t know because you don’t know me. Yes, God and I are in agreement. I have the assurance that I am born again and will live with Christ for all eternally. My husband, brought up Catholic, also now has that assurance.
Not all Catholics are Christian. Not all church going protestants are Christians. It’s what they’ve done with Christ that makes that difference.
No, I can’t. Like I said, only God knows his heart and his relationship with Christ. I pray that he is.
Like I said to this good poster, I pray he IS a Christian, but only God knows his heart.
No, nor did I say so.
"Certainly it is good. But "nice" and "loving people" are not the same as being a Christian. "Good" is not the same as being a Christian. I'm sure there are lots of loving and nice pagans in the world."
True...though I never implied otherwise. I said, that within the context of building church membership, it was a good place to start.
"But do you really think young people turn away from church/Christianity because they have not been taught to love people?"
No, not necessarily, but mine was a bigger point about how to attract people to the church - it's through that kind of loving outreach, not clobbering them over the head with anti-Darwin lectures, etc.
"I think they are taught this constantly in church and youth camps, but that teaching is so generic and part of pretty much all religions that the yutes see no reason to connect to a religion that is the same as all others, or the same as just "doing good works" with no judgment and no need for a Redeemer.
I think the reasons for their leaving the church are legion - religion can seem oppressive or disapproving, it can seem unrealistic, unscientific or anti-modern (especially given Hollywood & the Left's unrelenting assaults), those who espouse it can sometimes be very poor models for its tenants, and the seeming distance of God - the enduring silence when juxtaposed by the pain and misery of life can make the entire practice seem meaningless. Personally, I think helping those in need and compassion towards sinners and the oppressed - a church community - are a way back to people's hearts, afer all one must be relevant before the truth or falsity of ones ideas will be adjuged.
How could Marysecretary know?
What do you think defines someone as a Christian?
Who needs God when Government provides all one’s needs? Unfortunately for the ‘government is god’ folks, they’ll find out the hard way that they’ve made a devil’s bargain.
“What do you think defines someone as a Christian?”
Apparently, that information is only available to members of your cult.
If you don't know you should say so and I, or another Christian freeper, will explain it to you. If you do know then say so.
The subtitle of this thread, “why Christianity is losing the younger generation”, is neatly answered in your reply.
Further to the point, Christianity is not losing the younger generation; it’s only your particular brand of non-denominational, evangelical, literal, fundamental, I’m-in-and-you’re-not, cultish twisting of the basic faith that is.
Your faith is weak, indeed.
Bye bye, younger generation.
Perhaps they’ll become Episcopalians, you know, Christians...
Thank you for the clarification and Amen.
All Christians believe The Gospel (ICor.15:1-4) and will preach it when given a chance.
BTW, I enjoy your witness.
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