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To: joesbucks
Only a small percentage of ministries, most notably Billy Graham's organization, are actively grooming a successor. Franklin Graham is far more politically conservative than his evangelist father. Whether the younger Graham will become a political activist is unknown. Focus on the Family, the current "800 pound gorilla" of the evangelical world, seems to lack a succession plan, and James Dobson, who turns 70 this year, has had problems with both heart disease and cancer. Jerry Falwell, who also has had serious medical issues, will leave an institutional legacy with Liberty University and his church, but probably not much else. As for Pat Robertson, he may have intended to groom his son, Gordon Robertson, to take over his media and educational interests, but he obviously has a problem stepping out of the limelight.

Up and coming leaders among evangelicals include Rick Warren (who falls into the anti-doctrinal and seeker sensitive category), Joel Osteen (same category as Warren), and Albert Mohler, who may lead the Southern Baptist Convention away from dispensationalism and into a more Reformed viewpoint. My guess is that the Christian Right will be more or less a memory by 2020. However, absent their influence, there will be little, humanly speaking, to prevent this nation from sliding further to the political and social Left.

309 posted on 01/19/2006 10:05:54 AM PST by Wallace T.
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To: Wallace T.
Albert Mohler, who may lead the Southern Baptist Convention away from dispensationalism and into a more Reformed viewpoint

I get the distinct impression that a Mohler reformation is less toward a new church and more toward an old church.

318 posted on 01/19/2006 10:19:16 AM PST by joesbucks
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To: Wallace T.
However, absent their influence, there will be little, humanly speaking, to prevent this nation from sliding further to the political and social Left.

Maybe I look at this in the wrong manner, but despite an admitted revival in conservatism and even religion, it is very surface oriented. Thus, I believe before the church focuses on the secular world, it needs to seriously review it's internal structure. It's core and value system has rotted. Frankly, I believe it was from that rotted core that the rise of the late 50's through early 70's counter culture gained much of its footing. It was the beginning of cheap grace.....being polite, that brought on that counter culture and its resultant moral liberalism.

In response to the cultural decay, the Dobson's et al began to rise as a counterweight to turn back the 60's. The tactic was to impose God rather than expose God to the 60's generation. However, because of the overall decay in the traditional mainstream and evangelical churches, the undercurrent of the Jesus movement of the 70's appeared and it's offspring the seeker movement has taken over. Each have moral relativism. The seekers use come as you are and a more open form of relativism. The Dobson movement talks a moral line, likes to impose it's will on the unchurched and unsaved, but ultimately relies on cheap grace to cover it's flanks when sin enters.

I certainly am no advocating imposing a Puritan lifestyle. But I wonder if something similar without all the legalism is closer to what God has in mind for us.

329 posted on 01/19/2006 10:32:05 AM PST by joesbucks
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