Posted on 06/18/2014 7:11:18 AM PDT by Gamecock
The evangelical movement is about to divide.
Nothing could be clearer.
It’s true that we have often disagreed over things like church government, views of the Second Coming, baptism, lifestyle habits, worship style and musical preference. But those differences, though deeply felt, were intramural debates over secondary issues.
This time we are going to divide over a primary issue.
It is isn’t just about homosexuality or even about gay marriage, though that is the most obvious factor. When all the cards are out on the table, it will be clear that we have divided over biblical authority. Some of us will say, "We accept the 2000-year-old teaching shared until recently by every branch of the Christian movement that God designed marriage for one man and one woman.” We will also say that all sexual activity outside of marriage is sin. And we will continue to insist that homosexual behavior is always sinful.
Evidently not everyone will agree with us. That includes some folks who graduated from our leading Christian colleges and seminaries.
For a variety of reasons, they will insist that the church has been wrong about this for 2000 years and that we must extend Christian fellowship to openly homosexual men and women. They must be allowed to join the church, sing in the choir, teach Sunday School, and if they are otherwise qualified, they could be chosen as deacons, elders and pastors.
As Al Mohler has recently insisted, there is no middle ground on this issue. We aren’t going to be able to paper over the difference or to "agree to disagree” as if this issue is like disagreeing on the timing of the rapture or whether or not we should sing more hymns.
This is a deal-breaker. Can’t we all just get along? No, we can’t.
The people who argue for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church are going to go one way, and the rest of us are going to go another. This will mean splitting denominations, leaving churches, and in some cases, it will divide families.
No one can be happy about the very real pain involved. But better that we should separate than stay together and pretend at a unity that does not exist.
A few years ago I would have thought that most evangelicals would stay true to the biblical teaching about marriage. Today I will hedge my bets on that issue. We hear seductive voices calling us to "rethink” our position while other influential leaders admit to "struggling” over this issue. Clearly those voices are having an impact.
But in one sense it doesn’t matter. The people who think it’s okay for two guys or two girls to get married and then come and lead Awana on Wednesday night will never be accepted by the rest of us.
We aren’t buying what they are selling.
Because our culture has shifted on this issue, the price for fidelity to biblical teaching is rising all the time. Christians who openly stand for one man-one woman marriage will face increasing opposition in the days to come. It may be that we will be the ones leaving some churches because we are the minority.
So be it.
The divide is coming and in some senses is already upon us. We all get to decide where we will stand.
You can’t straddle the fence forever. Pastor, you’ll have to take a stand. Church leaders, you’ll have to take a stand. Christian friend, you’ll have to take a stand.
Years ago I heard Don Cole say that "it is better to divide over truth than to unite around error.” He was right, and because of that we will soon be going in different directions.
Actually, this was also seen in 2008 when so many black self-proclaimed Christians voted cult-like for a nominee who supported the murder of babies born AND unborn.
Apparently his love for infanticide didn’t matter to them. His disdain for the Bible and God’s values was not important enough to these voters to turn their back on the cult leader Obama.
We need for the Evangelical Voters to get out and Vote in 2014 to take back the Senate, keep the House and get America back on track!
Very sad, but also ironically encouraging, as we see the Day approaching.
It is isn’t just about homosexuality or even about gay marriage, though that is the most obvious factor. When all the cards are out on the table, it will be clear that we have divided over biblical authority. Some of us will say, "We accept the 2000-year-old teaching shared until recently by every branch of the Christian movement that God designed marriage for one man and one woman.” We will also say that all sexual activity outside of marriage is sin. And we will continue to insist that homosexual behavior is always sinful.
Evidently not everyone will agree with us. That includes some folks who graduated from our leading Christian colleges and seminaries. For a variety of reasons, they will insist that the church has been wrong about this for 2000 years and that we must extend Christian fellowship to openly homosexual men and women. They must be allowed to join the church, sing in the choir, teach Sunday School, and if they are otherwise qualified, they could be chosen as deacons, elders and pastors. As Al Mohler has recently insisted, there is no middle ground on this issue. We aren’t going to be able to paper over the difference or to "agree to disagree” as if this issue is like disagreeing on the timing of the rapture or whether or not we should sing more hymns.
This is a deal-breaker. Can’t we all just get along? No, we can’t.
PFL
...and in so doing they prove themselves to be Matthew 7:21-23 “Christians.”
But when is the last time you heard a sermon on adultery which is far more widespread than homosexuality?
I do agree though...a time for choosing is coming....and fast.
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The RCC needs to clean up a lot of its false teachings first.
The real question is how many will come to follow Jesus as Lord and only Jesus as Lord....not a church, not mary, not icons, etc.
Luk 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
What false teachings?
I have a friend that sent me a copy of a Prophetic Manifesto. quick read. Looked on Amazon and they have it for $2.99 as a download. I sent it as a gift to relatives and friends.
http://www.amazon.com/Prophetic-Manifesto-David-Reagan-ebook/dp/B009DOZRHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403106734&sr=8-1&keywords=prophetic+manifesto
Regarding splits. . .many denominations do not own their building. The hierarchy does. I know of a situation where a congregation didn’t want their money they were required to send in going to the world council of churches and didn’t want to go along with a lot of the liberal edicts that were coming down. They built the 100 year old church and in fact renovated it. . .they were told by one of the denomination’s “officials” that he would rather see the building be used by the coon hunters if they weren’t willing to support the denomination’s decisions. Needless to say there is now an empty church building out in the country. The members went to other churches rather than stay with the denomination.
Some churches have to take who they are sent as pastors rather than choosing their own. In our community two churches have been sent doozies on several occasions.
Woe to the lukewarm pastors and lukewarm churches.
We aren’t separating. The chaff is going to get rid of the wheat because every time they look at the wheat, they realize what they are. The guilt will make them chase us out. The darkness “hates” the light.
Which denomination or sect taught you that doctrine ?
Paul confirms the holy catholic apostolic church is founded on the apostles and prophets of Israel, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. It is not founded on Peter's profession of faith, albeit the LORD chose Peter as his delegated shepherd.
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
“I would add that we need to address ALL forms of sin. It seems in our churches that we have our “favorite” sins to call out. These are the easy ones like homosexuality.”
I don’t think that is the case at all. What I see is that calling adultery, lying, greed, etc sins is just not controversial. Everyone agrees that those are sinful, so churches are not dividing over the issue. Some churches have taken it upon themselves to declare that homosexuality is NOT sinful, so of course they have created a controversy over it.
It seems that no thread in the religion forum can be about the thread’s topic. Instead, they must all devolve into a rehash of the 1400s and 1500s...
FWIW, evangelicals believe in Sola Scriptura. That means NO evangelical church will accept homosexual acts as acceptable. It also excludes much of Catholic theology, as any good Catholic ought to realize. But this thread is about evangelicals and pseudo-evangelicals, and how the latter are revealing themselves in their compromising of Sola Scriptura.
We don’t need MORE pro-abortion democrat voters, we need FEWER.
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