Many of the former so-called "mainstream" "churches", such as The Episcopal Church USA, have been perverted by elements that no longer adhere to Christian principles.
This is nothing new. Truth has always been under attack. The point we should concern ourselves with is not that conflict happens. Our focus should always be on defending the truth “once for all delivered to the saints.” Everything else is just background noise. The concern should always focus first inward — being sure we do not stray ourselves, carried away by false doctrine and clever emotional appeals.
Just a thought, I don’t think “Christians are at war with one another” anymore now than they were when Luther proved himself to have the biggest pair on the planet. There has always been a certain percentage of Christians who can’t contain, and so misplace, their zeal.
I’m not speaking to the article as a whole. Just to that one contention.
Direct result of liberal infiltration of churches.
We see the same dynamic in the GOP. Death from within.
Christians in the U.S. have been ok with turning their faith into a plastic joke for the past 35 years. It all started in the 80s with those stupid televangelists and mega churches. You will still find plenty of idiots that still give money to those rubes on TV that pretend like they are preforming miracles.
Millennials, for all of their faults, are keen enough to not want to want to be part of that crap.
Got Discernment?
There’s the body of Christ, and then there are the “churches” who manifest the spirit of anti-Christ.
Which is which?
But I see health and personal growth in those who remain and are devoted to Christ.
Church growth comes in two ways- size and health. I guess the opposite is true. The size of many congregations is waning but the health of those who remain is improving. They are "working out their salvation." That's a good thing. The remnant of the Church is the salt and light.
2 Peter 3:3-7
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
Here are a few:
I, The Lord, Desire This Unity
The Advocate
December 20, 1988
There Is A Division In My Church, Like Cain And Abel
September 21, 1990
In Your Hearts I Shall Rebuild The Unity Of My Church
May 2, 1991
Wow! The church next door (where I attend), has a new Pastor and it’s growing by leaps and bounds.
If the Pastor is preaching the right stuff .. people will not leave .. and he will be able to bring people together.
As a society, we attacked the nuclear family and religious values over the past 50 years. The church has been silent on abortion, divorce, homosexuality. Negligent in teaching as well. 2/3 of believers state there are other religions lead to life everlasting.....fundamentally breaks the need for Jesus, sacrifice, forgiveness.
The church leaders are concerned because the next generation won't be there to fill their coffers.
The Liberals and the ACLU have been pretty successful over the years...
The secularists, atheists, communists, and other assorted ilk have been infiltrating the church for some time, sowing the seeds of doubt, and driving a wedge between the faithful and their god.
Christianity is under assault everywhere in the world today, from without and from within.
The only way out is to band together, put our differences aside, and fight back.
The crusades came about for a reason, and not for the reasons your enemies have led you to believe.
Who does he consider Christians? Many of the mainline denominations, such as the Episcopal Church, PCUSA, etc. are led by non-Christians who are agents of Satan. Those are the churches that are collapsing.
Churches are under attack.
Any time you gather people together in a setting like that, you will get cliques, politics, and all sorts of non-church related crap.
Every church that I’ve been associated with since my childhood has been a den of snarky women, butting their nose into everyone’s business...and men who act holy on Sunday...but we don’t miss an opportunity to sin any other day of the week.
Christianity is doing just fine. Whenever two or more are gathered...its all the other junk that messes stuff up.
Many of those people are reachable. They don't like the strictures of "churchy" religion, but many of them are spiritual people with a strong faith. And many will be back in a few years.
The question is how to reach that audience and keep them. Perhaps it would be good to find the younger people who do attend and ask them what drew them and what holds them.
What I find most interesting is that many here consider this a bad thing........
Luk_12:51 Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!
People stop going to church because they figure that the so called Christians inside the building are no different in life style or values than the heathen world on the outside.
People inside the Church manifest the same attitudes as the unsaved world, that is a problem.
Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind by the word of God.
Mark 9:38-41. He knew how we would be.