"In a news article, dated March, 2012, I read: "Is the American Evangelical Faith approaching the sunset, or the sunrise of its influence? Readers of Church history note the panoramic ebb and flow of the Gospel's influence upon the moral direction of nations. Western Europe, that once officially embraced the faith, no longer does.... American culture, with its own rich history of Gospel influence intertwined with its cherished individualism, pivots between abandoning its own moral moorings and experiencing a re-awakening to the Lord of the old virtues in ways.
Regrettably, too many pastors have already decided which direction the country will take.As Church leaders, you set the tone of expectation for the rising generation. But, what will it be?" Ecclesia, March 2012
Christianity, now due to adhering to these old virtues, increasingly has become less popular. I have no doubt, so future Church leaders will face choices regarding old virtues that cannot be dodged.
Now, three years later, the world is facing a new threat.. We have a new fascist type of enemy, motivated by their religious fervor, called ISIS.This is the name of a new Muslim country called the Islamic State. They have a conquered much of the Mideast plus much of Africa, and hope to set up a Muslim Leader. America has fought a long war in Iraq and surrounding countries, costing much blood and treasure. America now the president that has been very reticent about fighting any Muslim, even refusing to call this new country, Islamic.this man has been elected president twice in America by Americans.
I have always thought that the only hope for America was that the Church would turn our nation's moral decay around, I don't think that's very likely today. Chuck Colson's 1992 book, The Body, expresses some of Chuck's own feelings about this.
"A 1990 Newsweek cover story heralded the dramatic religious resurgence among the nations baby boomers, reporting that more than 80% consider themselves "religious and believe in the life after death." But "unlike earlier religious revivals, the am of this time (apart from born-again traditionalists of all faiths) is support, not salvation, help rather than holiness, a circle of spiritual equals rather than on authoritative church or guide. A group of affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda which is why some of the least demanding churches are now in the greatest demand."
What many are looking for is a spiritual social club, an institution that offers convivial relationships but certainly does not influence how people live or what they believe. Whenever the church does assert a historical Orthodox position, one that might in some way restrict an individual's doing whatever he or she chooses, the church is accused of being "out of touch"--as if it's beliefs are to be determined by a majority vote or market surveys."
This is precisely what a large church offers. I have served as a church pastor for close to 30 years, and the thought of having a cup of coffee in the coffee shop is appealing to me. And I know the service of taking care of the kids must be appealing to the younger generation. However, that church is attracting people for the wrong reason. Church really has come to mean their building on 12th street, and the services it offers. In fact, some Christians will judge your loyalty to Jesus Christ on your loyalty in coming to their particular building.
Some Christians judge you on how loyal you are to going in their building. One
Christians absolutely need the fellowship and spiritual support of the Body of Christ, and I strongly believe in the leadership of the the church pastor.
Christianity, I believe, is not some religious structure or social institution. It is not merely a set of beliefs or crazy about the nature of reality. The Christian faith rests on the truth: ultimate reality. Chuck Colson also said that and he continues: "the Christian faith rests on the truth: ultimate reality. Christian experience begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ made possible as men and women are declared righteous by their faith."
Using the word faith sometimes is linked with things not real reality. I disagree with that thought--"not the landscape of reality", The biblical faith is linked with hope, something everyone utilizes. In reality:Faith in itself is something that everyone exercises continually in the reality of everyday life.
Quoting Colson again, "these born-again individuals then constitute a new society that points to the coming kingdom, which is centered on the core of all meaning--the God Who was, Who is, and Who is to come, and the God who has revealed Himself in human history.
"The One who said,' I am the truth,' also said that' (the Father's) word is truth. But truth is propositional and revealed; God has spoken through Scripture, and thus we are given a comprehensive revelation of reality. Thus, the orthodox creeds, which flow from Scripture and which have historically been regarded as the fundamentals of the Christian faith, are rooted in absolute and ultimate truth.
"In the middle of the darkest night of Pilate's life, Jesus told,' Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.' Pilate had ears, but he did not hear. And he turned away asking, but the What is truth?' even as he stood before the truth Himself.
'But Pilate is more than a tragic figure of Shakespearean proportions, condemned by history to wish is bloodstained hands forever. We symbolizes the very mind of man, particularly modern man. You can see Pilate asking his disdainful question in living color any day. Simply turn on your television." Ibid pp.163 – 164
"Spiritual consumers are interested not in what the church stands for but in the fulfillment it can deliver. Thus the under 45 generation, 60% of whom defined themselves as independent spiritual seekers, reject the notion that one should be in limited to a single faith. The result is "an age of mix'em, match'em, salad bar spirituality." And it really doesn't matter whether it is Orthodox or New Age, majority of Christians believe all religions worship the same God." Ibid
George Barna, astute observer and critic of the church, and concerned Evangelical Christian writes "This consumer demand will intensify shaping the future church. Increasingly people will come not for hearing the words of Christ but for their own personalized religious systems that will meet their need for a religious perspective without requiring the sacrifices and commitment that traditional Christianity demands"
"This consumer mentality, in turn pressures churches to respond in kind. When the findings of a major foundation study revealed the sharp decline of several Protestant denominations, the chief researcher acknowledged with disarming candor: "The challenge, I tell ministers, is that they must ask themselves why people are in front of them on Sunday mornings instead of somewhere else. The church is in a competitive situation for people's leisure time." We are competing with cable television, Nintendo games, theme parks, and health clubs."
What about Super Bowl Sunday with the National Football League Super Bowl?
SOUTHERN VIEW CHAPEL's BOOK REVIEWS; Christless Christianity
(The Alternative Gospel of the American Church) by Michael Horton
"Few church boards sit down and decide to replace their Orthodox doctrines with warm, soothing nostrums. But pastors feel the pressure to make the message as inviting as possible to draw people in. So the processes gradual: Little rationalizing here.. a little rounding off there...
The spiritual odyssey of one evangelical church reveals how the process works and where it can lead."
"Realizing that the median age in the church was rising--a grave danger sign, according to church growth experts--the pastor of this long-established Baptist congregation commissioned a market survey of upscale families in his area. The first discovery was that most of the potential market was put off by the term "Baptist."...
Some would argue that this congregation was simply striving to the "user friendly," a computer term that has spilled over onto everything, including church planning. Unfortunately they didn't stop with names and architecture. They also decided to abandon standard theological terms.
"If we use the words redemption or conversion," the pastor explained, "they think were talking about bonds." So he has banished all "hellfire and damnation" preaching and proudly displays a version of a Bible he personally produced, which is just right for the McChurch generation. All essential passages are in boldface and it can be read in 30 half-hour sitting....
"There's a spirit of putting people over doctrine. The attitude is that they are for life, love, and liberty."
Churches across the country are responding to the McChurch space consumer by disguising their identity. Even the conservative bastion like Denver's Fall Gospel Chapel has changed its name to the Happy Church. "It draws people," says the pastor.. Apparently so. The church has just taken over a $7.8 million shopping mall.
Hard to argue with success. Except that capitulating to consumerism has profound consequences for the church.
First, it dilutes the message. Some clergy have simply "airbrushed sin out of their language. Having substituted therapy for spiritual discernment, they appealed to a nurturing God who helps Is (or Her) people cope....
No wonder the church has an identity crises. We speak glibly about going to church (even though the church is not a place) to feel good (absolutely the wrong reason). Then we compound the air by measuring the church against the wrong standard.
Over the years I've conducted my own pastoral poll. "How are things going in your church?" I'll ask. With few exceptions, the answers are quantitative. "Membership up 20%... 100 baptisms last year... Starting a new building... Going to three services..."
Cultural values have so captured the church that we equate success with size. Answer reflects reaction. If a church isn't growing, someone is doing something wrong. Maybe the pastor and the board haven't analyzed the market well enough or invested in the right programs. This is why church growth has become the hottest business in the religious world today. If "the consumer is King," and the church has to react as any organization does to consumer demand, which means finding the right marketing strategy. According to one Church Growth Movement leader, a ministers performance is measured not by faithfulness to the gospel but by whether "the people keep coming in giving."
Charles Colson, THE BODY,pp.42-47
A church, which is a body of Christians, is a local witness for Christ, and should be reaching neighbors in the locality that body of Christians live. Many times Christian people will leave their own locality to "go to church" which is larger and more services.
Regrettably, too many pastors have already decided which direction the country will take.As Church leaders, you set the tone of expectation for the rising generation. But, what will it be?" Ecclesia, March 2012
Christianity, now due to adhering to these old virtues, increasingly has become less popular. I have no doubt, so future Church leaders will face choices regarding old virtues that cannot be dodged.
Now, three years later, the world is facing a new threat.. We have a new fascist type of enemy, motivated by their religious fervor, called ISIS.This is the name of a new Muslim country called the Islamic State. They have a conquered much of the Mideast plus much of Africa, and hope to set up a Muslim Leader. America has fought a long war in Iraq and surrounding countries, costing much blood and treasure. America now the president that has been very reticent about fighting any Muslim, even refusing to call this new country, Islamic.this man has been elected president twice in America by Americans.
I have always thought that the only hope for America was that the Church would turn our nation's moral decay around, I don't think that's very likely today. Chuck Colson's 1992 book, The Body, expresses some of Chuck's own feelings about this.
"A 1990 Newsweek cover story heralded the dramatic religious resurgence among the nations baby boomers, reporting that more than 80% consider themselves "religious and believe in the life after death." But "unlike earlier religious revivals, the am of this time (apart from born-again traditionalists of all faiths) is support, not salvation, help rather than holiness, a circle of spiritual equals rather than on authoritative church or guide. A group of affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda which is why some of the least demanding churches are now in the greatest demand."
What many are looking for is a spiritual social club, an institution that offers convivial relationships but certainly does not influence how people live or what they believe. Whenever the church does assert a historical Orthodox position, one that might in some way restrict an individual's doing whatever he or she chooses, the church is accused of being "out of touch"--as if it's beliefs are to be determined by a majority vote or market surveys."
This is precisely what a large church offers. I have served as a church pastor for close to 30 years, and the thought of having a cup of coffee in the coffee shop is appealing to me. And I know the service of taking care of the kids must be appealing to the younger generation. However, that church is attracting people for the wrong reason. Church really has come to mean their building on 12th street, and the services it offers. In fact, some Christians will judge your loyalty to Jesus Christ on your loyalty in coming to their particular building.
Why a Christian would go to a particular church may be a very individual preference, but I can say from experience that this usually is not from doctrine. The churches, I served in, ranged from different denominational backgrounds, coming from the Presbyterian to the Mennonite Brethren, to name a few. I very rarely had a doctrinal difference. Usually the church that I served in, were small--usually under 100 members. While they all had some problem-all churches have some problems, but one problem, which these churches usually shared, was some large church, in a nearby city, drawing off their members.
One other thing these small churches all share. They were all struggling, and, in some cases, they didn't make it. So the witness of Christ was lost in that spot.
The Mission, which I belonged to, originally started with the idea of getting those small churches growing again. The way the Mission encouraged me, as pastor, for building up the church, was to get to know the people. I would visit 4-7 families a week, beside the 2-3 Bible Studies, prayer meeting and Sunday Services . So I got to know the peopl, and the people I visited were not necessarily church people, but people living in the church area. So there was a witness for Christ
The small church
people get to know each other, and when one family leaves, the whole church
feels it. In a large church, there is kind of an insulation of a staff between
the pastor and the people(with an Eldership Rule arrangement, role identity--I
would think, especially leadership roles and responsibility for the flock would be badly blurred). Any pastor hates to
see empty seats or pews in the Sunday congregation. In a small church, however,
it's more than a matter of empty seats in the congregation, it's a matter of
friends leaving.
Some Christians judge you on how loyal you are to going in their building. One
We, as Christians, do come before the judgement seat of Christ
One
burden which I felt, as a pastor, and I still feel that burden. Not because my feeling is fearful about being judged--I respect the Lord's judgement and know it's just. But it's the church people that I feel responsible
for, and maybe being more wrapped up in my own problems and actions.What I'm talking about is the Christians that I pastored. One example of
this is a person by the name of Ken.
Ken came out of a
background of drinking and carousing with other women--even though he was
married at the time the family. Numerous times, because of a marital fight, he
would take off for Texas, but this one time we, his wife and my wife and myself
started praying for him. He said he got near the statee border and hhe threw
thee whiskey bottle out of the car window. But Ken
came to Christ, and he got involved in home Bible studies and church. Most the
people of this Bible study were what I would call nonconformists Christians. But
these folks are some of the most genuine Christians that I have ever meant. The
Bible study was usually in a huge old barn that part of it had been made into a
house. Now I had a number of home Bible
studies and it may be that Ken wasn't a member of that study, but that's how
some of the people were like there.
Then the Lord
called us to a new field, hundreds of miles off, in another state. At that
time, Ken was going through some very bitter trials. His wife had run off with
another man, and here I was leaving the whole area.
Ken called me up
when we had been at this new field some month later, and he shared about his
wife being gone and the problems that he had. And I remember the sweet time we
had in prayer over the phone. How I prayed that man.
Fast-forward two decades or more, and I received a phone call from one of Ken's kids. He wasn't a
kid anymore. But he was still calling me, pastor, and he wanted me to call his
father on the phone. Ken , his father, was close to death, he wanted me to call
and make sure his father knew Jesus. Well, course, I called Ken .
Ken had left the
country, to move far off to Texas. He was living with his brother. Ken must've
been aware that his kids felt he was close to death, because I had not gotten
much beyond saying hello, and he brought up knowing Jesus as Savior and he was
totally comfortable in whatever the Lord had for him. I don't remember
everything he said, but that he was praising God praising the Lord Jesus Christ
for salvation. My wife, in calling back, said his brother answered: he had died. For some reason I wasn't in on this last conversation, but my wife said, his brother
broke down in describing Ken's going to Jesus.
Christians absolutely need the fellowship and spiritual support of the Body of Christ, and I strongly believe in the leadership of the the church pastor.
Christianity, I believe, is not some religious structure or social institution. It is not merely a set of beliefs or crazy about the nature of reality. The Christian faith rests on the truth: ultimate reality. Chuck Colson also said that and he continues: "the Christian faith rests on the truth: ultimate reality. Christian experience begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ made possible as men and women are declared righteous by their faith."
Using the word faith sometimes is linked with things not real reality. I disagree with that thought--"not the landscape of reality", The biblical faith is linked with hope, something everyone utilizes. In reality:Faith in itself is something that everyone exercises continually in the reality of everyday life.
Quoting Colson again, "these born-again individuals then constitute a new society that points to the coming kingdom, which is centered on the core of all meaning--the God Who was, Who is, and Who is to come, and the God who has revealed Himself in human history.
"The One who said,' I am the truth,' also said that' (the Father's) word is truth. But truth is propositional and revealed; God has spoken through Scripture, and thus we are given a comprehensive revelation of reality. Thus, the orthodox creeds, which flow from Scripture and which have historically been regarded as the fundamentals of the Christian faith, are rooted in absolute and ultimate truth.
"In the middle of the darkest night of Pilate's life, Jesus told,' Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.' Pilate had ears, but he did not hear. And he turned away asking, but the What is truth?' even as he stood before the truth Himself.
'But Pilate is more than a tragic figure of Shakespearean proportions, condemned by history to wish is bloodstained hands forever. We symbolizes the very mind of man, particularly modern man. You can see Pilate asking his disdainful question in living color any day. Simply turn on your television." Ibid pp.163 – 164
"Spiritual consumers are interested not in what the church stands for but in the fulfillment it can deliver. Thus the under 45 generation, 60% of whom defined themselves as independent spiritual seekers, reject the notion that one should be in limited to a single faith. The result is "an age of mix'em, match'em, salad bar spirituality." And it really doesn't matter whether it is Orthodox or New Age, majority of Christians believe all religions worship the same God." Ibid
George Barna, astute observer and critic of the church, and concerned Evangelical Christian writes "This consumer demand will intensify shaping the future church. Increasingly people will come not for hearing the words of Christ but for their own personalized religious systems that will meet their need for a religious perspective without requiring the sacrifices and commitment that traditional Christianity demands"
"This consumer mentality, in turn pressures churches to respond in kind. When the findings of a major foundation study revealed the sharp decline of several Protestant denominations, the chief researcher acknowledged with disarming candor: "The challenge, I tell ministers, is that they must ask themselves why people are in front of them on Sunday mornings instead of somewhere else. The church is in a competitive situation for people's leisure time." We are competing with cable television, Nintendo games, theme parks, and health clubs."
What about Super Bowl Sunday with the National Football League Super Bowl?
·
NOT CENTERED ON JESUS
CHRIST
·
In reading some book reviews online,
I came across some interesting viewpoints. I wonder if the evangelical church
is not doing precisely what this author, Michael Horton, is saying in his book,
"Christless Christianity".
·
Doesn't
these quotes sound like the Laodicean Church in Revelations, in an updated fashion?
The church that says, "My
building mortgage is paid off, and we're out of debt, etc." or "as I
am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing." And now if we avoid
any disturbing political or relevant social messages or "... Neither cold
nor hot." In other words not the message Jesus Christ would have.
·
·
“Not
that evangelicalism is becoming theologically liberal but that it is becoming theologically vacuous....
·
The
most numerically successful versions of religion will be the least tethered to
the biblical drama of redemption centering on Christ...
·
we are living out our creed, but that creed is closer to the
American dream than it is to the Christian faith”
SOUTHERN VIEW CHAPEL's BOOK REVIEWS; Christless Christianity
(The Alternative Gospel of the American Church) by Michael Horton
Horton comes out with both guns blazing in this critical
analysis of the church in America. As the title suggests, he is accusing
the church of being nothing less than “Christless.” That is, the church has become so distracted by everything from false teaching (examples given
include Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer) to energy-sapping programs, to faulty
understanding of the purpose and mission of the church, that it has lost Christ
Himself in the mix.
Christianity need
not explicitly deny any key foundational teaching to become Christless; it merely needs to buy into a “series of subtle distortions and
not-so-subtle distractions” (p. 20). “My argument in this book,” Horton
writes, “is not that evangelicalism
is becoming theologically liberal but that it is becoming theologically
vacuous” (p. 23). It is for this reason that
“precisely the most numerically successful versions of religion will be the
least tethered to the biblical drama of redemption centering on Christ” (pp. 54-55). In Horton’s view “we are living out our
creed, but that creed is closer to the American dream than it is to the
Christian faith” (p. 21).
These are damning critiques of the American church. If
true, Christians have misplaced Christ in the midst of our service for Him and
are dangerously close to losing Him altogether. Have we, like the
Pharisees of the first century, marginalized the Lord out of the faith even as
we passionately pursue Him? Does Horton present evidence that proves his
case? I have to say, he does a pretty good job. Still, to me he
seemed a bit long on generalities and short on specifics.
For example, Horton is on target when he writes, “I
think that the church in America today is so obsessed with being practical,
relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly
mirrors the world itself. Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that
cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any
number of secular programs and self-help groups” (pp. 16-17). "
.
"Few church boards sit down and decide to replace their Orthodox doctrines with warm, soothing nostrums. But pastors feel the pressure to make the message as inviting as possible to draw people in. So the processes gradual: Little rationalizing here.. a little rounding off there...
The spiritual odyssey of one evangelical church reveals how the process works and where it can lead."
"Realizing that the median age in the church was rising--a grave danger sign, according to church growth experts--the pastor of this long-established Baptist congregation commissioned a market survey of upscale families in his area. The first discovery was that most of the potential market was put off by the term "Baptist."...
Some would argue that this congregation was simply striving to the "user friendly," a computer term that has spilled over onto everything, including church planning. Unfortunately they didn't stop with names and architecture. They also decided to abandon standard theological terms.
"If we use the words redemption or conversion," the pastor explained, "they think were talking about bonds." So he has banished all "hellfire and damnation" preaching and proudly displays a version of a Bible he personally produced, which is just right for the McChurch generation. All essential passages are in boldface and it can be read in 30 half-hour sitting....
"There's a spirit of putting people over doctrine. The attitude is that they are for life, love, and liberty."
Churches across the country are responding to the McChurch space consumer by disguising their identity. Even the conservative bastion like Denver's Fall Gospel Chapel has changed its name to the Happy Church. "It draws people," says the pastor.. Apparently so. The church has just taken over a $7.8 million shopping mall.
Hard to argue with success. Except that capitulating to consumerism has profound consequences for the church.
First, it dilutes the message. Some clergy have simply "airbrushed sin out of their language. Having substituted therapy for spiritual discernment, they appealed to a nurturing God who helps Is (or Her) people cope....
No wonder the church has an identity crises. We speak glibly about going to church (even though the church is not a place) to feel good (absolutely the wrong reason). Then we compound the air by measuring the church against the wrong standard.
Over the years I've conducted my own pastoral poll. "How are things going in your church?" I'll ask. With few exceptions, the answers are quantitative. "Membership up 20%... 100 baptisms last year... Starting a new building... Going to three services..."
Cultural values have so captured the church that we equate success with size. Answer reflects reaction. If a church isn't growing, someone is doing something wrong. Maybe the pastor and the board haven't analyzed the market well enough or invested in the right programs. This is why church growth has become the hottest business in the religious world today. If "the consumer is King," and the church has to react as any organization does to consumer demand, which means finding the right marketing strategy. According to one Church Growth Movement leader, a ministers performance is measured not by faithfulness to the gospel but by whether "the people keep coming in giving."
Charles Colson, THE BODY,pp.42-47
A church, which is a body of Christians, is a local witness for Christ, and should be reaching neighbors in the locality that body of Christians live. Many times Christian people will leave their own locality to "go to church" which is larger and more services.
