Not unlike going to Starbucks, the American Christian --particularly men and Church leaders-- have the option of concocting the most palatable --and often un-Biblical-- blend of core beliefs from the various categories and then purveying that to congregations seeking a total church experience devoid of the unpleasurable constraints of a Godly life; that option is being widely exercised:
I'll have a decaf half-baptist, half-non-denominational with a dash of pantheism and topped with new age post-modernism please.
Why? Bottoms in the pews. Acquiescing to the business need for revenue and fiscal survival, it is clear to me --after carefully studying larger local churches here in our community and others across the country-- that evangelism has been sorely compromised for the sake of attendance and the prevailing attitude amongst serious, Bible-based churches is "we can fix theological errors after we get them through the doors".
Fully expecting to ruffle feathers --though not necessarily those of the very few who do not fall into this category-- I write this humbly as a gate keeper of sorts at a weak point in the crenels of our Christian battlements.
Donald Wilson of the watchdog group American Family Association brings the following to our attention in a recent letter from his office:
The Rev. Barry Lynn of the nonprofit Americans United for Separation of Church and State says there are no effective regulations in place to prevent churches from engaging in religious discrimination when hiring or to stop them from using government money to promote their religion through soup kitchens or shelters.
Read more of Lynn's diatribe at www.au.org
Lynn's implied call for regulation of the Church by the state exemplifies the dilemma; pluralization --the abundance of competing world-views while no particular one stands out amongst the others-- portends the likelihood that the government will actually benefit from its (pluralization's) propagation.
Lynn and scores of other wolves amongst the church community are successfully lobbying for the privatization of Christian values and, in doing so, are assuring themselves of more absolute control of their own spheres of influence rather than leaving that job to the power of the Holy Spirit where it belongs. The government in the meantime will gladly wrest control of the church and usurp it's God-given authority for the sake of garnering the popular vote.
How long will it be before YOUR church is forced to hire staff and paid leadership with NO foundation in Christian principles? How long before a Pastor is REQUIRED to perform a marriage ceremony for a gay couple in the church? (After all, you permitted their membership.)
Far-fetched? Where was the first lesbian bishop ordained? Right here in your own back yard. How many "gay-friendly" churches surround yours? More than you know. There is a prominent (and vocal) church right here on the south side of town whose leadership has openly stated that teaching the old Testament is no longer necessary. And on, and on, and on...
As the American Christian Man (collectively speaking) continues to stay the course that says "at least it is not in MY church", our troubles will sadly but inevitably deepen. There are 303,824,640 people in the United States, approximately 49% of whom are men (148,874,073), and 74% of that number (110,166,814) profess Christianity.
More than 110 million Christian men in America and I need not count very far to number those who are making a significant impact on our waning culture. Is it not yet time for small voices like mine to band together with the contemporary champions of our faith? The American Christian man (collective) is far less a 'sleeping giant' than a mouse who simply will not roar.
Join me with ideas and YOUR thoughts on mobilizing and making heard a generation of men whose heads are tucked neatly between their knees as though the plane is about to crash. Pastors and leaders-- teach, inform, and arm your men for more public activity. Men of Christ-- let your yes be yes and no be no, instead of maybe or "I guess it's ok just this one time".
It is little wonder that Obama, Pelosi, and the likes of the Rev. Barry Lynn have positioned themselves in opposition to the Christian foundation of our country when there have been so few men standing at the gates to say "No, you can't do that here".
Of course, as always, that's just what I think. What about you?
Les Stewart
1 comment:
I absolutley agree but you know I do honestly believe that we are now coming to the fact that we will have to worship in secret or take the consequenses.
As for me I shall take the consequesnses
But I am going to take more time to think on this but I cannot help feeling that this has all been predicted if we read our bible,
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