Category — Moralistic theraputic deism

In part one of this article, I talked about how far too many Christians have shifted their positions on morality and perhaps have moved it to the bottom of their contemporary concerns. But what could have contributed to that?

Recently, I heard a pastor state that it was his intention to be “culturally relevant” in these last days so that the church can become the center for evangelism, community driven and to be intriguing for sinners to come to church and get saved. Sounds good, but it’s wrong.

Since the past few years I’ve heard many Pastors, youth leaders, Christian entertainers and Christian laypeople state this same rhetoric, that in order to win the world, we must become relevant enough to get their attention so that we can give them Jesus. But are we?

I do not doubt for one moment the sincerity of these people, I honestly believe that they believe they are doing what they think is best to win the lost, to garner more attendance, to satisfy the great commission for their cause. But the problem persists that as more and more churches declare this agenda, they are merging on the edge of losing their identity simply to appease the world.

Because of this style of evangelism which is found in many churches, it’s leading many into an open area of compromise and sin. This is why the number of fallen Pastors has risen sharply in the last few years. Because of this new concept to become current with the world, we have allowed the world’s ideas and beliefs within the church itself. Hence, why so many believers are now struggling with sexual sin and immorality like never before. We are getting sick from the disease we once had an immunity to.

The argument for this philosophical nugget is that if we can become more appealing to those in the world who are already engaging in behavior that is both sinful and ultimately harmful, then we can draw them away from that style of entertainment or lifestyle with something identical yet spiritually enriching. I call it the “New Coke” syndrome.

Back in the early 90′s Coca-Cola decided to create a new Coke, something better, something people would want that would replace the old Coke. What they discovered was that although ideal, it was a marketing nightmare. People tasted the “new stuff” and realized that the old was a lot better than the new. Soon, people demanded the original, they wanted to good stuff! They couldn’t stomach the new formula for taste and I’m sure stock holders couldn’t stomach the drop in revenue.

Reinvention or Revival?

What was the problem? They tried to re-invent a tried and true formula for success and it didn’t work. It’s the same with the church today. I see more and more preachers today trying new ideas, new concepts, new messages, new songs; it looks good, it sounds good, but when you taste it then you are left with something that is not genuine, it’s an imitation of the original. The church today is trying it’s hardest to replace a tried and true formula, something that has worked for over a thousand years and that is the basic message of the cross.

In a day when the church is trying to look as much as possible like the world, where we dress like the world, talk like the world, are entertained by the world, how can we even begin to fulfill the great commission? The very idea of being holy, separate, and pure, is counter to the real goal of “reaching the world”. Yet, we are doing it trying to be relevant at the cost of our very identity of a holy ghost filled church. It simply won’t work!

This is why our young people are giving in to the lie of alternative lifestyles, bi-sexuality and homosexuality, because we changed the purpose of the great commission and we didn’t stay true to the core message of the cross.

God has one method to win the world – just one. It’s the gospel through the preaching of the word. That’s it! Uno tournaments, Christian rock concerts, seminars, community activism, none of it can never or will ever become the tried and true formula that God has placed into position to win the world, it’s still the preaching of the word and nothing more.

The problem is, when we start going to bed with the world to win the world, you wake up with contamination, a spiritual STD. This is why the church today has virtually no power it once had, all because it tried to be like the world in almost every way, yet God said over and over to be less like the world and more like him. Until we realize this, the less of an impact we will have on society and the world. And God knows we need to be an impact on the world today!

When the message is about loving ourselves, there’s something wrong. When leadership begins to fall morally, there’s something wrong. When a Pastor can write a book and state that Hell no longer exists, there’s something wrong.

We must begin to shake ourselves as Samson did and realize that the enemy is all around us, we’ve slept in the lap of Delilah for too long and it’s time to wake up and loose the bindings on us. The world is in chaos, the world is hurting, it’s looking for something that is true, tested, sure and not been re-invented. It’s looking for the gospel.

We must return to a faithful prayer life. Give ourselves over to fasting at times as well as getting back into the word of God. A faithful dedication to reading our Bibles, studying the scriptures daily, is the only true means of success the church can assure a positive and healthy life.

We must be willing to denounce our sins, our pride and arrogance which has brought us false teachings and corrupt ideas. When we remove the leaven in our lives, we’ll begin to see God’s healing within us.

I believe in the coming years God is going to wake his church and then the greatest revival of evangelism will occur, but we need to start preparing and part of that is going back to what is true and good, the old paths, the old ways.

I’ve tried the new Coke and you can have it, give me that old stuff, the good stuff. It might sound cliche’ but that old time religion was good enough for my parents, it’s good enough for me.

It sits at the corner where it has sat for 75 long years. The name is unimportant as well as who is Pastor, for this church is not just one simple country church, it’s also a well established main street church, it’s a mega church, it’s every church in America and as such, they all have something unique about them, they are all beginning to accept that which many years ago they would never think to accept – sin.

In many churches across America, from the largest innercity one to the smallest rural setting, there’s a common bond between them all, that bond is homosexuality. For many years, the church has faced many problems within it’s walls, from gossip to adultery to divorce, problems of the flesh have always seemed to challenge the Church and yet the Church has remained strong. But now that strength which has endured for centuries against every demonic force from hell, is giving in toward something more destructive and almost no one is voicing a concern.

There is a policy among many within the church that is nothing more than what I would call a “conspiracy of silence” among leadership – and for good reason. The statistics of people involved in homosexual sin are growing at an astonishing rate among believers and the question needs to be asked as to why? And why is leadership protecting this behavior?

In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America adopted a resolution which allowed openly gay pastors to serve within their churches in their organization to the dismay of many faithful and long time members. The stunning resolution adopted by the ELCA made the radical step possible to ordain and establish the long time evangelical group, the first “gay” friendly Christian Organization.

On top of the defense of homosexuality within the church by the Lutheran’s, came another sad aspect to the downward slide to depravity, and that was the recent revelations of several popular evangelical Pastors whom publicly denounced such sins, yet were privately living the lifestyle.

The recent acknowledgments of Jim Swilley, Pastor of the mega church in Georgia, the past indiscretion(s) of Ted Haggard and the most recent charges against Bishop Eddie Long, the fact that these prominent and celebrated leaders within the evangelical church whose personal morality have been tainted with moral intrigue should cause all of us to examine what is truly happening in the body of Christ and more importantly, what are we willing to do about it?

A recent poll among evangelical Christians showed an interesting move away from views that were once considered the issue of the day, to a more liberal, broader view. In a recent 2008 poll of those asked what the current issue(s) for the church were, surprisingly it had nothing to do with immorality or sin, but secular issues. The top issues for those Christians polled were; personal indebtedness (81%) followed by poverty (78%) and illegal immigration (68%) [ source.]

Christians have made a significant change in their views on morality and this new ideological change has seemingly pressed itself into the church and it’s acceptance of things which are forbidden by God. This is the result of the religion of tolerance which, among young people, many are embracing and why those within the Christian community is failing to rectify this problem.

Which brings me back to my original point of this article, the church today has changed her appearance and resembles nothing of her former self. The modern church is becoming a haven of immorality and abomination. The current gospel of wealth and self-esteem has replaced her original message of repentance and holiness and it has made her sick and weary. If she does not reject the current messages that run rampant within her many pulpits across this nation and the world, her impact will become less effective.

Pastors, youth pastors, choir directors, church staff, are all becoming active roles for many within the gay movement. Even in contemporary Christian music, we are beginning to see the fruits of tolerance teaching and the acceptance of alternative lifestyles and disturbing even more is the mood of many within the vast denominations who simply turn their head out of ignorance and impartiality. The truth remains the same, the church is facing it’s own cultural war and from the recent events in Christian circles of those believers coming out of the religious closet, she’s losing this battle.

The apostle Paul made it perfectly clear when he warned of what would occur in these last days when he wrote, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2 Thess. 2:3)

A falling away from what? From the truth. When Christians no longer view immorality and idolatry as their top concern but instead focus on the things of the world that are but temporal and meaningless, then something is wrong at the core. Our desires have changed to reflect more of a cultural relativism than a Biblical perspective and in so doing, we have allowed diversity, immorality and social apathy to be our guide. This is not the commission of a Christian.

In order for us to salvage our message, there must be a call to repentance within the body of Christ. Our ways have become deluded with the cares of this world and not a desire to see lives changed. We have become tolerant to sin and immorality and this must change, even if it means the removal of those who are in authority who have ushered this sickness in. Our mandate, our spiritual life depends on it if we are ever going to survive the coming challenges which lay ahead.

God give us leaders and spiritual warriors who will not bow at the altar of tolerance and acceptance, but will lead the church into her finest hour. The bride is still worth it.

The American church is in a dizzying tailspin. With all types of weird gimmicks, spiritualistic kookiness and conferences it has seemingly lost its way, its identity and what its mission is.  And the confusion is evident as hirelings continue to cater to greedy, lazy and arrogant believers trying to keep them happy and grumble-free.

You can believe the vultures are never far away. And now that the church is in a mess with hirelings raping her of her precious commodities and leaving her like a battered Metropolitan Avenue prostitute, they have coming calling with solutions. Can the church heal itself without Christ?

Citing aPew Poll, a Dallas based company is offering a service to fix things. Faced with mounting personal challenges  It says America’s “faith-based community is in search of solace like never before”. What’s more, it said, Christian churches are in ”crisis”. True assessment, but where are they looking for solace and what, pray tell, are they looking for?

Church Efficiency wants to capitalize on that religious restlessness with a solution.   The company says applying “simple business savvy that enables a church to be operated like a business and eliminate waste and cutting cost. And that, my friends, will solve all its problems.  From a press release,  we quote:

“ The latest census bureau figures show that more Americans are abandoning organized religion.  U.S. government data corroborates the most recent research from denominational offices and the Assemblies of God U.S. Missions to confirm that Americans are less devout now than ever before and mainstream denominations continue to lose membership.

Specifically, the data indicates that two-point-seven million church members fall into inactivity each year. From 1990 to 2000, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations in the U.S. declined by almost five million members (9.5 percent), while the U.S. population increased by 24 million (11 percent).

The reasons cited include higher stress levels, disillusionment with arcane church teachings, irrelevant marketing, scandals, logistical difficulties (long drive, no parking, etc) and a lack of engaging social activities. However, one of the most pressing needs is simple efficiency. “Most churches today are struggling to do more with less,” says Gateway Church Connect Executive Pastor Ed Funderburk, “and that takes efficiency.” He says that while a select few mega-churches like Gateway attract enormous Sunday crowds, the majority are teetering on the brink of insolvency and making dramatic cutbacks in Sunday services, outreach and clergy.

No parking? Is this for the church celebrity crowd or is it a sign that mega churches are a curse? What the survey doesnt discern is why so many people in the church are shackled with these fhings in the first place. Perhaps the answer is found in Revelation 3:14-18

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

While not specifically criticizing the need for more church efficiency (of course that’s needed), did they really mean  to assert that their company’s services are the answers to divorce, lack of parking spaces, disullusionment with church, scandals and the likes? Perhaps they do.

“It’s a crisis that we can solve,” says Church Efficiency CEO Lisa Mikals, a Dallas-area consultant and non-profit adviser. “I believe that most churches can heal from within with a good assessment, proper pruning and possibly a re-allocation of current staffing.”

“We can often see the land mines right away,” she says. “It’s usually a set of outdated administrative systems, non-existent business and ministry management processes or a stagnant staff. Everybody needs continuing education, new technologies and fresh ideas,” she says. “Unfortunately, churches can be the slowest to modernize.”

“What worked well in the 80s clearly does not work today,” says Mikals, “but we often find that a few simple procedures and technologies can make a turn-around possible. It can save a church.”

That’s quite an oversimplification for such deeply seeded spiritual problems. What do you think? If a church is experiencing such severities (and sins) is the answer updating your technology, re-arranging your staff and new administrative system?

Does that headline make sense? If not, good. Mission accomplished. This is a must read from author Brett McCracken on the utter foolishness the contemporary church is engaging in to get sheeple in the door. The hip, in the now makeover of church and christianity (churchianity) is in full effect [source]:

‘How can we stop the oil gusher?” may have been the question of the summer for most Americans. Yet for many evangelical pastors and leaders, the leaking well is nothing compared to the threat posed by an ongoing gusher of a different sort: Young people pouring out of their churches, never to return.

As a 27-year-old evangelical myself, I understand the concern. My peers, many of whom grew up in the church, are losing interest in the Christian establishment.

Recent statistics have shown an increasing exodus of young people from churches, especially after they leave home and live on their own. In a 2007 study, Lifeway Research determined that 70% of young Protestant adults between 18-22 stop attending church regularly.

Statistics like these have created something of a mania in recent years, as baby-boomer evangelical leaders frantically assess what they have done wrong (why didn’t megachurches work to attract youth in the long term?) and scramble to figure out a plan to keep young members engaged in the life of the church.

Increasingly, the “plan” has taken the form of a total image overhaul, where efforts are made to rebrand Christianity as hip, countercultural, relevant. As a result, in the early 2000s, we got something called “the emerging church”—a sort of postmodern stab at an evangelical reform movement. Perhaps because it was too “let’s rethink everything” radical, it fizzled quickly. But the impulse behind it—to rehabilitate Christianity’s image and make it “cool”—remains.

Can you imagine Jesus saying to the 12 apostles, “hey after I leave I want you guys to give this thing an image overhaul. Make sure you delete any references to suffering, obedience, discipline, responsibility, accountability, and righteousness. And for Pete’s sake dont mention anything about faithfulness to my word! People will think we’re some sort of legalism obsessed cult!”

Well its almost as if that sentiment leads off the New Testament. McCracken blasts pastors and leaders for using every gimmick, trick, fad, techno-wizbang and buzzwords they possibly can in order to be seen as “attractive”. Oh and they add a generous helping of sex talk to be seen as real edgy. It reminds me of that emergent church foolishness that keeps trying to gain a foothold.

Why not just do what Jesus (the founder and head of the church) said do? Here’s a refresher course in case its been forgotten.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:16-20

But observers say the shindiggin aint workin. People with problems want real Godly solutions, not toys, games and funsy words. People are not  pre-k children to be entertained into oblivion.

In his book, “The Courage to Be Protestant,” David Wells writes:”The born-again, marketing church has calculated that unless it makes deep, serious cultural adaptations, it will go out of business, especially with the younger generations. What it has not considered carefully enough is that it may well be putting itself out of business with God.

“And the further irony,” he adds, “is that the younger generations who are less impressed by whiz-bang technology, who often see through what is slick and glitzy, and who have been on the receiving end of enough marketing to nauseate them, are as likely to walk away from these oh-so-relevant churches as to walk into them.”

If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that “cool Christianity” is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want cool as much as we want real.

This kind of stuff is only going to produce more false converts and fuel hostility at the church when they realize they’ve been sold a bag of tricks.

Read the whole story.

H/p:Paul

Juanita Bynum can keep her sheets. But please mam, for God’s sakes stop the madness.

Unfortunately,  there’s scant evidence to suggest she will. So here we go again with “No More Sheets”.  And look who’s joining her to tell us all that all we  need is a good dose of celebrating ourselves.

Jonathan Nelson who recently appeared with inclusion heretic Carlton Pearson

Dorinda Clark Cole of the How Sweet the Sound controversy.

Darrell Hines. Cant help but be disappointed in this after the “holiness is right” speech on TBN. Et tu Bishop?

Is it the money? Do these people not care about what Juanita Bynum is doing and saying? Are they in agreement with her lunacy? Are they in such a deep vacuum of seclusion they have not seen and heard?

Do they just need to keep their faces out in the public with these appearances to help sell CDs and products? All of the featured faces except Woods has a new CD product on the market. Is this just one big CD sellfest disguised as a conference about dealing with sexual issues or whatever it is Miss Bynum is hawking now? Notice there’s no scripture references on the flyer. That’s so the tag is open to whatever interpretation you think it means. A scripture would add restrictions.

And the “preferred seating” thing still is just so very weird for a church gathering.

My brethren, you must not make distinctions between one man and another while you are striving to maintain faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our glory. James 2:1

This conference is aping the new american religion with its  ” its all about you” message.  Its a trending favorite of all the preachers turned life coach gurus. I was at a seminar last weekend and heard a term I’d never heard before describe the state of American Christianity. Its called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and is defined by researchers thusly:

1. “A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.” 2. “God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.” 3. “The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.” 4. “God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.” 5. “Good people go to heaven when they die.”

Infused with a new world ethics of diversity and inclusion, people conclude that no one is in a position to judge anyone else. Thus, we are all left to determine what is morally right for ourselves. Add to that the idea that religion’s goal should be to make a person happy. Any talk of suffering, responsibility, self denial, sexual morality or sin is rejected because such things inhibit one’s “personal happiness”.  The new cosmopolitan belief that God can only become involved in our lives when we want him to seals this false construct becoming so prevalent in the church today.  God  becomes God only by default. He is viewed almost like Santa Claus, rewarding good people when they die with heaven. Hell (if it exists) is for those who don’t want others to be  good, loving and happy by telling them they cannot live in whatever way makes them happy.

Listen closely and you will hear these ideologies rehearsed over and over in popular Christian/gospel music, sermons by popular Christian speakers, in books by popular Christian writers and in conferences by popular conference conveners like Juanita Bynum.

Thats why blogs like GCM Watch is hated by the lovers of moralistic theraputic deism.

It also explains why people can call themselves Christians and at the same time promote concepts and ideologies contradictory to biblical orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right conduct). And why so many of the conferences and “sermons” we hear today are me-centered. God wants you happy, God saw the best in you, live your best life now, be a better you, “love yourself”, “do you”, ad naseum.

Watch Jaunita Bynum talk more religious goobley-gock where she says Prince, DMX and Michael Jackson had a “prophetic anointing”.