What if that were the mandate from a new ACLU driven Liberal Administration and congress in 2009? What if Churches were seen as anti-freedom and not relevant to society, so in response to a few complaints, all churches everywhere were closed by court order and all Staff had to become sanitation workers.
I know that's not going to happen, but stay with me here. IF it happened and 50 years goes by, will society be better or worse off than it is now?
I submit in 50 years we would be the same as we would have been with or without the church. My proof? Look at the last 50 years. Last Sunday in Church Barry Kolb said that the 1950s aren't coming back. I winced. The 1950s with it's implicit attempts at honor and morality (however veneered), the 1950s when swearing on your honor meant something. Gone? All this time the Church of Jesus has done what it always did, sang and preached. NET RESULT? No effect. 90% sexual activity before marriage, divorce and abortion in the church as high as in the culture. Every deviance exists in the church equal to what it does outside. Ergo, we have had no effect on the culture whatsoever.
I have been hearing one word from God as am waiting for him to develop what he wants to say thru me for 2007. That word is relevancy. Ron at Blessed Economist just wrote about it, the Pope just spoke about it. John Armstrong just wrote a post about it. I think that may be the word for 2007: Make a difference or disappear.
We in the Church (and I love the Church) have become as close to irrelevant to the society at large as anything can be. Our (the Church’s) influence on humanity is about the same as the Flat Earth Society. We just don't matter anymore. Worse we have become targets of spite and sardonic humor. What hurts the most, we did it to ourselves.
Oh, those of us IN the Church sure think we matter. We read each other's press releases. In Reality - We don't matter at all. I used to believe the Church of Jesus was that restriner against the man of Lawlessness as is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. I no longer do. We don't restrain anything. In fact if the man of lawlessness is among us we make him a Pastor or some other church leader. As I read the whole chapter of 2 Thessalonians 2 I think we are in the dead center of this time. It is only the Holy Spirit living in each person alone that restrains. The institutional Church as we understand it in America is without hope, in the world outside of the Covenent. Eph 2:12
This must change or why bother?
We have become neither salt nor light to the world.
We are an inert ingredient.
I know that's not going to happen, but stay with me here. IF it happened and 50 years goes by, will society be better or worse off than it is now?
I submit in 50 years we would be the same as we would have been with or without the church. My proof? Look at the last 50 years. Last Sunday in Church Barry Kolb said that the 1950s aren't coming back. I winced. The 1950s with it's implicit attempts at honor and morality (however veneered), the 1950s when swearing on your honor meant something. Gone? All this time the Church of Jesus has done what it always did, sang and preached. NET RESULT? No effect. 90% sexual activity before marriage, divorce and abortion in the church as high as in the culture. Every deviance exists in the church equal to what it does outside. Ergo, we have had no effect on the culture whatsoever.
I have been hearing one word from God as am waiting for him to develop what he wants to say thru me for 2007. That word is relevancy. Ron at Blessed Economist just wrote about it, the Pope just spoke about it. John Armstrong just wrote a post about it. I think that may be the word for 2007: Make a difference or disappear.
We in the Church (and I love the Church) have become as close to irrelevant to the society at large as anything can be. Our (the Church’s) influence on humanity is about the same as the Flat Earth Society. We just don't matter anymore. Worse we have become targets of spite and sardonic humor. What hurts the most, we did it to ourselves.
Oh, those of us IN the Church sure think we matter. We read each other's press releases. In Reality - We don't matter at all. I used to believe the Church of Jesus was that restriner against the man of Lawlessness as is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. I no longer do. We don't restrain anything. In fact if the man of lawlessness is among us we make him a Pastor or some other church leader. As I read the whole chapter of 2 Thessalonians 2 I think we are in the dead center of this time. It is only the Holy Spirit living in each person alone that restrains. The institutional Church as we understand it in America is without hope, in the world outside of the Covenent. Eph 2:12
This must change or why bother?
We have become neither salt nor light to the world.
We are an inert ingredient.
11 comments:
yes--yes--yes!!! I (sadly) could not agree more, We have gotten fatter, more sophisticated, richer, trendier, and popular. Yet, we are in many ways the USA "church" like the USA army in Iraq -- losing the battles AND the war.
This clear word is on target Gene. I speak to churches of all types on a weekly basis and I have to say that we are, generally speaking, powerless and yet popular. Even the churches that stress the power of the Spirit are more talk than action. Tim is right, we are losing many battles and the overall war is in the tank right now. This is why I noted the movement of God on university campuses in a recent blog. This "may" be something of a God move but we shall see.
Dear Bro Gene, you have once again raised a very critical issue in the Body of Christ. Henceforth, we should be fed up with Christless Christianity...much of which proceeded from the West..or I mean the Waste. It's quite pathetic that so many leaders in the Body are pretending as if all is well.
I have already forwarded this protest to http://atmawo.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3DA5478AD9991C89!111.entry?beid=cns!3DA5478AD9991C89!111&d=1&wa=wsignin1.0
I trust that we are gonna get somewhere because we want to labor for the truth.
OLUFUNSO JOSEPH OMIDIRAN
The situation is piled high with difficulty--but it is also piled high with possibility!
Yes, Gene, the "churches by and large are a 'mess', in the USA and in Europe. Sad to say, much of 'churchianity' has also crept into the churches of Africa. I pray that this fog of spiritual fecklessness does not becloud the mission vision of the fatihful. But the promsie we have is "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church". There will always be one holy catholic (unniversal) and apostolic (apostolic in Gospel and apostolic in 'being sent") Church. It is the 'little flock" that Christ spoke of,and we are not to fear, for it is the Father's good pleaure to give us the kingdom.
Yes, Gene, the "churches by and large are a 'mess', in the USA and in Europe. Sad to say, much of 'churchianity' has also crept into the churches of Africa. I pray that this fog of spiritual fecklessness does not becloud the mission vision of the fatihful. But the promsie we have is "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church". There will always be one holy catholic (unniversal) and apostolic (apostolic in Gospel and apostolic in 'being sent") Church. It is the 'little flock" that Christ spoke of,and we are not to fear, for it is the Father's good pleaure to give us the kingdom.
Yes, Gene, the "churches by and large are a 'mess', in the USA and in Europe. Sad to say, much of 'churchianity' has also crept into the churches of Africa. I pray that this fog of spiritual fecklessness does not becloud the mission vision of the fatihful. But the promsie we have is "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church". There will always be one holy catholic (unniversal) and apostolic (apostolic in Gospel and apostolic in 'being sent") Church. It is the 'little flock" that Christ spoke of,and we are not to fear, for it is the Father's good pleaure to give us the kingdom.
Yes, Gene, the "churches by and large are a 'mess', in the USA and in Europe. Sad to say, much of 'churchianity' has also crept into the churches of Africa. I pray that this fog of spiritual fecklessness does not becloud the mission vision of the fatihful. But the promsie we have is "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church". There will always be one holy catholic (unniversal) and apostolic (apostolic in Gospel and apostolic in 'being sent") Church. It is the 'little flock" that Christ spoke of,and we are not to fear, for it is the Father's good pleaure to give us the kingdom.
AMEN PASTOR!
Gene:
Please, don't feel badly about your battle. Though I consider myself a secular humanist, I haven't lost "faith" because there are people of your beliefs on Earth. We're all facing "dust to dust" and should be hand-in-hand on this planet.
God is unnecessary. Jesus was a mere man. Religious fundamentalism is a mental disorder. 'Nuff said.
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