A friend posted this on my Facebook yesterday: “Some of our deepest hurts have been from our own church members.”These lyrics by Casting Crowns convict me every time I hear them:
If we are the body,
Why aren’t his arms reaching?
Why aren’t his hands healing?
Why aren’t his words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren’t his feet going?
Why is his love not showing them there is a way?
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ.
Aren’t we?
I have learned—when a church reaches genuinely hurting people, when people in the church lead messy lives, when the church actually begins to reach such people or simply when change comes to reach people—the complainers will rise—often among the most religious of people. And when these type of people talk, their negative energy spreads fast.
7 Ways to Respond to Negative People in Church
I have written before how so very many Pastors did not speak out against the evils of QAnon and the Jan. 6th insurrection and the awful behavior of many politicians. By not speaking out against this evil behavior they did great damage to the Bride of Christ. Too many Pastors drank the political Kool-Aid. I am still astounded by the silence. Many Pastors are blinded by their politics.
From Dr. Jim Denison:
Evangelical Christians certainly have reasons for anxiety these days.
A USA Today writer called on AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, to cancel the Promise Keepers Men’s Conference scheduled for July 16 and 17, claiming that the stadium is “helping to mainstream hate speech.” Vandals toppled a statue of Jesus and burned an American flag outside a Catholic church in Brooklyn, New York.
A federal judge denied a request from the College of the Ozarks, a Christian university in Missouri, to be exempted from a Biden administration directive that allows biological men who “identify” as female to live in women’s dormitories. An emeritus professor of neuroscience and psychology at Duke University has been removed from an American Psychological Association email group for suggesting there are only two sexes.
A new study found that 43 percent of millennials “don’t know, don’t care, don’t believe God exists.” And LifeWay Research reported this week that for the year 2019, Protestant church closures outpaced church openings in the US.
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FROM CHURCH LEADERS:
In a CNN Business article highlighting two pastors on a mission to stop QAnon theories among evangelicals, Billy Graham‘s granddaughter, Jerushah Duford, said, “I’m not sure Jesus would be welcomed in an American church today.”
Who Is Billy Graham’s Granddaughter?
Duford’s mother is author Virginia ‘Gigi’ Graham, the oldest of the five children children from the late evangelist Reverend Billy and Ruth Graham. Duford’s father, Stephan Tchividjian, who used to work as a clinical psychologist and Baptist minister, now serves as the founder and president of the Board of the National Christian Foundation of South Florida, and as the co-executive director of Lifework Leadership of South Florida. Duford is one of six children. Two of her brothers are well-known in the evangelical communities, Basyle ‘Boz’ Tchividjian was a former child abuse prosecutor who has been helping church abuse victims find justice and Tullian Tchividjian was the former pastor of a megachurch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until infidelity within his caused him to step down.
Billy Graham’s Granddaughter Says ‘I’m Not Sure Jesus Would Be Welcomed in an American Church Today’
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
This Is No Time for Generic Preaching
I have said many that QAnon is evil! I have lost friends because of the fact they joined this cult! They attacked me for standing against their evil. Many Pastors remain silent against this evil. The Church is being hurt by being silent on this issue, many just shake their heads, including me at the silence. It is just like the January 6th insurrection on our Nations Capitol!!! Many Christians stand silent on this act of treason. Many Christians also remain silent on foul mouth, horrible acting politicians. Any man or women who uses foul language, acts crazy and says horrible things about people should be rebuked. It has hurt the Church very badly it has shown an unbelieving world just what it wants to see from Christians, acceptance of this behavior. The Church is losing membership, Satan is having his way with so very many. To me, January 6th was one of the darkest days in the history of America and many are getting away with treason! I am really disappointed in the GOP trying to bury this issue!!! The GOP Party has imploded, what are they? I know this, It is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan, it has not creditability with me, and the Dems are lost in space also. The America people have a right to the truth! It is a cover up! This entire situation has damaged America and the Church more than many realize! Unbelievers love to see Christians acting badly.
People that use bad language, attack people with harsh words, are of very low intelligence. They are fools. I do not talk to fools. The Bible teaches us so.
Proverbs 26:4…. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.
I am very exhausted by the all the conspiracy theories of Christians, it has worn me down to to the bone, I get so very discouraged. I see the damage to the Bride of Christ. I see the declining attendance in many Churches, I see Pastors swept away by politics, I see some in hiding and not addressing these issues. I am very discouraged at this point, I am constantly praying to my Lord and I have great friends who help me and Sharon to keep going.
Theologian Russell Moore Says QAnon Has ‘All of the Characteristics of a Cult’
I was sharing yesterday in my message way too many Christians are showing an unbelieving world just want it wants to see, bad behavior! The political climate in this country over the last 5 years has been awful and too many Christians are behaving badly. We need to build bridges in trust and love with the unbelieving world. I have many telling me that they have had it with organized religion. The ‘ugly cloud’ formed by many Christians is getting thicker as the days go by, resulting in things like this: A new study found that 43 percent of millennials “don’t know, don’t care, don’t believe God exists.” LifeWay Research reported last week that for the year 2019, Protestant church closures outpaced church openings in the US. Many Christians have become bad examples of what Jesus intended us to be as witnesses for Him. Russell Moore replied to this question, “Why should Christians speak with kindness?” I think this message is more important right now than at any other point in my lifetime:Why Christians Should Listen Carefully and Speak With Kindness
NASHVILLE (RNS) — The nation’s largest Protestant denomination continues to get smaller.
There were 14 million Southern Baptists in 2020, according to a new report released Thursday (May 20) by Lifeway Christian Resources, which compiles official denominational statistics. That number is down 435,632 members since 2019 and 2.3 million from 2006, when the Southern Baptist Convention reached 16.3 million members.
“COVID-19 clearly impacted in-person attendance,” Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said in a statement announcing the report. “Throughout much of the year, churches tried to find the right balance of both in-person and online events.”
Southern Baptists, long known for denominational infighting, have seen several high-profile departures of leaders in the past year, including Bible teacher Beth Moore, ethicist Russell Moore, and a number of Black pastors. The SBC has also faced controversy over revelations of abuse, disputes over support for Donald Trump and a debate over critical race theory.
Find Out What’s Making 2 Million Members Flee the Southern Baptist Convention
