Evangelical Pastor says churches have become "more partisan than Christian"

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/06/evangelical-pastor-says-church-has.html

"The point is today that the church has lost its uniqueness. Rather than saving and representing the team in heaven, they have been mimicking the teams of the culture." Tony Evans to the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Tony Evans, in the message cited above, uses texts from Matthew and Peter to describe a church as the "ecclesia", a body made up of those who have faith in Christ in common, and who come together for the specific purpose of being empowered by the spirit for "kingdom" purposes. Noting that Jesus declared "My kingdom is not of this world," but is a spiritual domain, the intrusion of politics, any politics, removes the elements of the ecclesia. Church, apart from its mission and purpose, is pointless.

Maybe that's why so many people are leaving churches, especially Evangelical churches. Conservative Christians, including Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Charismatics, have been harshly critical of mainline Protestant denominations for years, claiming that theological and social liberalism removed the spiritual elements, and led to declining attendance and membership. But there is now research which shows that conservative churches are declining at a faster rate than mainline Protestants, to the point where the latter now actually outnumber the former for the first time in decades.

[Docreed2003]

1. For decades the "churches" particularly in evangelical circles

Have been building to where we are today. In their minds, they are right, because "God is on their side". They don't need proof of that, only that their worldview is one way an their is no such thing as compromise. Anyone who disagrees with that view is a minion of Satan. It's as simple as that.

While all of that sounds ridiculous, and frankly I think it is, that is what we are facing from the right today. There is no "far right" it's only the right. The evangelical crowd runs the show and they have been maneuvering for this since the 80's, at least in Southern Baptist circles.

[patphil]

2. These so called Christians have been putting words in God's mouth for decades.

The have no love in their hearts, and don't know God.

[Docreed2003]

3. I tend to agree

The masses have been deluded by their pastors and have become totally convinced that all things "Democrat" are evil. These folks don't want to be in charge, they want domination.

[LiberalFighter]

9. The pastors are appointed by their followers.

The followers have been increasing that have those beliefs. They then remove pastors they think are not like them. Or they find a different church.

It may be just the few vocal minority that brought in insane pastors which cause the other members to leave.

[Karadeniz]

4. The ecclesia wasn't just about faith. Their lifestyle had to reflect Jesus's instructions. The

Church lost that vital ingredient a looooong time ago.

[lees1975]

5. It's getting extremely difficult to find churches that are still the "ecclesia" in this country...

...especially. They're there, but it is getting more difficult for pastors and church leaders to hold the line when members get angry because they can't tell the difference between right wing politics and biblical doctrine. They know very little about reflecting Jesus' instructions because they aren't familiar with what they are. What they know is "we're against abortion" and "we're against the LGBTQ "agenda."

If you read much coverage of the Southern Baptist Convention this past week in Anaheim, California, you see the beginnings of a realization of the effects of the damage of getting a little to close to a political agenda and politician whose worldly lifestyle is his trademark and represents the opposite of their values. The faction in which the infiltration of trumpism was most influential was defeated in attempts to gain control of key offices and committees.

[Karadeniz]

6. After 9/11, a lot was made of the passenger who said, Let's roll!" Somehow his wife heard about it

and knew he was the one who said it... it was something he said a lot. The media was all over her and one person asked about her religion. She said she didn't belong to a denomination, but was part of a group whose main purpose was to financially support worthy causes. She didn't mention volunteering to help, but a group meeting to coordinate volunteer activities also reflects Jesus's instructions. Both such groups are more Christian than a lot of churches I know of...and being small groups, less chances of sexual abuse or embezzlement occurring.

[3Hotdogs]

7. Fundamental or mainline, or R.C. or whatever.... they are all as useless as my left nut.

An entire structure based on nonsense, designed to separate rubes from their money.


---- and how many people have been killed over the right way to worship the sky god?

[twodogsbarking]

8. Meh.