Will church leaders wake up?
"Radically preparing for the Return of Christ." If you long for the return of Christ and are distressed by the chaos of the Church, please read my books, Body Zero (2019) and The Glorious Few (2023). View more posts
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We didn’t start off well in regards to doctrine and how we relate and refer to those in sister churches and denominations which differ somewhat from what you might consider the one true most unadulterated doctrine that must be guarded and kept from dilution or cultural relativity and so forth. My personal emphasis would guard against ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’ and yours seemed to be that one must guard against any ‘sister’ group which apparently is not in lock step with ‘our’ brand of faith. This second topic for us I hope we can find more middle ground. My dear earthly father often said, ‘Don’t tell me what you believe, tell me what you DO, and I will tell you what you believe’. I have spent nearly 45 years working in the developing country of Uganda East Africa. Many times I would be the only white man in a village of 3,000 or more, most of which suffer from HIV. I would see this large population of Ugandans in various forms of death, and I would ask myself ‘ ‘Where is the church?”. I grew up in Glenside Pa where there was 13 churches on a mile stretch of road. So many churches in such a small area, yet the community was nor obviously affected by this well churched area. Similarly my family moved down south to Tenn. and you literally could see 5 churches when you stop at one of many intersections there is Chattanooga. But the impact it had on the refugee population who needed the gospel in word and deed was almost non-existent. The homeless population continued to grow year in and year out. The church is a Sunday event and their goals include a gymnasium for the children or other such enrichment of the congregation’s families. I believe the initial emphasis of many early Christians could be boiled down to the ‘Protestant Work Ethic’ and the harde you worked, the less you drank and prosperity became the litmus test of a true believer. The focus of ‘Who is my neighbor’? and reaching out of your comfort level to minister to the poor and lonely, simply was not focused on even a little. I believe that true Biblical doctrine must include the essence of the Great Commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Much of my life of living out my faith was influenced strongly by Dietrick Bonhoffer. He could have lived in the security of his culture and his faith was not at stake at all. But he was compelled to speak out against the leaders of his country and to side with those who were crying out for mercy. He ended up losing his life because of his ‘doctrine’ which included justice and laying down his life for those suffering greatly under Hitlers reign of terror. The church has become one with the culture. Our prayers have become a wish list for our families to climb the ladder of Self Actualization. We need leaders to take a look at the early life of the church and extend their concept of ‘family’ beyond their flesh and blood. Good topic on your part!
I haven’t and won’t be reading any more of your deceptive words.