What would you think if you went to a physician and he purposely make things up as he went along in regards to your medical treatment? He called himself a Board Certified Purpose Driven specialist. Whatever he think works is the best treatment.

What if you took a formal English course because it was a required course for your advancement and the professor taught you ghetto slang instead? He said you need to be able to be able to communicate with the underclass.

What if you were blind and the word scanner paraphrased the words out of your calculus text book because the program designer believed that truth is relative?

What if you go to Bible college to learn the Bible and they teach you how to do everything but learn proper biblical exegesis. Guess what, the latter is happening all over this country.

Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - Pastoral Malpractice and the Visible Church

Suppose you were to contract a potentially serious medical condition and went to see a doctor. Upon asking him details about the diagnosis and medical consequences you found out that he does not take medical literature literally. In addition, he has not kept up on the latest medical research and has been out of medical school for several decades. He prefers to make his patients happy and comfortable rather than to force them to confront the truth about their health condition. Would you see such a doctor? Neither would I. Such a doctor eventually could be found guilty of malpractice.

I have assumed in Warren’s case that he indeed has the tools to perform sound exegesis. Some of the other leaders of large congregations—Bill Hybels, Robert Schuller, or Joel Osteen—likely are capable of doing sound Biblical exegesis and correctly applying the Bible to the lives of those who attend their churches. But sadly they often do not use sound exegesis—or even use the Bible as the main source of their messages.

Pastor Warren may be correct that you cannot do both—expound important Biblical topics and appear attractive to seekers at the same time. But I disagree completely with the idea that we must appear attractive to lost sinners. We need to preach Christ to lost sinners so that they can know the terms of the gospel. That is the only valid “diagnosis” that will do them any good. In the book of Acts this was done up front, and not through a back door after presenting an alternative that would seem attractive to people in their lost state.

The Bible does not give pastors the liberty to handle the Bible in a sloppy manner.

The issue of motivation to develop the skills and use the tools to perform Biblical exegesis also has reached seminaries. Because of a growing lethargy concerning Biblical interpretation and sound doctrine, many have turned to such sidetracks as “marriage and family therapy” or deceptive mysticism such as “spiritual formation.” Young people from around the country have written us stating that they want to go into the ministry but cannot find a school where they can gain a solid theological education without being subjected to postmodernism, mysticism, the therapeutic gospel, or church growth theory. If many churches are not looking for those who “labor in word and doctrine,” seminaries have little market to train people to do just that. So we find ourselves in the lamentable situation where young people who want to be godly pastors trained with the tools to accurately handle the Bible have difficulty finding a place to be educated, and those who actually do find such an education have difficulty finding churches that want them. As a result, our evangelical movement has grown accustomed to pastoral malpractice as though it were the norm.

The standards are strict and generally well observed for those who treat our bodies and cure our physical ailments. But the standards for those who care for our souls have fallen woefully short.

Full article

According to Julia Duin evangelicals are fleeing their churches and not attending on Sunday. There are probably several things going on here besides Duin not counting some non denominational churches that are growing. Has anyone considered that maybe half of the people in the seeker friendly churches that are now so prominent across America were never Christians in the first place? They were brought in by hype and great expectation for a purpose driven life but they never believed or were given the gospel of Salvation that defines a Christian.

Let me make a few observations. I occasionally attended a large mega church in St Louis and the pastor realized that even through he was having alter calls and scores of people were emotionally coming to the alter each Sunday for salvation or renewal the church was no longer growing. He realized the people were going out the back door as fast as they went in the front door. He soon changed to follow the format of Willow Creek Church and adopted the seeker sensitive church growth model. He no longer gave alter calls and did not present a dynamic gospel message on Sundays but mainly presented an entertainment packed gospel light service that would appeal to young professionals. Now almost two decades later the Church still has about the same attendance numbers as it had before he switched to the Creeker format but the people in attendance today are almost a completely different membership. In others words in 15 or so years there has been a ninety percent turnover in the membership. He replaced a church of fervent believers with all Baby Boomer Evangelicals and seekers.

This has been going on in many seeker sensitive churches across the country. They cater to the unbelievers and lose their core Church membership. They pad their church board with those who will agree with the pastor’s seeker model and drive out the leadership that wish to retain biblical teaching on Sunday. In addition, the seekers are not going to the mid week services to learn the gospel of salvation like the leadership had hoped. So the seekers stick around for a little while and also leave out the back door seldom to be seen again

Even Bill Hybells the father of the Creeker Movement of churches has recently admitted that the seeker sensitive church growth model has been a failure. He said it did not produce mature Christians. He and others are now rethinking everything and probably looking for a new gimmick to bring people in and keep them in attendance. The whole Emergent Church movement is doing likewise.

The problem is that the Body of Christ is not grown through gimmicks and entertainment services. It is grown through conversion to Jesus Christ through hearing and believing the gospel and this does not happen unless the gospel is given and the Holy Spirit draws them (not Elvis impersonators). Gimmicks of the church might get people to attend on Sundays for awhile but that wears off and most soon leave.

Also, the local church spiritual health is not based on numbers. It is based on Spirit indwelt Christians with gifts of the Spirit that are using these gifts for the good of the whole Body. The Body does not even have to be in Sunday attendance for that to happen. The Church needs to work beyond the four walls that many assembly in on Sunday. Much too often those who do attend each Sunday think that have done their Christian service and their calling because they attended the Sunday gathering service. No. They have just attended a Sunday gathering service. If you want to do what Christians were called to do you need to be helping to fulfill the great commission using your gifts to build up the Body of Christ in order for the Body of Christ (the Church) to actually fulfill the great commission. Grow the membership in the Body of Christ and the Church will be attending and it will be doing its job. This does not happen just on Sunday but every day of the week and that job will never primarily be done under the roofs of church building.

The buildings are primarily there for the use of the Church not for the use of unbelievers. I have encountered many Bible believing Christians that will not attend a Church building because of what they feel goes on under these roofs and we all know that their arguments are often valid. So the solution might be for pastors to start looking more at third world models where the Church is actually living out Christianity daily rather than the latest Madison Ave westernized two hour Sunday media event model.

I believe if all the big Church buildings in America disappeared the Church in America would be much more effective and dynamic being a Church that goes out into the streets.

Sunday Morning, Staying Home

According to Julia Duin, a religion reporter for the Washington Times, more and more evangelicals are in fact fleeing their churches. Indeed, Ms. Duin regards church-quitting, at least among evangelicals, as nothing less than an epidemic. The problem, in her view, is not in the souls of the church quitters but in the character of the churches they choose to leave. “Something,” she observes, “is not right with . . . evangelical church life.”

The faults she points to–relying on her own reporting and survey data–are many. They are surprising, too, running counter to the stereotype of evangelicals bonding happily in their churches. She reports, among other things: a lack of a feeling of community among church members, inducing loneliness and boredom; church teaching that fails to go beyond the basics of the faith or to reach members grappling with suffering or unanswered prayer; pastors who are either out of touch with their parishioners or themselves unhappy, or who fail to shepherd their flocks, or who are caught up in scandal, or who try to control the lives of church members in a high-handed way. She claims that many churches have “inefficient leadership models” and that many, preoccupied with the care of families, neglect single people.

According to Ms. Duin, churches dedicated to making disciples will “do well in this era of dumbed-down, purpose-driven, seeker-friendly Christianity.” But is that really true? From a theological perspective, there is no guarantee that churches will prosper as they attempt to make disciples–if we judge prosperity by church membership alone. A church might conscientiously carry out its biblical tasks and yet, by measures of popularity, do poorly in this world. Such a church would not be doing right if it adjusted its mission for the sake of higher attendance records.

Full article

Is America now under judgment? When are acts of God acts of God? Has America done anything worthy of judgment? You be the judge.

• So far this year we are involved in two foreign wars with another war being a distinct possibility.
• We have had unprecedented numbers of tornadoes.
• The Mid-West floods have been catastrophic.
• More of California has burned this year then in any year in history and the fires are still burning with a fire season that still has a long way to go

On the Economic Front.

• Falling Real estate values have caused the greatest financial crises since the great depression.
• Tens of millions are losing equity in there homes, millions are losing their homes.
• The stock market is down 20 percent and pension funds and insurance will also lose at least that much value.
• Banks, brokerage firms and corporations are failing and need to be bailed out by the government.
• The U.S. dollar is the weakest it has been in modern times.
• Gasoline prices are four times what they were a few years ago.
• Heating bills will be much higher this winter.
• All electric bills are about to shoot up about twenty percent in one year.
• Food prices are up 10 to 20 percent this year.
• Inflation across the board is the worst in years and most of the costs have not even been passed through yet.
• Services in the U.S. are becoming unreliable.
• Unemployment is on the rise and it is going to get much higher.
• Due to falling revenues state and local governments are going to run into major deficit problems

Crime and amorality

• Gangs have taken over much of our inner cities.
• Drug trafficking is epidemic.
• Illegal drugs are used by a very large percentage of our population.
• 2.2 million people are in prison in this nation. This is the highest incarceration rate in the world.
• There are 10 to 20 million people in this country illegally.
• One in four adults in the U.S. has a VD. Homosexual males have a ten year shorter life span, yet, the pushing of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity is all over the media and sexual perversion is taught in our schools as normal healthy lifestyles and this is forced on suggestible children.
• Homosexual marriage is now legal in two states.
• There have been 50 million abortions in the U.S. and taxpayers in one way or another are paying much of the cost. Much of the black population in the U.S. is being aborted but most black leaders keep promoting it.
• Scams and rip-off schemes are epidemic especially on the Internet.

Politics.

• Congress has a nine percent approval rating.
• Judges are legislating law from the bench contrary to the Constitution.
• Special interest groups control almost all politicians and it is now almost impossible to get incumbents out of office.
• Thanks to the voters we have two choices for the President that want more globalism and more socialism. Both will bring in a liberal supreme court. Both will pass hate speech laws that will negatively impact Christians.

Religion.

• A generation of seeker friendly services has watered down much of what is left of Evangelical Christianity.
• The Emergent movement is redefining biblical truths and downplaying biblical doctrine.
• Most claiming to be Christians are biblically illiterate not having read through the Bible even once in their lives, far less have understanding of the passages in context.
• People flaunting their sins are put in church leadership roles.
• Psychology theories originated from the occult have corrupted much Christian counseling and other programs.
• New Age pagan thought is now all over the media and is being accepted by many claiming to be Christians.
• Much of the youth is leaving Christianity for postmodern relativism

If God were to continue judging this nation what might our immediate future hold?

• The economy would continue to decline.
• Hyperinflation is a very real possibility.
• Unemployment may become a very serious issue.
• There could be much greater weather related storms, droughts and crop failures.
• Major earthquakes would become likely.
• Major volcanic activity is certainly possible.
• Leadership in government could continue to get worse (even lower then scraping the bottom).
• Terrorist attacks would become likely.
• Hate speech laws will be passed and constitutional freedoms will be redefined by the courts. Government tyranny will become a major issue.
• A nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack may happen. It would leave the nation helpless without electric for months or years. (This would be the ultimate judgment it would most likely bring the complete collapse of our society).
• The complete collapse of our economic system is possible.
• Collapse of our social system and declining into anarchy is possible.
• The break up of the Union is possible.

The Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Don’t you think it would be wise for people in this nation to fear the Lord instead of Him having to send correction because we will not do what is right?

Well this article is Dave Daubenmire at his best. Believe me I hear similar things from the people who email me. Pastors in many churches don’t lead people to Christ anymore they just follow popular Guru’s and teach their congregations new ways to have a more sensitive and girlie Church service. Did Peter and Paul do that or did they boldly tell the world the salvation message at every opportunity even though it cost them their lives? Did Peter, Paul and John speak correction and instruction to the Church at every opportunity or did they just tap dance around the issues like many popular pastors of today?

Dave Daubenmire — Thumb Suckers

So, how is your team doing, Pastor? Are you committed to fighting for Truth or are you trying to be nicer than Jesus? At least he upset some tables…in the church I might add.

Tired of the stress? Tell the sheep to grow up. It’s Scriptural, you know? Sorry, I have no sympathy for men who want to wipe noses for a living. That’s what women are for. (Sorry, had to say it!) You won’t be nearly as stressed if you fight over Truth rather than over the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. The enemies of Christianity are training their sons to be warriors while Christians teach our sons how to get in touch with their feelings. They are learning to cut our throat as we learn to turn our cheek.

Look folks, God is a man. Sorry if this doesn’t fit your emerging theology but God is the Father, NOT our mother. He is masculine. (My dad can beat up your dad!)

Whatever happened to men in the pulpits? Where did we get this current batch of nurses? (Now, now…if the shoe fits…) “Oh, Coach, you are sooo mean.”

Here is what I don’t get. Where did it become off limits to challenge a pastor? Oh, I know the Scripture “Saying, Touch not mine anointed,” but that begs a different question. How do we know who is anointed and who is not? I promise you there are many pastors who are not anointed of God. Jesus called them hirelings, those who are just in it for the paycheck.

I think it is time we called them out. What if I told them I was anointed to rebuke them?

So, I wrote a commentary challenging the “shepherds” and you would have thought I committed blasphemy. Where do these guys get off? Darkness is swallowing up this nation and the “shepherds” get mad at me because I spoke some “harsh” words about their performance. Put your armor on, Brother, there is a war a-raging for the souls of men. You are supposed to be on the front lines. Suck it up!

Buck up, Pastor. Tighten your belt and earn your meal money. You are a servant of the Lord, a General in the Army of God, God’s ambassador here on the earth. Get your thumb out of your mouth and pick up a few stones

This article give some interesting insights. Rich Warren is apparently inviting certain critics to visit his purpose driven conferences probably in an attempt to tone down the criticism of him. He may also be genuinely trying to understand why he has critics in the Church (let’s hope so).

Bob DeWaay was invited and he challenged Rick Warren to preach Christ. By that, he meant that Warren should preach specific scriptural Revelation about Jesus Christ in public rather than just General revelation about God. I hope Rick Warren takes Bob’s advise and uses his huge platform to preach the gospel of salvation.

One of the perplexing things is that Warren’s Church really does have orthodox theology but that does not help those who listen to Warren and do not attend the biblical programs at Saddleback. When Warren has been before a world audience in the past his message has been too wishing washy. His public messages and his interviews are generally absent of the gospel.

I think one thing that Warren needs to understand is that millions read his works and follow his words. They do not go to Saddleback Church classes to find the Orthodoxy they retain. So Warren with his huge world exposure needs to put more salt and light in His message to those outside of his Church no matter the cost to his worldly popularity.

Of course there are other problems in his programs but clearly preaching the absolute truths of the gospel to the world would be a huge step forward for Rick Warren. If he really wants to unite the Church and not further divide it he will preach the gospel clearly and not cloak it behind subjective self improvement philosophies

When Billy Graham preached to the world their was no doubt that he was preaching the gospel of salvation. People with ears to hear listened and many found Christ. Rick Warren has much the same potential to reach millions in this world. If he continues with has mainly social gospel message he might even make the world a better place for awhile but if it offers no salvation message what does it profit people if they gain a better world for a season but still lose their own soul?

My Visit to Ask Rick Warren to Preach Christ - CWN

My Visit to Ask Rick Warren to Preach Christ

By Bob DeWaay

In May, one of the pastors at Saddleback Church invited me to attend a Purpose Driven conference—at Saddleback’s expense. Their only caveat was that I say nothing until the end, at which time I would be able to comment about why I disagree with the Purpose Driven movement. I declined on the grounds that I had already studied the movement and had no need to hear more from its proponents. When I saw the lineup of speakers I realized that it would have been exasperating to listen for hours to what I have already rejected. Rick Warren’s chief of staff e-mailed back and offered to have me come only on Thursday in order to talk to Warren in person. Since the Bible says that we should be ready to give a reason for our hope in the gospel (1Peter 3:15) I decided to go.

The main problem with the Southern Baptists (I have been a member) is that most members no longer read their Bibles they read Lifeway articles about the Bible. They do not do Bible studies they do Lifeway magazine studies or studies based on the latest book of some popular Christian self help Guru. They do not have Bible teachers they have facilitators of Lifeway products. Don’t believe me? Take a show of hands at your Southern Baptist Church, Bible study or group and ask how many have ever read through the Bible even once in their lives. You might be surprised. Better yet, since “Christians lie through their teeth give your membership a quiz on the Bible and make them hand it in. I dare you! See if your congregation can even be called quasi biblically literate.

So is it any wonder why they buy fluff at Christian book stores and love self help books and the gnosticism written by postmodern heretics. How would they know any better? The owners of the book stores are just selling what people want in a very difficult business to survive in.

Half of the Southern Baptist membership are now given a watered down seeker sensitive sermon on Sunday so they do not even hear any biblical truth from their pastors. In churches with younger pastors many are now hearing a postmodern emergent church message that questions all biblical truth and replaces truth with post modern relativism and universalism. Why are Southern Baptist’s not questioning their teachers? Mainly because they never read or at least never understood their Bible.

The decline of the Southern Baptists is now inevitable. The question is, who will be taking their place? The answer in the South right now is probably no one. Less and less people are showing up regularly, the South is becoming full of cultural Christians.

I think the South is ripe for a major invasion of Calvary chapels. They should consider the south a major mission field. I just read a report that said the FBI reports that crime is higher in the Bible Belt then in most other areas in the nation” Is it any wonder?

Paul Proctor — Southern Baptists now in decline

And what about the books LifeWay offers on Contemplative Spirituality, aka, Spiritual Formation, from Emerging Church authors and leaders, many of whom reject absolute truth, downplay doctrine and encourage their readers to incorporate mantras and mysticism into their Christian walk?

One of the foremost authors and leaders of the Emergent movement, Brian McLaren, recently spoke at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois at the annual Shift student ministries conference. Here’s what the SBC’s own Baptist Press had to say about him:

McLaren’s views break harshly from traditional Christian theology that Jesus died on the cross as substitute for sinful humanity, taking the punishment that men and women deserved for their sin.

Yet, at this writing, his books are available for purchase at LifeWay Christian Stores.

I’m just scratching the surface here folks

This news letter properly discerns the seeker movement.

clipped from www.ericbarger.com Many churches are counting on the entertainment factor to carry them because they are in fact void of spiritual depth and power. No matter how well executed or presented, “special effects”, trite skits or “positive” sermonettes are just so much drivel without the supernatural hand of God upon them. Perhaps, in the natural, it is simply easier to attract and then appease the carnality of men instead of making the uncomfortable stands which God’s word implores us to make. If we lead our congregations to focus on shallow, eternally vacant and theologically errant gimmicks like the “Forty Days of Purpose” then praying, fasting, studying and seeking God for a bona fide supernatural encounter such as the early Church regularly experienced will seem far less risky - or important. God help us!

I think this excellent article hits the nail on the head. The mega church movement makes too many godless compromises that focus on the felt needs of the people. They should be putting the focus on Christ. For without a spiritual rebirth from Jesus man can do nothing for God in this world.

They think people will come to Christ through worldly methodologies instead of hearing the word of God and believing.

clipped from www.worldnetdaily.com The tension between private and public faith that is created by the challenges of secularism has forced too many Christians in the “mega-church” movement to make unnecessary and godless compromises. In too many of the populist churches the message has shifted from a God-in-Christ-centeredness to a focus on people, their “emotions” and their “felt needs.” It’s as though Oprah Winfrey has become the patron saint of the mega-church establishment. Feel-good preachers spend a gazillion dollars promoting the myth that Jesus’ sole purpose in coming to this earth was to ensure our happiness, our health, our wealth and our good looks, and that a “spiritual how-to guide” can be had in exchange for a simple contribution.

Jan Markell in this article informs us of John MacArthur’s book, “The Truth War”. Truth is being sacrificed on the altar in many Christian churches today in order to be relevant and popular.

That reminds me of a passage in Timothy:

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

clipped from http://www.christianworldviewnetwork.com/article.php/2968/Jan_Markell Since the onset of the “seeker” movement, the Emergent Church movement, and postmodern thinking of the last 15 years, the sacrificial lamb has been truth.  Again quoting MacArthur, “We cannot sit by and do nothing while worldly, revisionist, and skeptical attitudes about truth are infiltrating the church. We must not embrace such confusion in the name of charity, collegiality, or unity. We have to stand and fight for the truth-and be prepared to die for it-as faithful Christians always have.”He concludes, “Church leaders are obsessed with style and methodology, losing interest in the glory of God, and becoming grossly apathetic about truth and sound doctrine. For the moment, at least, the battle appears to be turning in the enemy’s favor.”

This author thinks that the modern day seeker church entertainment services is not the way to go.

clipped from www.christianworldviewnetwork.com One common thread, notoriously absent from “seeker sensitive” and “Purpose Driven” churches, is preaching with the conviction, anointing and fire of the Holy Ghost with a focus on driving the world out of the Church. Instead, when church leadership fixate on anything but the entire counsel of Scripture, the attitudes and compromises of the world seem to be invited guests in our congregations - not rogue intruders.

A good overview on the seeker sensitive movement.

It seems as though everywhere you look in Christianity today, seeker-sensitive churches seem to be the new fad.  Well-known evangelicals like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels are leading the charge of this movement, and one will find these churches springing up everywhere.  These churches are all about large numerical growth.  Driven by market analysis, these corporation-like churches offer programs, high energy worship services, and fun and games to draw more pagans to their church.  This all sounds good and effective, right?  However, there are problems with this model of a church.

The seeker-sensitive church brings about some very negative results by desiring to please men rather than God: a corrupted form of the gospel message, a manipulated definition of “church,” and an under-”feeding” of true believers.

Full article

Paul Proctor — The Wasteland of Willow Creek: “I guess by doing their own surveys and presenting the ‘earth-shaking’ results as a revelation at their Leadership Summit and in a brand new book, Hybels can save face and save customers by admitting comically that he goofed to his chuckling audience in front of the cameras without having to admit that those who rebuked him with the Word of God year after year were right - and that many others who desperately needed the Word of God, yet were denied, have suffered immeasurably for the neglect.”

We have been telling the seeker gurus that the seeker sensitive movement was a mistake for many years now but nobody wanted to listen. Now that Bill Hybels himself admits it was a mistake he will be seen as the enlightened one that figured it out. Meanwhile, he is planing a new experiment for the creekers that is a worse mistake. He will be shifting his churches toward the thinking in the emerging or emergent church movement.

These people do not want to teach the simple gospel they want a new gimmick or methodology to improve upon it. They want to try to hoodwink people into Christianity by psychologies of men and human rationalization rather than through the work Jesus did at Calvary.

Seeker Friendly Church Leader Admits They Have Done It All Wrong - CWN: “If you simply want a crowd, the “seeker sensitive” model produces results. If you want solid, sincere, mature followers of Christ, it’s a bust.

In a shocking confession, Hybels states: We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own. Incredibly, the guru of church growth now tells us that people need to be reading their bibles and taking responsibility for their spiritual growth. “

I know some of you are going to find this totally incredible but the granddaddy of the seeker movement, Bill Hybels has come out and said that the seeker churches made a mistake, it does not work.

“Perhaps the most shocking thing of all in this revelation coming out of Willow Creek is in a summary statement by Greg Hawkins:

Our dream is that we fundamentally change the way we do church. That we take out a clean sheet of paper and we rethink all of our old assumptions. Replace it with new insights. Insights that are informed by research and rooted in Scripture. Our dream is really to discover what God is doing and how he’s asking us to transform this planet.

Isn’t that what we were told when this whole seeker-sensitive thing started? The church growth gurus again want to throw away their old assumptions and “take out a clean sheet of paper” and, presumably, come up with a new paradigm for ministry.
Should this be encouraging?”

Here we are again back to rethinking. Is there any tie in with the paradigm shift in my previous post, any tie in with Robert Schuller’s rethinking conference? Is this rethinking movement now going to replace the seeker movement with something even worse. Is that their paradigm shift? Stay tuned.

As the Bible goes…so goes the Constitution - CWN
There is a direct correlation to liberalism in the church and the liberalism in the society. The more biblically illiterate the society is, the less influence the founding biblical principles have. The church in America has sold out to sweet fluff, and seeker sensitive driven preaching that offends no one except the actual Bible believer! I am not talking about ministry style. I am talking about the substance of the message. Everything is fluff and what “prosperity is in it for me” with no conviction of the serious truth of the Word of God. Salvation in Christ alone is hardly preached with conviction any longer in many churches including mega-churches. Hell is almost never mentioned. Men are not allowed to be men any longer. Preachers are afraid to speak the truth about male headship in the home and church. Is there any wonder why we are in the place we are in when churches embrace feminism and ordain women as pastors in direct violation of the Bible? (1 Tim 2:12, 1Tim 3:1-7) The God given authority is broken down by political correctness. The same logic is used then to further fall into insanity as homosexuals are ordained into some “churches”. Instead of following the biblical mandate, liberal “Christians” are choosing to change the Bible to fit their own desires. They are those who worship their own feelings instead of the living God who has commanded us not to ad to of take away from His Holy Word (Rev. 22:19) I know why people are afraid to say what I just said. I myself have received hate mail because I am not afraid to speak the truth of the Bible. As the culture descends to the lowest form of relativism and evil, we only seal our national doom as we rot from within having lost our conviction of God’s Holy Word. Is there any wonder as to why the commitment level in true local churches is dwindling?

What he talks about is the now the normal state of affairs in the world and in many Churches. Do we see any inclination that this will turn around? Yet, some are actually saying we are winning the world to Christ. Are we really? Or has the gospel been so diluted that it is not an offense to those who love the world anymore. Has the salt lost its savor? If so, we are in the very last days.

The Church of the Triumphant or the Church of the “Convenient”? - CWN
“It seems clear that the power of Christian secularism is alive and well. What do I mean by such a scandalous title as “Christian secularism”? Well it is sort of like fat free, salt free, wheat free, caffeine free, calorie free, and taste free, the package says it is food but in honesty it only resembles food but has no substance of nutrition. It is what is desired in America. The idea is not really hard to understand. During the days of Elijah the people of God were interested in God but only as sort of the religion de’jour. They were happy to engage in the evil practices of Baal worship along with their occasional obligation to worship the one true God of Israel. Their commitment was to the buffet religious experience and in truth they should not be chastised by the modern American Church. Since “seeker sensitive, post modern relativism, anything goes from the pulpit ministry (in order to be so called “relevant”) is now lifted up as the true move of God, preachers like me have now become the enemies of progress.

The authority of the Word of God has been watered down to the point that it no longer is given much more than lip service concerning its absolute inerrancy in most “Christian circles”. So many have bought into wanting to be so relevant to society that they have become irrelevant in their desire to reach the un-churched, with a disdain for God’s mandate concerning his Church’s authority. The position seems to be “since the world hates Christ and His Word we will try to win them to Christ and His Word without preaching Christ and his Word”. This seems illogical to me. The idea that you win people to Christ by watering down Christ seems to be a complete lack of faith in the power of Christ and His Word and thus what is it that they are being won to? Is it any wonder that American Christians are biblically illiterate?”