Crisis of Faith

Like individuals, churches don't often stride boldly away from Bible based truth. They edge away, taking barely perceptible baby steps, only to later find they have strayed so far they no longer think turning back is even needed.

A while back, some churches began the use of "forgiver and leader" instead of the traditional (and Biblical) "Savior and Lord." Words ARE important, and I find that forgiver and leader are so watered down as to render Christ's roles as Savior and Lord impotent. Our lost condition, our need of a Savior as well as Christ's absolute sovereignty are simply not conveyed in the bland wording of forgiver and leader.

When I asked why the new verbiage was coming from so many church leaders, I was truthfully told that many churches have gone to that terminology since today's people don't understand what a Lord is, and that even Rick Warren uses these more modern terms.

I agree people today don't understand Lordship any more than they comprehend their need of a Savior, and they never will unless they are taught. Also, let us not forget the role of the Holy Spirit. We don't have to help God by watering down or dumbing down His word! All we need do is what He has told us to do: pray and preach His Word (the Bible).

Whether it is a matter of important wording, or the lack of Bible teaching, or any other area where your church or its leaders are taking baby steps away from the truth of God's Holy Word, we need to pray, pray, pray. We need to make ourselves familiar with the statement of belief (tenets) of our church. Are they Biblical?  Of course, we must also speak with church leadership about any such issue. 

A word about Rick Warren. Pray for him, he needs it. Any of us could fall prey to the thrill of fame and the applause of men. I have had deep concerns about his loose play with scripture since I led 40-Days of Purpose small groups (we tested all his statements and scripture quotes using NIV, NASB and King James and found almost a fourth of his text seriously misleading).

But now, as his fame grows, his baby steps away from truth have become bold strides into outright lies and a public acceptance of homosexual life styles and agendas. These two short videos say it all:

Rick Warren in support of Proposition 8:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o4QqGbQmU0

On Larry King Live, Rick Warren denies support of Proposition 8, apologizes to gay friends:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYIWSyMrhRA

My heart is heavy that the potential of so many mega churches is lost because the focus is on numbers at any cost, rather than having people counting the costs as Jesus admonished in Luke 14:25-35. Jesus' teachings were "hard to swallow" even to the people of his day, yet He never watered them down. Neither should we. He is still Savior and Lord!

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And my day was like this...

I had a 9:45 doctor's appointment this morning and didn't get home until after 2:00! True, I had to wait a while, and true, I spend about 20 minutes with the new nurse practitioner, but the bulk of my time was wasted on trying to electronically coordinate between doctor, pharmacy and insurance carrier about a new medication I need. Funny, long ago when I was in high school, we all believed the "computer age" would bring about a time of increased efficiency and added hours of leisure each day. Sometimes I think our advances technology has lost more time that it's worth. 

On the other side of the coin, preparing and filing income taxes is tons easier now. We e-filed our returns last night. Quick and easy and we have a receipt that the IRS has them, proof we filed.

I had planned to go to the local Tea Party on the steps of City Hall, but decided to have a scheduled lunch with my Red Hat Society group instead. I protest the insanity coming from Washington by writing, emailing and phoning my representatives and the White House often. And I pray, which is the most powerful thing I can do.