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Christianity, American style

Christ_empowered

Christ_empowered

Member
Churches grow out of communities. There's a give-and-take between churches and the surrounding culture. From what I've seen, --some-- branches of Protestantism are -much- too accommodating to the surrounding culture. To be fair, I don't think its a recent development; things just went a bit over the top w/ gay rights, abortion rights, gender deconstruction, etc.

So...it begs the question....how is Christianity different in America than elsewhere? I'm hoping that members here from other countries will chime in and share their observations.

Thanks. :)
 
Many churches want to be politically correct as to not step on any ones toes as they tolerate that which is of the world because they themselves are of the world as they could not be of God if they allow such things to creep into the church.

I'm not saying we have to be perfect in order to walk into a church, but that we need to know what is right in the eyes of God as we allow Him to make the changes in us that need to be made so we bring Him glory in all things of our life.
 
there -are- plenty of politically correct churches, especially the mainline denominations.

but...even some of the "conservative" churches...seem to fall short. I'm thinking of bigger churches, especially megachurches. that seems to be more common in American Christianity: big cars, big houses, big churches. maybe i'm wrong.
 
Christ_empowered said:
there -are- plenty of politically correct churches, especially the mainline denominations.

but...even some of the "conservative" churches...seem to fall short. I'm thinking of bigger churches, especially megachurches. that seems to be more common in American Christianity: big cars, big houses, big churches. maybe i'm wrong.
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There's nothing wrong with having nice things, but when you put all you have above God then those things become your idols/gods as greed creeps in and Jesus is kicked to the curb and used as only a cover name.
 
I agree. if my parents weren't more "genteel" these days, I'd be in jail, prison, state hospital, etc. I definitely see the value in having nice things, status, etc. my problem with megachurches is that...they seem to cast a wide net, entertain people, but they never seem to be big on the disciple-ing process. then again, that seems true of a lot of churches in the US, so...yeah. And that's not to be down on American culture, its just...people work a lot, move a lot, get divorced frequently, we don't have the same community bonds ("ties that bind," etc.), so...its much more difficult, in this environment, to help disciple Christians.
 
Political corectness is a weapon used to stop people from telling the truth. Political correctness also hates free speech and open opinion. Political correctness is a tyrant. Specifically set up to oppress and usher in authoritarian.
 
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This is why I sometimes think there is validity to the strict hierarchy in the RCC. We are to take care not to be tossed about to and fro on the winds of doctrine but that is essentially what we been doing. Martin Luther's goal was never to start a reformation outside the Catholic church but rather bring about reform from within. Even afterward when followers of Luther began referring to themselves as Lutheran he was not happy about it. But soon after he posted his theses denominations started coming out of the woodwork with all their various doctrines. The end result is the confusion we have today. Nobody really knows what is truly the truth anymore.
 
WIP said:
But soon after he posted his theses denominations started coming out of the woodwork with all their various doctrines. The end result is the confusion we have today. Nobody really knows what is truly the truth anymore.
Click to expand...
Well, if this is true then these denominations existed before Luther; it seems they were just afraid, maybe of what the RCC would do to them, for expressing their differing opinion on 'settled matters'. Back then you could be killed for such heretical expressions.......Martin had some guts.
 
If my understanding is correct it was all sparked by Luther when he finally made his stand and posted the theses. Today we have well over 30,000 protestant denominations and sects, not to mention those claiming to be non-denominational and independent. If that isn't confusion, I don't know what is. Today, we can shop around until we find the church that teaches what we want to hear even if it isn't necessarily the truth. Sounds a lot like 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NKJV....

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
 
yeah, I've considered going thru RCIA to get in the RCC because of the state of Protestantism. Its not just the US, of course. But then I think...well, what of purgatory, the whole Virgin Mary thing, penance, etc.? Totally foreign to my upbringing (liberal Presbyterian) and completely different from the Pentecostal teaching that actually taught me the fundamentals of (Protestant) Christianity.

Of course...I should probably refrain from talking too much about the RCC. I'm not trying to debate or anything, just...WIP makes some very interesting points. Protestantism in the US now runs the spectrum from the dying "mainline" denominations to the growing Charismatic churches, and there's no central authority structure to reign people in. Kind of...disconcerting, I suppose.
 
civilwarbuff said:
Well, if this is true then these denominations existed before Luther; it seems they were just afraid, maybe of what the RCC would do to them, for expressing their differing opinion on 'settled matters'. Back then you could be killed for such heretical expressions.......Martin had some guts.
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"Back then you could be killed for such heretical expressions"
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You can still and will be killed the killing has never stopped..

Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
 
WIP said:
This is why I sometimes think there is validity to the strict hierarchy in the RCC. We are to take care not to be tossed about to and fro on the winds of doctrine but that is essentially what we been doing. Martin Luther's goal was never to start a reformation outside the Catholic church but rather bring about reform from within. Even afterward when followers of Luther began referring to themselves as Lutheran he was not happy about it. But soon after he posted his theses denominations started coming out of the woodwork with all their various doctrines. The end result is the confusion we have today. Nobody really knows what is truly the truth anymore.
Click to expand...

These folks didn't see any validity to that strict hierarchy..
http://www.biblebelievers.com/foxes/findex.htm
 
Hey man,

I also live in England a few months of the year and the CofE there is very laid back. They have recently allowed boys and girls to go to school dressed in whatever clothing they choose so they don't discriminate on gender. There is a big topic over there about gender-fluidity and transgender issues and they are allowing boys to wear dresses and girls to wear boys clothing.

Different areas are different. Here in Texas we are pretty traditional.
 
yeah, that's interesting. I have a friend who now lives in England. Overall, she likes it...she says society is more humane, more live-able, than what we have in the US. Then again...--everything-- is apparently expensive, and both she and her husband are kind of outsiders (he's from India, she's from the US), and she says people there are more class-conscious than in the US, so...there's that, too.

I just wonder how American culture affects the church. There's a big, well-researched book I've been meaning to get...its about how a lot of right wing, Big Business types started pouring money into some branches of Protestantism, starting around the New Deal era. So...now, I'm wondering, how much of -some- types of Protestant thought in America are really...bought and paid for my corporate America, basically. Kinda scary.

Of course, any religion can serve as the "opiate of the masses," anywhere you go. Religion never saved anybody; only Jesus can do that.
 
Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA), who narrowly survived being shot last year at a congressional baseball event, also spoke at the breakfast event. Scalise has publicly praised God for helping him survive the shooting, saying previously, "I am definitely a living example that miracles really do happen."
During his prayer breakfast speech, Scalise again pointed to God over and over again, in his own story of survival as well as in references to American government.
"This was a nation founded with a deep belief in God," Scalise said, pointing to the way the Founding Fathers talked about faith and God as they were establishing a new nation.
"You can't separate church from state," Scalise continued. "This idea that you could just check your faith at the door... faith is part of who you are, it's part of who I am."
Complete article here:
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politic...mp-scalise-speak-at-national-prayer-breakfast
 
Christ_empowered said:
Churches grow out of communities. There's a give-and-take between churches and the surrounding culture. From what I've seen, --some-- branches of Protestantism are -much- too accommodating to the surrounding culture. To be fair, I don't think its a recent development; things just went a bit over the top w/ gay rights, abortion rights, gender deconstruction, etc.

So...it begs the question....how is Christianity different in America than elsewhere? I'm hoping that members here from other countries will chime in and share their observations.

Thanks. :)
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Hi Empowered, The seven Churches in Revelation's will describe the different visible, false and true Church environments....not counting the anti-Christ cults that claim Christianity. An anti-Christ church is one that does not recognize Christ deity. (Son of God) according to the flesh, and God according to the Spirit. (1 John 2:21-24) Christ is the God of the OT (John 1:1-5) (John 8:57-59) before His incarnation. LDS is a good example of being called Christians, but believe that Jesus was just a good man! From Catholic to protestant, all is described in The Letters to the Churches. All of these Churches in Revelation's started out in Turkey, and are as true today as they were then, all over the world. The one difference is the Martyrs for Christ are usually in poorer and Islamic countries that many seem to ignore and do not support in prayer or monetary help.
In Christ, who is our wisdom and righteousness,
Douglas Summers
 
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Those of us Americans have the blessing of a right of redress... This is not going against Romans 13... is using Romans 13... We have the right of peaceful protest... We HAD the right to politely say what we believed, PC is eroding that right... and it happens here at CFnet... I would rather pay taxes then allow the government to close my mouth.. I have erred in not speaking out to those who can effect such things... Yes i can blame the liberals for feinsteine and boxer . did i truly speak up... :shame
Because we have not spoken up and told our churches we would rather pay taxes then be told what we can say. The right to speak to some subjects has been taken from pulpit ... We should be ashamed of not using the freedoms we had,,,, It is much easier to not spill the honey then to clean it up...

I am not advocating anything even close to WBC they are a Christian church.. IMO ..

Respectfully using the rights we are given in the Constitution, is what i am yakking about as unto Romans 13... Instead we have replaced that Document with politicians and then give them the authority of Romans 13...
 
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