Core Christianity given the downgrade

[OzSpen]

Would you believe that Millennials in the UK (age 21-37) have chucked in John 3:16 for Jeremiah 29:11?

I have addressed this topic in my article, Millennials choose fake theology, published today by a secular Australian e-journal, On Line Opinion.

Would some of you be prepared to contribute in the Comments section of the article? You'll need to register your pen name. As you know, mine is OzSpen.

Watch the antagonists come out of the hostile bushes of attack. How will we respond to them with gentleness and kindness?

Oz

 

[Christ_empowered]

respond all you want...its the way the culture is going, church included. secularization, i believe is what the sociologists call it. and...

Scripture speaks of a "Great Falling Away" and a "Great Apostasy" that preceed the end of time. Perhaps that's what's going on here? the reduction of the traditional church, replaced by those who shall "...deceive the very elect, if possible..." ?

I'm all about speaking the truth in love, but...as an old millennial (34, I barely made the cut), I gotta say...

its only going to get worse, with younger generations and with secularization marching on....and on...and on...

 

[OzSpen]

respond all you want...its the way the culture is going, church included. secularization, i believe is what the sociologists call it. and...

Scripture speaks of a "Great Falling Away" and a "Great Apostasy" that preceed the end of time. Perhaps that's what's going on here? the reduction of the traditional church, replaced by those who shall "...deceive the very elect, if possible..." ?

I'm all about speaking the truth in love, but...as an old millennial (34, I barely made the cut), I gotta say...

its only going to get worse, with younger generations and with secularization marching on....and on...and on...

What, then, is the responsibility of born-again Christians to speak and act in the public square in the midst of this cultural catastrophe?

 

[PeterJens]

respond all you want...its the way the culture is going, church included. secularization, i believe is what the sociologists call it. and...

Scripture speaks of a "Great Falling Away" and a "Great Apostasy" that preceed the end of time. Perhaps that's what's going on here? the reduction of the traditional church, replaced by those who shall "...deceive the very elect, if possible..." ?

I'm all about speaking the truth in love, but...as an old millennial (34, I barely made the cut), I gotta say...

its only going to get worse, with younger generations and with secularization marching on....and on...and on...

I actually believe there is a bigger opening than people imagine.
We lived in a church age where going to church and being religious was what it meant to be a christian.

Today we have a young generation who want to be honest about love and their feelings, to be honest about their struggles. Today the flow of honesty about image, mental illness, marriage breakdown, sexual desires and its fluidity as some put it, gives us a place to minister the Lords grace and reality in our hearts.

The world of work and money and need is changing, where having ones needs met is becoming a reality, while the spiritual expression of need and true love which is lacking is killing people. But this is the place of Gods people, to value the poor, the needy, the down trodden, the weak, the despised, the empty. But it means we as a people need to have discovered this, which is often not as real and foundational as we might hope. I am exploring this truth in my church at the moment, and am seeing the next step in this call to reality in Christ, Amen.

 

[for_his_glory]

What, then, is the responsibility of born-again Christians to speak and act in the public square in the midst of this cultural catastrophe?

Our responsibility as a true child of God is to take the truth of the Gospel out to the world, even our own backyard, within the manner Jesus taught it and the Apostles wrote of what He taught. Christianity being downgraded is because of all the false prophets that are out there teaching the doctrines of devils from the pulpit as they allow the spirit of Jezebel to deceive them. We can see the great falling away from truth throughout all the generations and the generations to come until Christ returns.

Many Christians have become complacent within their comfort zones not wanting to rock the boat by not allowing themselves to speak truth with all power and authority given them by God. They would have to face confrontation within the church speaking against man's doctrines that are being taught in the church.

This is why Christianity is given a bad name as the spirit of religion holds many in bondage with it's own rules and regulations. There will be no excuse when we stand individually before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for the things we did or did not do while here on earth.

 

[OzSpen]

Our responsibility as a true child of God is to take the truth of the Gospel out to the world, even our own backyard, within the manner Jesus taught it and the Apostles wrote of what He taught.

FHG,

What is the content of the Gospel that the apostles wrote, that you would take to the streets on your city?

How would you connect with unbelievers and get them discussing the need for salvation?

Then, what would your main points be of the Gospel from Jesus, through the Apostles?

Oz

 

[for_his_glory]

FHG,

What is the content of the Gospel that the apostles wrote, that you would take to the streets on your city?

How would you connect with unbelievers and get them discussing the need for salvation?

Then, what would your main points be of the Gospel from Jesus, through the Apostles?

Oz

The content is God's unconditional love for everyone by His grace and mercy.

I connect with unbelievers by listening to them speak first and then when opportunity presents itself, as it usually does in one way or another for me anyway, I casually start witnessing Christ to their need, but in small doses at first. It's kinda like leaving them wanting more.

My main points would be that of God's plan of salvation through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son Christ Jesus who came and gave His life that others can have eternal life through Him.

 

[OzSpen]

The content is God's unconditional love for everyone by His grace and mercy.

I connect with unbelievers by listening to them speak first and then when opportunity presents itself, as it usually does in one way or another for me anyway, I casually start witnessing Christ to their need, but in small doses at first. It's kinda like leaving them wanting more.

My main points would be that of God's plan of salvation through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son Christ Jesus who came and gave His life that others can have eternal life through Him.

So you wouldn't include anything about the bad news that requires the good news?

 

[Christ_empowered]

fhg is traditional believer. I cannot speak for her, but I am fairly certain she'd mention Hell. I'd probably mention Hell, in the unlikely event I ever got to witness to someone who might be remotely receptive to Christianity 101. what I am trying to get across is...


there's a term I remember from basic sociology...'disenchantment of the world.' as the world modernizes, science and at times pseudoscience become the accepted ways of explaining the world around us. not just biology, either, but psychology....and (more in the EU and UK, not so much in the US, yet) sociology...which is PhDs debunking and deconstructing and analyzing the social order. There's even a "sociology of religion" and "sociology of mental health" (I"m fond of the latter...less fond of the former...). Economics...

its been ongoing for centuries. Foucault writes about the effects of The Enlightenment on the mad/"mentally ill," for instance (confinement, analysis, punishment). Before Prozac, there was Phrenology...the "scientific" analysis of human character by studying the head...size, shape, ridges, etc. And...

honestly, I think the lack of community bonds and even damage to family bonds (divorce, reduction in importance of extended family, etc.) play a role in this. Personal theory:: in hyper-individualistic, modern, affluent societies, people are just -not- going for traditional Christianity. Even here in the US, where being "Born Again" is still kinda sorta part of the culture in some areas, Barna studies show that even those who go to church regularly are secularized and hold distinctly heretical beliefs about life, faith, God, Jesus, etc....

so, these megachurches (for instance) are often filled with highly entertained, GOP-voting -unbelievers-. I imagine the same goes for smaller churches, but...just think about a US megachurch, with say 5,000 members. If I remember the Barna data correctly, maybe 1/3 of them even hold to the core beliefs that define traditional Christianity. That means about 3,333 of those in the church, rocking out to "contemporary worship music," throwing $$$ in the collection plate, and listening to a megastar minister....

aren't genuinely saved, much less disciple-d, to begin with!

speaking for US culture (yet again), a lot of what one sees here is the demise of 'Cultural Christianity,' which...is what it is.

 

[for_his_glory]

So you wouldn't include anything about the bad news that requires the good news?

The bad news is already included with the good news when one teaches of repentance and faith in Christ.

 

[for_his_glory]

fhg is traditional believer. I cannot speak for her, but I am fairly certain she'd mention Hell. I'd probably mention Hell, in the unlikely event I ever got to witness to someone who might be remotely receptive to Christianity 101. what I am trying to get across is...


there's a term I remember from basic sociology...'disenchantment of the world.' as the world modernizes, science and at times pseudoscience become the accepted ways of explaining the world around us. not just biology, either, but psychology....and (more in the EU and UK, not so much in the US, yet) sociology...which is PhDs debunking and deconstructing and analyzing the social order. There's even a "sociology of religion" and "sociology of mental health" (I"m fond of the latter...less fond of the former...). Economics...

its been ongoing for centuries. Foucault writes about the effects of The Enlightenment on the mad/"mentally ill," for instance (confinement, analysis, punishment). Before Prozac, there was Phrenology...the "scientific" analysis of human character by studying the head...size, shape, ridges, etc. And...

honestly, I think the lack of community bonds and even damage to family bonds (divorce, reduction in importance of extended family, etc.) play a role in this. Personal theory:: in hyper-individualistic, modern, affluent societies, people are just -not- going for traditional Christianity. Even here in the US, where being "Born Again" is still kinda sorta part of the culture in some areas, Barna studies show that even those who go to church regularly are secularized and hold distinctly heretical beliefs about life, faith, God, Jesus, etc....

so, these megachurches (for instance) are often filled with highly entertained, GOP-voting -unbelievers-. I imagine the same goes for smaller churches, but...just think about a US megachurch, with say 5,000 members. If I remember the Barna data correctly, maybe 1/3 of them even hold to the core beliefs that define traditional Christianity. That means about 3,333 of those in the church, rocking out to "contemporary worship music," throwing $$$ in the collection plate, and listening to a megastar minister....

aren't genuinely saved, much less disciple-d, to begin with!

speaking for US culture (yet again), a lot of what one sees here is the demise of 'Cultural Christianity,' which...is what it is.

I wouldn't call myself a traditional believer, but one who seeks truth breaking the bonds of religious traditional teachings of mans doctrines.

 

[OzSpen]

fhg is traditional believer. I cannot speak for her, but I am fairly certain she'd mention Hell. I'd probably mention Hell, in the unlikely event I ever got to witness to someone who might be remotely receptive to Christianity 101. what I am trying to get across is...


there's a term I remember from basic sociology...'disenchantment of the world.' as the world modernizes, science and at times pseudoscience become the accepted ways of explaining the world around us. not just biology, either, but psychology....and (more in the EU and UK, not so much in the US, yet) sociology...which is PhDs debunking and deconstructing and analyzing the social order. There's even a "sociology of religion" and "sociology of mental health" (I"m fond of the latter...less fond of the former...). Economics...

its been ongoing for centuries. Foucault writes about the effects of The Enlightenment on the mad/"mentally ill," for instance (confinement, analysis, punishment). Before Prozac, there was Phrenology...the "scientific" analysis of human character by studying the head...size, shape, ridges, etc. And...

honestly, I think the lack of community bonds and even damage to family bonds (divorce, reduction in importance of extended family, etc.) play a role in this. Personal theory:: in hyper-individualistic, modern, affluent societies, people are just -not- going for traditional Christianity. Even here in the US, where being "Born Again" is still kinda sorta part of the culture in some areas, Barna studies show that even those who go to church regularly are secularized and hold distinctly heretical beliefs about life, faith, God, Jesus, etc....

so, these megachurches (for instance) are often filled with highly entertained, GOP-voting -unbelievers-. I imagine the same goes for smaller churches, but...just think about a US megachurch, with say 5,000 members. If I remember the Barna data correctly, maybe 1/3 of them even hold to the core beliefs that define traditional Christianity. That means about 3,333 of those in the church, rocking out to "contemporary worship music," throwing $$$ in the collection plate, and listening to a megastar minister....

aren't genuinely saved, much less disciple-d, to begin with!

speaking for US culture (yet again), a lot of what one sees here is the demise of 'Cultural Christianity,' which...is what it is.

CE,

That's also the situation Down Under. We can expect to meet unbelievers or immature Christians in the pew when we hear what is preached from the pulpit and listen to the words of much of contemporary music.

My nephew and his family used to attend a nearby megachurch. I asked one of his sons, aged 10, what he thought of church. His response: 'We get a concert every week'. That says enough and one of my friends in his 70s who goes to that church wants me to consider going there. Not in the world!

I'm going to a local Calvinistic Presbyterian Church - even though I'm not a Calvinist - because it's the only local church that serves up meat instead of polly waffle or flimflam.

In my view, these are some of the reasons why evangelical Christianity is on the down hill run.

What can we do about it? My health doesn't allow me to do much overt evangelism, so I do it by interacting on secular websites, e.g. On Line Opinion. I write articles published by this e-journal. Here's an evangelical apologist's article on OLO: Outspoken Christians will not be tolerated.

Why don't you join with me in commenting on an aspect of Bill Muehlenberg's article.

Oz

 

[Christ_empowered]

hey, oz. i read the article. we have stuff like that happening over here, too (predictably...I guess its a postmodern, affluent society phenomenom?). The biggest target I can think of is the actress who was in Full House, candace cameron bure (probably not spelled correctly). she's a conservative born again christian, and she seems to rub a lot of people the wrong way. hmmm...

I don't consider myself terribly conservative, politically (to put it into perspective, I vote Democrat, always...I think its called "lesser-evilism voting"), but I cannot stand the way she sometimes gets attacked for her views, especially when it comes to her religious views, views on morality, etc. and...

at a more local level, its happening, big time, in the academic world. I have relatives who work in that setting, and....well, 20-30 years ago, there was -some- tension, if one was any sort of believer...

and that's given way almost to the thought police. Christians are barely tolerated if and when they cease being truly Christian, as in...Christians are OK if they affirm all things gay- and trans-related, are anti-death penalty, etc. so...

i dunno. ive dealt with professors at more conservative Christian schools and...aside from some econ stuff which seemed all about glorifying unfettered capitalism and ignoring valid data that contradicted their position (the opposite of which seems to be happening at -some- state schools in -some- fields), I was struck by...

the freedom of thought. I could reference conservatives, I could reference Marx. make your points, support it (both from Scripture and from outside, secular sources), write it well, you're OK. That was a breath of fresh air, after some previous experiences.

OK. thanks for this. I didn't see how to comment. would I Need to set up an account? I did just wake up from a -deep- nap. I"ll look again when I have 100% of my wits about me.

thanks again.