Apostasy

Barna Group Offers Year In Review Perspective of Christianity in America. Excerpts from article: "'Now that we are comfortable with the idea of being spiritual as opposed to devoutly Christian,' Barna pointed out, 'Americans typically draw from a broad treasury of moral, spiritual and ethical sources of thought to concoct a uniquely personal brand of faith. Feeling freed from the boundaries established by the Christian faith, and immersed in a postmodern society which revels in participation, personal expression, satisfying relationships, and authentic experiences, we become our own unchallenged spiritual authorities, defining truth and reality as we see fit.

"'Consequently, more and more people are engaged in hybrid faiths, mixing elements from different historical eras and divergent theological perspectives,' Barna stated. 'In some ways, we are creating the ultimate ecumenical movement, where nothing is deemed right or wrong, and all ideas, beliefs and practices are assigned equal validity. Everyone is invited to join the dialogue, enjoy the ride, and feel connected to a far-reaching community of believers. Screening or critiquing what that community believes is deemed rude and inappropriate. Pragmatism and relativism, rather than any sort of absolutism, has gained momentum.' ...

"Barna’s findings related to Bible knowledge and application indicate that little progress, if any, is being made toward assisting people to become more biblically literate.

“Bible reading has become the religious equivalent of sound-bite journalism. When people read from the Bible they typically open it, read a brief passage without much regard for the context, and consider the primary thought or feeling that the passage provided. If they are comfortable with it, they accept it; otherwise, they deem it interesting but irrelevant to their life, and move on. There is shockingly little growth evident in people’s understanding of the fundamental themes of the scriptures and amazingly little interest in deepening their knowledge and application of biblical principles.

"Barna noted that some of the critical assumptions of many preachers and Bible teachers is inaccurate. 'The problem facing the Christian Church is not that people lack a complete set of beliefs; the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights. Our research suggests that this challenge initially emerges in the late adolescent or early teenage years. By the time most Americans reach the age of 13 or 14, they think they pretty much know everything of value the Bible has to teach and they are no longer interested in learning more scriptural content. It requires increasingly concise, creative, reinforced, and personally relevant efforts to penetrate people’s minds with new or more accurate insights into genuinely biblical principles. In a culture driven by the desire to receive value, more Bible teaching is generally not viewed as an exercise in providing such value....'"

Becoming bound to the radical theological revisionism of the Protestant Left. Excerpts from article: "Though the issue of sexuality garnered media attention, the theological issue of 'bound-conscience' is more fundamental. In accepting this principle, these Lutherans effectively abandoned any claim of normative instruction from the Bible. On an issue of such crucial pastoral and moral importance, the ELCA offers an entire range of contradictory positions, each of which is now to be 'respected' because someone holding it claims to be bound by conscience." ... "Indeed, Luther was very suspicious of the human conscience. In the main, he was convinced that sin had so warped the capacity of conscience that it actually functions in most persons to foster a works religion which is the very opposite of the Gospel. The conscience makes the sinner aware of doing wrong, but then suggests works as a way of earning God's good pleasure. As Randall C. Zachman documents in his important work, The Assurance of Faith: Conscience in the Theology of Martin Luther and John Calvin, Luther was convinced that the conscience uncorrected by Scripture would lead to 'the idolatrous religion of conscience.'"

The Prosperity Gospel Promises Far Too Little. Excerpt from article: "Goodstein's report included the story of Edwige Ndoudi, who attended the meeting with her husband and three children. Pointing to the prosperity experienced by the Copeland's, Ndoudi asserted: 'If God did it for them, He will do it for us.' Similarly, Stephen and Millie Biellier brought their family from Missouri with the confidence that 2009 could be their 'overcoming year,' even though they are $102,000 in debt. They credit the Copelands with rescuing them from a financial crisis two decades ago, and are now among the Copelands' 'partners' in ministry. The Biellers spoke of their excitement as they participated in an effort to buy the Copeland ministry a Citation X airplane. They joined the 'Elite CX Team' after Mrs. Biellier said she heard the Holy Spirit tell her, 'You were born to support this man.' The couple gave $2,000 toward the airplane and recently gave $1,800 toward the ministry's purchase of high-definition television equipment. She is proud that the Copelands fly on a private jet, explaining that 'trashy people like Hugh Hefner' also have private airplanes. Prosperity theology is now preached by a wide assortment of televangelists and local figures who assure congregations that God promises to make them healthy and wealthy, if only they will possess and demonstrate adequate faith. A significant number of these preachers have departed from Christian orthodoxy altogether, adopting Christological heresies. The entire movement presents the Gospel as a message that is primarily about earthly rewards -- a theology that turns God into a heavenly banker who is obligated to invest His people with material riches if they possess adequate faith and claim these blessings for their own."

My comment: How can people be so deceived? Probably because they are either lost and/or they have never read and studied their Bible themselves. "2 Corinthians 4:1-4:  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

More Presbyterians OK Gay Clergy. Excerpt from article: "Local Presbyterians voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to approve an amendment to their church constitution to allow gay clergy. 
     "The vote, announced just after 8 p.m. at a crowded meeting at National Presbyterian Church in Northwest, was 222-102 with one abstention. The voters represented 34,000 Presbyterians in the District, Northern Virginia and five Maryland counties who belong to the National Capital Presbytery. 
     "'This presbytery has consistently voted along these lines,' said the Rev. Tim Cargal, moderator for National Capital. 'They wanted to record their support of having this language removed from the Book of Order.'"

 Christians in Name Only.  Excerpt from article: "One of the most massive and widespread occurrences of identity theft has happened, and it is not even attracting the attention of local, state or national leaders. This particularly insidious method targets a minority group, stealing their most precious possession, and yet even more compelling is that the perpetrator assumes nearly permanent 'residency' in the victim's identity. 
     "The mastermind behind this worldwide ring has cells in every city and town in America – including operatives in many unsuspecting homes. The evidence of this outrage is right before our eyes, but we have simply chosen to ignore its existence, pretending that the consequences will be insignificant. 
     "The 'victim' is biblical Christianity, and the operatives of this fraud are millions of Americans, both clergy and laity, who are walking around using that identity with no right to do so. The consequences are a nation without the spiritual, moral, social and political anchor that held us firm through over 400 years of tempests and storms...."

New World Order Will Echo Rick Warren - Fundamentalists Are a Threat. Excerpt from article:  "Today there really aren't that many Fundamentalists left; I don't know if you know that or not, but they are such a minority; there aren't that many Fundamentalists left in America ... Now the word 'fundamentalist' actually comes from a document in the 1920s called the Five Fundamentals of the Faith. And it is a very legalistic, narrow view of Christianity. Quote by Rick Warren, May 2005"

Most Christians Don't Believe Satan, Holy Spirit Exist.

Episcopal Church ends gay bishops ban. Excerpt from article: "The U.S. Episcopal Church put itself on a collision course with the rest of the Anglican Communion by formally approving Tuesday the ordination of gay bishops, defying warnings that the Church of England may respond by recognizing a rival Anglican church. The 2.1-million-member U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion also was preparing Wednesday to approve blessing ceremonies for same-sex unions, a further slap at the Archbishop of Canterbury, who warned the U.S. church last week not to act in ways that deepen the splits in the 77-million-member worldwide communion."

Sloshed in the Spirit? It's Time to Get Sober. Excerpts from article: "Some people began to manifest what looked like seizures during renewal services, and the bizarre behavior was defended as 'manifestations of the Spirit.' Some pastors even encouraged wobbly saints to find 'designated drivers' if they felt too drunk to operate a vehicle when it was time to go home. Meanwhile, some worship leaders introduced 'Holy Ghost drinking songs' that encouraged people to slosh around in the joy of the Lord while uncorking more of His new wine." ... "This is not a time for God's people to be incapacitated. We need to be thinking, planning, strategizing, researching and building—all using the Holy Spirit's wisdom. Yes, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit like never before—but He is not going to fill us so we can act like giddy freshmen at a frat house keg party. Let's put the childish things behind us. It's time for us to grow up and sober up."

Church of Sweden ordains first lesbian Bishop. Excerpt from article: "The Church of Sweden on Sunday ordained a female pastor as the country's first openly homosexual bishop, just weeks after approving gay marriages."