This crap cost the downtown church a boo que of money in court trying to separate. The Mother Church realized their property was worth a ton of money and the reneged on letting them separate and they had to go to court. Hundreds of thousands spent.
Because when separated from The Church, the Bible can be used manipulated and misinterpreted to justify just about anything. Thus why Sola Scriptura is heresy, which leads to other heresys.
Currently many churches fall into the heresy of "The nice Christ" That Christ was a cool guy who accepted and loved everyone. He hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors. He was super nice. This is simply not the case as Christ was arrested for making a whip and driving out the money changers. Christ stated that he came not to bring peace but a sword. We are not called to tolerate evil, we are called to destroy it. We are bombarded with the message of "God is love" and "love is love" but instead of love, we are given the example of lust. Love is different, love is doing what is necessary, love sometimes means hurting people, even those who we care about. Love is the parent who dislocated a child's arm pulling him out of the way of a speeding car, rather than letting him go where he wants. Love is pain, and sacrifice. Christ showed love through his experience of the passion, of torture and crucifixion for our salvation. Likewise the martyrs experienced pain and death for their faith, their blood becoming the seeds of the Church. This is not a religion about feeling good, or doing what is easy. It is about fixing our own broken minds and cleaning our filthy souls. Just as the crucifixion is eternal, so is salvation, and we must convert every day.
Just my opinion from life: In order to take and maintain control you have to change the heart and mind of the masses. Up to 90% of society will just follow along as change is too painful. Give the masses pablum. Quick and easy slogans, diminish attention spans to seconds. Remove memories. Re-write history. Delete facts. Change rights to remove them. Marginalize those who will not conform. Find a “them” to be against. Unite under a simplified statement. Remove freedom to give perceived comfort. In the end you have control. Mein Kampf. My Struggles.
Now let me be truly blasphemous with a rhetorical question: What is the true difference between our two main parties? The people are giving up freedom for perceived security and comfort under both. One is slower than the other. Both are divisive. What is the true difference at the end of the day? Who can “We the people “ trust?
Now take this to religion. Control the message. Control the people. Warp and change the message. Lead the people down the path you desire.
The masses are lazy and want a simple, easy life without work or strife. A life of comfort and ease. Happiness from a canned life or medicated.
Now, where are we today? Where are we heading? Roman Pope is re-writing tradition, teaching, history. Methodist leader is celebrating removing those pesky people who are traditionalists in their beliefs. As a society and group of believers we have elevated the false prophets to power. We choose to believe what makes us feel good now, immediately. Switch it on from a box, pill, needle, tube.
We have given up control. Nikita Khrushchev bragged we would be here. We laughed at him. He is still laughing at us.
After our church left United Methodist and joined the Global Methodist church our weekly attendance is up about 40%
I'm interested in this. Are you talking about St. Luke's in downtown OKC?
We have “congressional methodist” churches here in east TX where people disenfranchised with the united methodist church attend, and I even have friends who left baptist churches for a congregational methodist church.
Religion is Man's attempt to reach God.
Jesus Christ is God's attempt to reach Man.
But, it's always bricks'n'mortar and Man that get in the way.
I was always told that Methodists were just Baptists that were afraid of the water and Presbyterians were Methodists that had been to college.Methodists used to be baptists that drank alcohol and danced, but now the ones I know are all left wing democrats that are pro lgbtxyz and pro abortion. Two of my mother in law’s siblings were Methodist preachers and needless to say talking politics at family gatherings can get heated quick, and I’ve been accused of throwing gas on a fire.
We were Presbyterians since birth but the church took a left turn in the 1990s and we took a right.
Now proud members of First Baptist in Mustang. Our membership is growing. We have new member classes several times a year with 30-40 in each one. If you want to hear nothing but every word in the Bible preached and believe that your salvation is a gift through God’s Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, you are welcome there.
I understand where you're coming from regarding the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. They, along with Episcopalians, have been liberalizing for decades. But a central tenant of mainstream Lutheranism is that scripture is the unchanging word of God, and not subject to popular interpretation. I'm genuinely curious what it is about the Lutheran Church (besides not being Catholic) that would cause you to lump them in with the others you mention.
