Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Why Mainline Churches are Dying

I came across this quote at the Institute of Religion and Democracy, an organization that promotes democracy and religious freedom while also documenting the outrageous behavior and beliefs of the dying mainline denominations in order to revive them to their true calling:

2005 Outrageous Quotes of the Week
Week of April 10 - 16
"In Pakistan, the United States is deeply concerned with the madrassahs, that is, the private fundamentalist Islamist schools. Here we have so-called Christian academies and home schooling, our own form of madrassahs."
- Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society


Another example of disgusting moral equivalence. He's comparing HOME SCHOOLING to Islamic schools that teach kids to hate the Jews and that they have a religious right to kill the infidels. Yep, they're exactly the same Jim. What awards have you gotten lately for that bit of brilliant moralizing? Yech. I spit on him.

Seriously though, mainline churches are dying because they are turning away from the truth. The truth is the only thing that invigorates churches. Christians believe Jesus Christ is the way, the TRUTH, and the life. Therefore, when churches stop preaching Jesus Christ, they stop preaching the truth and people stop attending. People crave the truth, although they may not always realize it. I believe most people want to live their lives according to what is true and good. Humans have an inherent desire for something greater than themselves, they want to know they matter and have purpose in life, but the answers cannot come from within us. What ideologies, religions, worldviews offer anything close to the Christian understanding of who we are and why we're here? NONE. How can anything compare to the fact that a personal God created us in order to fellowship with Him? I was reading John 15:15 recently where Jesus says I no longer call you servants, but friends. That is GOD calling us friends. That should blow your mind.

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