Threats Facing The Church
I was reading the January 2008 Issue of, Foundation. The main article in that issue was entitled, The Threats We Face. The article challenges Christians to consider the threats that are facing churches all over the world. Before I share the threats the article suggested, I want to offer the reader an opportunity to share their thoughts. What do you feel are the biggest threats facing the church today. Offer proof for the threat you suggested and also suggest how you think churches should deal with the threat. I think this could be an interesting discussion. So think about It and start posting your comments. To the other bloggers who visit the Preaching Today blog, see if you can discuss the same topic on your blog. You reach people who will never visit my blog and they may have a perspective and knowledge about things that my readers do not have.
Let the discussion begin!
8 Comments:
How about the lack of God's word.
1. In the church
2. In the life of Christians
That Goes along with what I was thinking about.
Lack of knowledge.
Most people don't know church history....come to think of it they don't even know their Bible.
Anonymous,
In what way's do you see that there is a lack of God's Word in the church? What would you point to as proof of this being a threat?
I see the main threat as accomodation to culture. We are not separating ourselves to Christian communion and fellowship.
The American church is in threat of becoming a works based religion. Even though none holding to this doctrine "moralism" would agree. It's the teaching that says:
1. All good people go to heaven.
2. Jesus is just a good rolemodle.
This resolts in:
1. The gospel becoming of no offence. Because come on "it's all good." "God is ok with me.".
2. Salvation then becomes synergistic. The work of God and man.
3. life is no longer about Christ. It's all about me.
Seth
The greatest threat is when people get sick of hearing how much they suck and they just stop going.
Another big threat is self-centered messages. There is preaching that is centered strictly on God's blessings, and if you're not blessed then you don't have enough faith. It's the idea that God's only purpose is to glorify man and not vice versa... God is still God in their minds, but there is no REAL fear of Him.
The proof of this? The American church today is not a church growing in sanctification, but a church growing in worldliness, because God is not our focus, our own selves are.
I see the biggest threat as the increase of heretical teaching in the American church. Palagianism is everywhere today (or at least semi-pelagianism) as well as the preaching of a social gospel or even the influx of open theism.
All of this goes back to a misunderstanding (or misuse) of God's word. As an example, 3 years ago my wife and I were attending a large local church and the pastor did a sermon where he compared Christianity to another religion. In this sermon he told 3 things that we had in common and 3 things where we disagreed. I questioned him on the things he said we could agree on (because they clearly contradicted what Scripture teaches) and he told me that I was correct, but that 85% of the congregation never opened a Bible and it was his job to NOT OFFEND those people, so even though I was correct he was not going to change what he said because it could offend someone. (We no longer attend that church)
So I see the biggest threat facing the church as a lack of understanding God's word and an ignorance of theology.
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