There has been a steady erosion of confidence in Scripture for several decades, cumulating in theological and/or practical elimination of the need for the Bible in our lives. After all, in a society infatuated with success - theological understanding , biblical knowledge, and even righteous living, are no match for fancy buildings, high-powered programs, the finest in entertainment and emotional experiences (no matter what the source). Very few churches grow numerically today because of solid teaching of the Word. That is because very few Christians today see the importance of the Word. To them the Bible is much like a musical concert - there to produce an experience, not to transform their lives. They see no vital connection between Scripture and life. To know God’s truth is not essential to how they want to live their lives; therefore they have no desire or urgency to study the Bible. This leaves a vacuum that is being filled with mysticism, rituals, entertainment and fun, all in the name of Christ.
Gary Gilley, This Little Church Had None
4 comments:
So true. My wife and I have been visiting churches for the past 8 months trying to find a local fellowship of believers. We only visit churches that purport to be Bible-believing and Bible-teaching on their websites (i.e. we don't waste our time on liberal churches or far out Charismatic/NAR type churches). What we have found thus far, sadly, is that both seeker- friendly and spiritual formation (mysticism) are all the rage in our area. Two notable exceptions to this were churches that actually taught the Bible, but have dived headlong into Calvinism & Reformed theology. So far only 1 of the 8 churches we have visited has an emphasis on teaching and rightly dividing the Word. They are dispensational and see clearly the distinction between Israel & the Church. But even that church uses music that is of the Hillsong/Bethel style, rather than singing hymns of the faith. We will probably end up there, but the other drawback is that it is a 45 minute drive each way, thus stretching the definition of 'local'.
Hi Paul,
I fully understand your trials with finding a church at which to worship. Been there, done that. A few years back we joined where some friends were and it is a PCA assembly. Super fundamental, music and all and only rarely does something Calvinist/Reformed come up and then my wife and I look at each other and smile, meaning we'll talk about it later! You can read about our trials and tribulations here:
https://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-church-experience.html
We've settled in at a local Baptist church in our town. Been attending there since about April. We finally attended a Lifegroup after service last Sunday and will be attending a "Dinner With the Pastors" meeting put on perhaps once every three or four months for new people. We've not taken the plunge yet (baptism---it's required for official membership) and we're taking our time with that so that we can really get to know with whom we're dealing. So far, so good. This feels like the place. We'll see. One thing I've confirmed is that they are basically conservative as far as references to current events indicate, but the pastor doesn't get too involved with such at sermon time.
Hi Marshall Art,
That's what we like about our particular PCA church: conservative, as well as using good hymns! We've visited PCA churches in the past and they seemed to focus on Calvinist teachings and attacking those who don't accept them. That was the BIG difference with the one we attend now.
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