Church, Clergy Doze While Secularists Take Over America
Posted on August 31st, 2003 by Anthony K. Valley
James Lambert contributed this commentary to the Agape Press as a wake-up call for Christendom.
He speaks the truth…
Two hundred, 100, and even 50 years ago, preachers, pastors and priests were, for the most part, unafraid to criticize immoral or secular trends in our society. Historically, the Church set the tone of moral guidance, thereby helping society to understand the importance of making sound moral judgments. Fifty years ago, preachers had the ear and the respect of their communities.
Today, most ministers feel that it is better to convey a positive image without condemning or judging social trends or sins in our communities. This lapse of strong public guidance and criticism among the clergy has resulted in many religious people being confused and mislead about many key moral issues in our day.
His examples include issues with open homosexuality in church leadership, porn addition in church leadership, initiatives for gay marriage laws in some states, child molestation in the church, the destruction of the nuclear family in the African-American community, removing God from all public view, and more.
Groups supporting these secular trends realize that if they scare into silence any defenders of morality in America, it will not be long before America is totally given over to secular humanism.
Here is the conclusion of his commentary, it is a MUST read.
Where does it end? Our calendar is even based on Christ’s life, and history is established from the estimated time of Christ’s birth. How will they try to change all famous or historical dates from a record that begins with the birth of Jesus Christ?
It is time we not find out. It is time to encourage those in faith communities to stand strong. We live in a crucial time where we cannot afford to be silent. We need to spread the gospel and to resist the growing secularism that has enveloped our culture. The Apostle Paul reminds us that our faith could cost us our friends, our security, and more. Certainly Jesus understood this; it’s time the Church and clergy understands this as well.
[Full Story @ Agape Press]
Source: Agape Press
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Filed under: Perspectives
I am always chagrined when someone feels the need to vent about the lack of moral leadership in the church “compared to 200, 100 or even 50 years ago”.
Where were most churches 50 years ago on segregation and racial injustice? Where were most churches 100 years ago on Jim Crow laws? Where were most churches 200 years ago on kidnapping people from Africa for slavery?
I will tell you where the church was, in the grip of the popular culture, just like today. Worse by attempting to justify the abomination practiced in the south, the church used the economic slavery used to deliver the destitute in Israel as justification, forever casting doubt on the moral integrity of the bible. 200 years ago women were treated as property, 100 years ago child labor was just another form or worker.
Spare me the cries of the new “cultural christian” of the 21st century longing for the “good ole days” when we all KNEW right from wrong. Yes there is evil in the world today, just as there has always been evil in the world.
but the job of the church is not to change the world, but to change men’s souls.
From: Mrs. Rama Idris.
EMAIL:ramaldris1000@yahoo.com.com
In Lordship. I am the above named person from Tunisia but now undergoing medical treatment. I was married to Dr.Roberts IDRIS who worked with Malaysia embassy in ABIDJAN for nine years, before he died in the year 2003. We were both married for eleven years without children.
He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both very close as husband and wife and since his death I decided not to re-marry. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of USD5,500,000.00 (Five Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) with a African Devlopment bank I will send you details as soon as you indicate your interest.
Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Six months due to my cancer illness. Having known my condition and believing the doctor I have decided to donate this fund to avoid total loss to Less privilege, or better still an individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in.
I want interested firm,or individual that will receive and use this money to help,
orphanages ,widows and propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.
Please do not fail to spread the funds across the globe especially AFRICA as soon as you receive the money. it is more blessed to give than to receive. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are fighting over the properties and I don’t want my husband’s hard earned money to be misused by their greedy attitude. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an UNGODLY manner, hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death since I am a good
person.
I shall hold my peace. I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health, and because of the presence of my husband’s
relatives around me always. I don’t want them to know about this
development. With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I
shall give you the contact information of the bank and other details that will enable you claim the funds.please i want you to be aware that according to my attorney there are some important document that will be required by the bank for the transfer this is where i will need your little assistance before the fund can be transfer with the help of my attorney.
I will also issue you a letter of authority/Power of Attorney that will make you the beneficiary of this fund. I want you to always pray for me because the lord is my
shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the GOD must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.
I sent you this mail under severe pains. Any delay in your reply will be detrimental. Please assure me that you will act accordingly.
Hoping to hear from you immediately.
Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Rama idris.
please i need ur help,i need money to further my education, please help,here is my address,may God will reword you, amen
ipinsagba olorundare samuel
m/27 ishakunmi street,
ikare-akoko,ondo state,
nigeria.
hello my name is kenny, well let just go sreaght to the point .i need a job thats why am sending this mail to you please kindly help me out thanks
The thing about the falling away that we know is to come is that there is a strong resistance to accept this as possible among our own, it is far easyer to see the doctrinal errors in some other denomination than to take a good look at where we our,
and yet we our admonished to prove all things and hold fast that which is good, this should not be misunderstood or misused to justify our denominational doctrines holding them fast as good and proving how everyone else is wrong.
it is so easy to look at others with contempt and say they are wrong because of so and so doctrine they hold, and yet we allow things amongst our own as perfectly scriptural, and this is done by each denomination so that everone is comfortable with their own doctrine and knows right where everyone outside their doctrine is wrong,
this is and has been taught by the precepts of men, discipling our own and doing studies to ground our own into our way of thinking, until we have a form of doctrine that for every nay our own can give an equal and apposing yea.
this is not what proving all things and holding fast that which is good was meant to be, we as individuals are to prove all things where ever we are even within our own ranks.
what was sin 50 years ago, has been accepted today as christian liberty and christian diversity, there are christians or rather professing christians that dont have a problem with harry potter and allow their children to read such things.
there are sipping saints as David Wilkerson wrote about, Paul wrote much about how we should do and say the same things, why?
why is it important for us to speak the same things and do the same things? because when we do, we send out the affirmation that we are all in agreement and unity, in this the Father is Glorified in the Son who is our risen Saviour.
unfortunatly, you can vist just about and local assembly and see not unity but diversity, and we are not called to be diverse one from another in the things of the Lord, but in unity.
if then we are diverse what dose this say as a testimony? what dose this say as a witness?
diversity is opposite of unity, because in the unity of the Spirit we are supposed to be unified in doctrine and teaching, and here is the falling away, because we are diverse.
when it comes to the fundamental doctrines of Christ, we should all be in unity, while in matters of conscience, we do not offend a weaker brother who is offended at thy meat, its not our conscience thats at stake, but that of a weaker brother, who eateth only herbs, in many things we offend,
Here in America, we have become to indoctrinated with our “rights” our “privacy” when the biblical teaching says that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought too, but to esteem others beter than ourselves.
try to pin down the apostacy…try to pin down the falling away, try to find the false teachings and the false teachers that have been and will continue to be amongst us from the very begining of the church.
if you dig in the Word, and begin to ask questions why we do this when the word says dont do this, you will be told that you are being naughy, and should leave those things for the preachers and those who have been to the semitaries,
and what famous doctor of the law did John the Baptist sit at his feet? who taught our Lord?
discerning of the spirits is a gift of the Holy Ghost, but that gift is not in pratice in every local assembly, the only way to spot the false then from the true is to know the word, and if what you see lines up with the word that is hid in your heart, then it is well, but if that which is preached ot taught dose not line up with the word, we have every right and duty and responcibly to speak up.
our enemy has very effectivly shut off the light of the word of God when it comes to exsposing sin, the enemies first responce is that you are judging for doing so, you better not worry about being called a name or asked who made you a judge,
what is the unsaved person, a sinner, that is irrefutable, to whome dose James say
Jam 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jam 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
befor you can restore a fallen brother or sinner, you must see that they are in a fallen condition, this is not judging but know what God says is sin, and
Jud 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Jud 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
any christian that loves the word, will know what the word teachs about how we should live and about many specific sins, those that are bound by the sins covered in the word need salvation,
else what did our Lord die for? to dave us from what? sin.
we have come to the modern day new age conclusion that sin is a dirty word and should only be reserved for use by the duely ordained preachers, but this is not what we are taught in the new testament, deacon’s went about preaching the word, in fact as the “church” was scattered they went everywhere preaching Jesus,
all of the men not just the pastors and deacons preached,
but what we see today, that calls itself the church and bride of Christ, dose not even come close to looking like that church that Jesus started almost 2,000 years ago.
it has been stated thay Jesus started the church like He wanted it, and now He wants the church like He started it.
much today looks just like the world from which we have the command to come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord,
the mindset of Hitler was when Peace works best use it, and when war works best use it, only the word of God has the fruit bareing ability to change a person from within, nothing else, not programs not hot dog suppers not rock gospel, not heavy metal gospel, shees if i want to listen to heavy metal, i would listen to the real thing like Metalica!!!!!!!
not some mixture of Metal and gospel, why mix the two pure form into a half and half amalgamation, where neither is in its purest form?
if i wanted to listen to my Heavy metal, it would be for rebelion and not for anything associated with the gospel!
i gave up my rock & roll rebelion for the Gospel of my Lord, mixing either to me is heresy both, because Heavy Metal is nothing but pure rebelion in its purest sense, why dilute that rebelion with the Gospel, and why dilute the pure Gospel with music that is pure rebelion? can you say DUH!
having once been a rebel i think i am qualified to speak about the things of rebelion, just as it takes a thief to spot a thief, once you have been there, you just know what that is about.
yet we have huge churchs that teach that the new age way of winning souls to Christ is where its at,
no, i beg to differ, winning souls to Jesus, comes through obedience to God’s word for a testimony that is unreproachable and without rebuke, preaching the “WORD” lifting up Jesus, wins souls period.
everything else is sinking sand.
Sincerely Dennis.