Results 1 - 3 of 3
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | When did the catholic church go wrong? | Bible general Archive 1 | Hank | 25922 | ||
Ed, those findings you cited on the state of the churches in our country are interesting but more than that, they are downright disburbing. And I have no reason to question their accuracy. I fear they are sadly true...... But, you know, the trend CAN be reversed. There is no excuse for a church to become exclusive and clanish and treat visitors as imposters. There is no excuse for waving any denominational flag as if it were the symbol of the only church that held the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Most of the mortal wounds that are being struck on churches are self-inflicted...... But a church doesn't have to commit suicide. There is another option. Let me tell you about one that is alive and well. I know of a church in the downtown area of a moderate-size city. It is not clanish. It welcomes all visitors warmly. It preaches and teaches the Bible. It places no premium on man's mere opinions about God and His word. It exalts Christ, not denominationalism, although it is a member of the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. It is vibrant. It is alive. It is large and continues to show steady growth...... I know these things to be true about it, because it is the church that my wife and I are members of. We rejoice and are glad always to enter this house of the Lord. --Hank | ||||||
2 | When did the catholic church go wrong? | Bible general Archive 1 | EdB | 25958 | ||
Hank Thanks for you input. I think we are straying from the original intent of this question. I agree with what you said but the fact remains churches are closing and if the rate continues the picture becomes bleak. We live in a different society today than even twenty years ago. People go by word of mouth, what they see, what they hear. Not by what they know or read. If you can believe it I met a Senior High School teacher that was bragging that he had never read a complete book! In fact after observing him he read nothing. Two war cries I hear are, “How do I know which Bible is right there are so many translations?” and “How do I know your right there are so many interpretations of the Bible.” They then usually give me their interpretation that says they can enjoy life and God being so loving will welcome them in. That I need to stop being so up tight and trust God! We live in a time of situational truths and ethics, but people are looking for direction. This is one of the things Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and Islam offers. They are right everyone else is wrong and you will do it this way. There is not question of interpretation or which translation there is only one and everything else is wrong. (maybe the KJV only had a point) :-) In any case church history has shown that since the Reformation the church’s “authority” or effectual presence has diminished. Sure it has grown but at one time the civilized world was Christian for all intents and purposes and it certainly ain’t that way today. Why? EdB |
||||||
3 | When did the catholic church go wrong? | Bible general Archive 1 | djconklin | 25962 | ||
"If you can believe it I met a Senior High School teacher that was bragging that he had never read a complete book!" Ed, I had somewhat a similar experience. When I finished the seminary and came home my sister handed me a book about women's ordination and wanted to know what I thought about it. She said that both her and the elder of the church had read it. So, I glanced through it and looked it over carefully--how do two people manage to read a book and never underline or highlight anything, make no notes in the margins, and never even bend the binding on a paperback book? When I pointed that out to her she admitted that she had only glanced through it--and this from one who has an MBA and is now working on a masters in another field! She should know better! |
||||||