2 Things…

First is the movement of the New Testament church towards “political correctness”

Second is the movement of the New Testament Church away from “political correctness”

(if I keep commenting here, I will have nothing to write in my future essays at my own weblog!)

#1. The advent of the “Televangelist” has turned many churches towards a more “profitable” method of watering down the “Gospel” to more of a “Deepak Chopra Feel Good Lecture”.

Many churches try to stay away from words like “blood” (Remember that one? Christ’s BLOOD cleansing us…) or “Hell” (Remember that one? The place where the unsaved go…) Or phrases like “Weeping and gnashing of teeth”, or “Outer darkness”, or passages like: Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Leaving people with a “Buy my tapes and or book, and you can make a quick buck off of God” craving.

And if you think that is not true, take a good hard listen to Joel Osteen, or spend a few hours watching TBN!

The church has slowly moved towards the “Pastor Honest John Huckster” type of “Snake Oil” preacher for years now, and it has turned many a Christian into the WRONG type of “needy”! We NEED Christ in our lives, but not as some “Supreme Being” who will handle our finances like a hired accountant would, or as someone who will keep us healthy through the use of herbal remedies peddled on the “Sky Angel” network.

What we NEED from God, is HIS will to be done in our lives no matter what HIS will entails.

#2. The advent of what I like to call, “The Second Reformation” where churches have gone to the other extreme, by their so-called method of “Getting back to God”. Which entails all out attacks on evil heretics like the “Purple Teletubbie”, or the “Burning of Witches” like the “Disney Board of Directors”, as well as the “God Hates Fags” genre of churches that have taken “Homosexuality” to a new level by banning the gays via an ammendment to their “Church Bylaws”. Heaven forbid Jesus would associate with sinners and publicans!

What Would Jesus Do? I have asked myself about these things? Well, if he appeared tomorrow, he would probably turn around and leave telling us… “I’ll be back later when you folks start acting your age, so try to play nice until I return!”

This new “Conservative movement” loves to shout “War”! at terrorists, fight over stone statues (idols) in State court houses, and take on the role of God when deciding issues of life and death. Am I wrong? Welllll… These so-called “New Reformers” cringe at the thought of abortion, but stand tall and cheer over the death penalty, and the difference is?

What the church needs is the “Holy Bible”, it and it alone. What the church needs is to worship God, and nothing else, what the church needs is to shut out the media, the religious “Guru’s”, the 100,000 seat venues of the Super happy God will adapt TO YOU, if you just think flowery thoughts type of theologists (Honorary D.Div most of them), and to just pray for God’s will, and no one elses.

God is a big boy, and can handle himself, as well as the rest of us, the problem is we refuse to let go of the “steering wheel” of our lives.