Our Country was founded on biblical principles. Every person with any education at all knows that. In the early years of our country and right up until WW2, the impact of the Church on society was significant. The Supreme Court specifically took into consideration the reaction of the Church (Christians) when rendering their decisions.
The Church no longer has a strong influence in our society. Why is that true? There are a number of reasons.
1. In most churches maintaining and protecting the status quo is the goal rather than evangelism. When evangelistic efforts are strong, new people come into the church and with new people comes all of the problems that new believers carry with them. Most churches would rather not deal with those difficulties.
2. Most pastors have "jobs" today, rather than "callings." Actually, they have a calling but instead of answering their call, they simply function as employees.
3. Most Christians have relegated the content of the Bible to the verses they like.
It is #3 above that I would like to address.
I have been in some kind of church pastoral ministry since 1971. For all of this time, I have preached and taught the Word of God. The general attitude towards the Bible in the 70s was a desire to learn what is stated and apply that knowledge to one's life. Today, the general attitude towards the Bible is for church members to live the way they think is okay and then find verses that justify their lifestyles. Obviously, I am taking broad stokes.
What evidence do I have that most of today's church members have a lax attitude towards the Bible?
It used to be when the average Christian was faced with a difficult to understand verse he or she wanted to know what the verse meant and how it applied to their life. Today, the average Christian simply ignores difficult passages or gives them a "Humph!" and that is all. The "Humph" means, "It does not matter." A few, who know some Bible verses, will offer a verse or two as their proof to you that the Bible contradicts itself; therefore, it is not trustworthy or relevant.
Try this experiment. Take any difficult verse and quote it to any Christian you know. Ask that Christian what he or she thinks the Bible is trying to tell us in that verse. You will probably get one of three responses. You will get some sort of "humph," some sort of explanation why the verse does not matter anymore or some other verse quoted in an effort to nullify the impact of the Bible verse you introduced. The most carnal will consider you arrogant for talking about a controversial verse and get mad at you.
What you should have gotten was a "Wow! I did not know that was there. I need to study that verse to find out what it means and how to apply it to my world-view." Instead, the average Christian is happy with his or her life and is not seeking scripture to challenge their life to be more Bible-based, but scriptures to justify living the way they want.
If you need some difficult verses, try these:
Hebrews 10:25. Not being steady in church attendance is a sin.
Malachi 3:10f. Give 10% of your income plus an offering to the church.
Romans 16:17. Mark and avoid those that cause division....
Proverbs 20:20, Spank an evil child until he or she is (will become) bruised.
Ephesians 5:22. "Wives submit yourself to your husbands in everything...."
Hebrews 13:17. Church members are to submit to the senior pastor.
1 Corinthians 11:14. "It is a shame for a man to have long hair."
1 Tim. 2:8. "Males" (not females) are to raise holy hands before God, everywhere.
Isaiah 3:12. Women and/or children ruling is something to be ashamed of.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:24-27. Homosexuality is a sin.
Leviticus 24:17. God is pro-capitol punishment.
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The Bible has lost its influence in the lives of Christians and that is the reason the Church has lost its influence in our world.
Rev. Joda Collins
I make no claim that my views are shared by anyone else.
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