"STATUS OF THE CHURCH TODAY, 100 YEARS AFTER AZUSA"
Sub Topic: Apostate Christianity in the Latter Times
These are scriptural references supporting the time of apostasy in the church.
- II Peter 2:1-3
- Rev. 3:19
- II Thes. 2:7
- Roman 14:10
- Matt. 13:47
Survey: Two Thirds of Evangelicals Doubt Jesus Words Regarding Salvation thru Him Alone
There’s a new poll out which points to a growing rejection among Evangelicals that Jesus is the only way of salvation. For years, most evangelical Christians have been taught and accepted the words of Jesus in John 14:6, where He states, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” But now a new Newsweek/Beliefnet poll is showing a shocking number of people who call themselves evangelical and born-again have come to reject those words. The question in the poll read” “Can a good person who isn’t of your religious faith go to heaven or attain salvation, or not?” According to the poll results of more than 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older, 68 percent of evangelical Christians believe “good” people of other faiths can also go to heaven. Nationally, 79 percent of those surveyed said the same thing, with an “astounding” 91 percent agreement among Catholics, notes Beliefnet. Beliefnet spokesman Steven Waldman calls the results “pretty amazing.”
Scriptural references to the subject above:
Subject: Pro-Evolution Clergy Sign Letter Affirming Faith in Darwin’s Theory
Fact:
Thousands of mainline church leaders and pastors have signed a letter rejecting a literal interpretation of the creation story in the Bible’s Book of Genesis. The Clergy Letter Project” signatories are urging school board members to “preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge.”
Scriptural references to the subject above:
- 1 Tim 4:2
- James 3:6
- Proverbs 17:4
- Isa 59:3
Subject: U.S. congregations largely ignore the Bible’s teaching about discipline
Fact:
The next meeting of the United Methodist Church’s highest tribunal will review an unusual dispute about discipline. It involves whether the Rev. Edward Johnson should have been put on forced unpaid leave because he refused a homosexual who wanted to join his congregation in South Hill, Va. The evangelical Good News caucus says the gay applicant is living in a relationship with another man and “unrepentant about his practice” so Johnson was merely applying Methodism’s teaching against same-sex behavior. But Virginia’s Methodist clergy decided Johnson violated church policy, both in rejecting homosexual and in defying directives to accept him that came from the bishop and district superintendent. The case attracts attention because it’s rare nowadays for a pastor to attempt to bar or discipline a lay member. U.S. congregations largely ignore the Bible’s teaching about discipline and the result is “the impending collapse of authentic Christianity in the generation, “asserted the Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Scriptural references to the subject above:
- I Peter 3:11
- II Thes. 1:8 – 3:14
- Hebrew 10:38
Subject: Alarming Number of ‘Stay away Saints’ affecting today’s Church
Fact:
An alarming number of Christians are staying home on Sunday mornings and the trend is affecting today’s church. Believers who have become ‘stayaway saints’ are alternately worrying and exciting church leaders, pointing to what is being seen as either a serious threat to the spread of the gospel or the actual cusp of a revolution that could usher in the sort of revival many have prayed for and dreamed of for years. A recent study found that about 13 million Americans whom the researchers identified as being born again were “unchurched”… not having attended Christian church service, other than for a holiday… at any time in the past six months.”
Scriptural references to the subject above:
Subject: The Beginning of the End of Christianity in Australia?
Fact:
Two Australian Christian pastors have been found guilty of vilifying Muslims. The decision was handed down in Melbourne this week. Bill Muehlenberg, the National Vice President of The Australian Family Association said the decision “could mark the beginning of the end of freedom of speech in Australia, and the official restriction of proclaiming the Christian gospel.” Judge Higgins said that the two pastors, Daniel Scot (a former Muslim), and Danny Nalliah, breached section 8 of Australia’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 which says a person cannot engage in conduct that “incites hatred against, serious contempt for, or revulsion or sever ridicule of, that other person or class of persons.”
Scriptural references to the subject above:
- Matt 5:10-12
- Acts 8:1
- Gal 5:11
Subject: Nation’s un-churched Doubled in Decade
The proportion of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation doubled over the last decade and now stand at 16% of the population, according to a new study on religious identity. Only Catholics (24%) and Baptists (17%) outnumber the so-called “non-identifiers,” or “nones,” said the report. Based on telephone interviews with more than 10,000 randomly selected people, said about one in six answered “none” or “no religion” or described themselves as secular, humanist, ethical-culturally, agnostic or atheist. Their ranks will continue to grow, and they’ll soon outnumber Baptists.
Scriptural references to the subject above:
- Eph. 4:14
- I Tim. 4:1
- Heb. 13:9
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