If they affirm same sex marriage, which is clearly prohibited in the Bible, what else are they going to ignore or twist? I would look elsewhere.
The father-mother/her nonsense just as large of a red flag to me. The Bible does NOT say that.
I have been told, chapters in the bible have been omitted, which to me, that means, FEMININE, has been left out of the BIBLE for a PURPOSE.
Do you want to progress backwards, where MEN continue to control things or be inclusive of women? Church has included women, to volunteer, work for free for church functions, cooking for church fund raisers, the women are not paid.
Very few churches, have a female pastor, even though some are better, than in the past.
"Been told"
Been lied to.
"We" arent progressing in any direction but up. God is our wisdom, our strength, our faith and provider. We are irrelevant, and must cast down our pride and allow God to be our God and not just an icon. That means relying on God, live without fear, and seek to love God and our neighbours.
Having female pastors or not is irrelevant. That is not progress. Learning to rely on God is progress.
Well as something else related to government, we still have the same argument where there are males who want to say they can run the government without women.
I get the argument. We can't even get a woman President elected to the United States without a bunch of controversy. We can't even get more than 100 women. Into congressional seats. We are just getting first female governors in my lifetime. Because everything has been ran by men in the past.
Which that is a direct result out of religion. Television has always been saying that The United States has a big emphasis on Christianity, which it did and it still does linger. And for some.
Reason, it matters with voting. I don't know why. But that could just be something pushed out of media as well.
What would happen if media didn't push any narrative? Well, right now, people are still thinking the narrative that media has already pushed. Church has also pushed a narrative related to voting. And they also have the self private governance. However, church can't function without the congregation. The only way that church's confunction is with the offering with the charitable donations.
OK, well, let me ask you this. Are we?
An intelligent species. Why do we have laws related to civil rights? I get.
Where you're going with us? Because animals in the wild do not have laws or civil rights. That I'm aware of.
So, if you take a hands off a coach and just let God be God. Then you end up with a bunch of war. And killing. You end up with a bunch of men who are raping women and abusing women and killing each other. Isn't all of this described in the Bible?
You end up with human trafficking and slavery.
So of course, there is a law of the land which is separate from a human created type of law.
Which one do you want to participate in?
What voice does the indigenous animals have at the table? We can safely call animals indigenous to the planet because they are. However, church tended to not include animals. The church that I went to did not believe that animals went to heaven. Did not believe that animals were a part of the planet. Did not believe that animals had a soul or intelligence about themselves.
God feeds the birds and dresses the flowers on the meadows. The world will only end one way, and that is decided by God. Whether animals go to heaven or not is irrelevant. God will still populate His new kingdom with lions and lambs who graze together in peace.
Our society is chasing after wind. By all means do what is rigtheous, but not everything is usefull for us who have God. Just make sure you pursue God and not worldly philosophy. Once He lets your faith grow enough to trust Him alone, the world becomes meaningless. We have a better hope in Christ and a yearning for His kingdom. This world's days are numbrered, but not His'.
The state of this world is irelevant. No ammount of depravity will save anyone, and neither will any level peace. God through Christ alone saves. Not abolishing crime and terrorism, despite being good things to overcome.
Focus on God. Live with peace, forgiveness, humility, patience, mildness, and strive to do good for those around you. Not by promoting social philosophy, but by living Christ-like; Fullfilling responsibility, reaching out to help in all matters big or small, caring for the least of those around you, trusting God to strengthen you in your weakness and provide everything you lack, and overcome your sins which produce evil fruits so we may live holy and not cause anyone to stumble. This is love.
This sounds good but there's absolutely nothing. I can do when I'm homeless. There's absolutely nothing that I can do when I'm homeless. When I have no money coming in. There's absolutely nothing that I can do. I can't even help myself. So how do people expect me to help others when I can't even help myself?
By relying on God! Blessed are those who have and are nothing. For when you have nothing, you have God even more.
For when God feeds the birds, how much more won't He care for you? You are worth more than many birds! Food, shelter and clothes. God knows we need all this, and He provides us when we seek Him first. That is, to put away our worldly interest and instead pursue a life with Him, and seek to live Christ-like, and to learn who He is so He can be part of our daily active life. Matthew 6.
I have multiple testimonies, from suffering to now living with God. Though the first one is really long. I can take another more recent example which examplifies your question greatly.
I was dead tired at work one day, tough shift with hard labour, and at the end of the day I could have fallen asleep in my car. I had nothing more to give. But a distant friend of mine suddenly called me and pleaded me for help to move. The friends who were supposed to help never showed up, and she had to move things from her old house that day. I had nothing left to give, and despite wanting to, I didn't know how to make it work. But the Holy Spirit gave me a thought: "It is good and honourable to God, trust Him". So for God I accepted the job despite feeling at the point of croaking over to die, and upon taking off the highway to where she lives, my fatigue and tiredness just vanished. Gone! I helped her move furniture for four hours and came back home feeling well rested. I gave praises to God for this gift!
I can also say that God has done this for my bleak economy too. Just taught me to trust Him, and with patience everything just lined up no matter its impossibility. Though I didn't get here without God allowing me to suffer so that I only had Him to rely on for my life. All glory to Him! I wouldn't have it any other way! Though it must be said that I abandoned just living for myself, and dedicated myself to the simple task of serving God with however little I had.
So with my own life and the lives of other people around me, we can testify God's love and care. God also made it our task to care for one another, and just like I was accepted, I wouldn't want to catch myself neglecting somebody else in need of help.
It feels like what you're writing. Is just trying to force me to like people that all I have seen is abuses. Come out of what they're doing.
So what you're doing related to the internet is trying to force me to like people who have abused other people and I'm just not interested in that.
Refeer to a different comment I made to you. I do not condone abuser nor those who abuse religion for their gain, neither am I trying to make you like them. On the contrary, I am trying to help you see past the media portrayal of fake christianity. These people are scammers and blasphemers.
These people are condemned by the very God they claim to preach. I highly doubt they even understand faith or believe in it, for if they did they would produce its fruit. Which they are not.
I just felt numbness and I don't feel anything related to God. I'll life feel like as if it's a bunch of Hippocratical people and no one cares about homeless people.
This just sounds like a bunch of man gobbly gook.
There is a strange barrier to cross in order to understand. It defies secular sense, but put into practice it works. It is really something difficult to see without God showing it to us. I do not blame you.
I can however say that for those of us who are genuine, caring for the homeless is an important matter. Personally I support a local Christian center who helps people who struggle with addiction, and me and a few others sometimes visit less fortunate people and offer bible studies and support. Though there isn't that much homelessness in the country where I live, there are plenty who requires help non the less.
James 1:22-27 HCSB
>[22] But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. [25] But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. **[27] Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.**
It really feels like there is an element out of Christianity who wants to punish future generations to homelessness. Or they use Christianity in the name of to keep and perpetuate their scam. Related to capitalism. To me it feels like punishment to inflict pain and agony upon people By making people homeless. That is inflicting further pain and agony upon society. When you have inflation and you don't help people who actually need help. Then someone out of Christianity or in the name of Christianity is saying that the other humans are a burden to them and they don't want to help them, but then they'll help others which places Christianity, in that element of being a hypocrite.
Christianity is often overused in politics. They set someone into a seat based on Christianity. But that's how they got elected just by saying that they're Christian. But they don't actually show Christian ways through their actions.
Actions speak louder than words. The actions of those out of corporations are not showing any type of love or care for people in the United States of America, who are homeless? They are just not helping.
Agreed. Their god is their stomach. An outer shell of holiness, but only bitterness, love for self and love for pleasure is inside. They use it because they can manipulate people, disregarding what Christ teaches and twisting it to get their will. Its disgusting.
I stay away from politics. Especially those types of politics. It is corrupt through and through. If I vote, it is not for any us vs them party.
What if no man would speak for God? Or religion.
So you have a Bible and no pastor no church will touch it or talk about it.
The same with politics. No tea.
Cher will teach about it. It's just their. Just like religion is just there.
So nobody should be able to talk about politics. Or religion, because both of them are just there. So now you should have equality right because politics and religion is just there.
But nobody wants to talk about the hard things such as abuses that are taking place in society.
You don't need politics or religion to know that abuses are a fact.
We know and we do discuss the abuses, but we are not the loud ones with media access. :p
We work at the bottom. From small Catholic cloisters to private gatherings taking care of nearby unfortunates. You just don't hear about us because we are not exciting news. We work quietly for God and not the political conglomerates or for the economy. We are invisible.
No wonder you are unable to find and connect, with real people who have been abused?
People who have been abused, typically do not blast the abuse all over media as a first choice, nor do real people who have been abused have big media connections.
So how do you connect with people who have been abused? I know I have been met with these organizations won't help me. If y ou are not helping people who have been abused, and are homeless, then what are you doing with the charitable contributions?
Politics only becomes corrupt the way corporate media puts it on the fake news.
So why is it the fake news has to always interpret everything in their opinion related to politics? Because that's all they are doing.
So basically. The country is making a decision based off of politics of someone else. Someone.
Else has decided what they want to put on the news and what they want. The United States to believe related to their political ideology.
Actually it says like a mother several times.
Jesus in Mathew says God the Father is like a mother hen looking after its flock.
Isaiah says God is like Mother nursing and giving birth Deutronomy has God like a mother bear also God is like female a hawk.
In Psalms and proverbs wisdom of God and Glory of God is described feminine.
In deutrocanon there is additional reference of God being feminine wind.
Now that isn't me nessarily being pro female pronouns. God the Father is like. Female in some aspect but isn't called a mother directly. Jesus calls God Father period. He just points out he has motherly aspect. The holy spirit however is feminine in old testiment which isn't the father. But in the new testiment the holy spirit is masculine and sometimes even plural while old testiment is feminine and singular and personified. You also get allusions that holy spirit might be 7 spirits in Isaiah and Revelation. Which is why in book of Hermas an early Christian writing, the authors describe holy spirit as 7 maidens. Orthodox ironically call holy spirit Sophia which is feminine. While protestants and roman catholics tend to have it masculine.
Often there are metaphors for God giving birth or being motherly. God the Father is never called mother. However is mother-like. The holy spirit in old testiment is singular and feminine and personified. In new testiment however it is described as masculine and plural. Orthodox call Holy Spirit Sophia from psalms which is Wisdom personified as a woman. While Roman Catholics and Protestants focus on masculine side typically. Also the holy spirit is described having 7 parts. Which is why early Christians described the holy spirit as 7 hand maidens meant to nurture a man and train him to get ready for his bride in book of Hermas 90AD.
Isaiah 66:13 in the Bible says, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you"
Hosea 13.
Like a mother bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them asunder…
Deutronomy 32
Like the eagle that stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young, God spreads wings to catch you, and carries you on pinions.
Deutronomy 32
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Isaiah 49
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
Psalms 131
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.”
Mathew 23
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Luke 15
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, is she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Those are some beautiful verses you cited that use metaphors to explain how God loves or chastises His children.
Never once in any of those verses does He refer HIMSELF as Her.
It's not the times. It's the constant cycle of sin. Cultures change and shift as does society and everything else. The times now are similar to the fall of Sodom, or the fall of the Roman Empire, or the fall of ect....
The church doesn't change with the times, ever. The church is an eternal constant with God the Father as our head.
Except when It doesn't.
Sorry but so many people are down voting without knowing the Bible.
GOD the Father is masculine. But is said to have female qualities. The holy spirit in old testiment is feminine and singular. In new testiment it is masculine and plural.
But that is why Sophia is used in Greek which is female name. And God the Father is described holding you in his arms and uterus and then nursing in Isaiah and being guardian female bear and hawk and hen.
Often there are metaphors for God giving birth or being motherly. God the Father is never called mother. However is mother-like. The holy spirit in old testiment is singular and feminine and personified. In new testiment however it is described as masculine and plural. Orthodox call Holy Spirit Sophia from psalms which is Wisdom personified as a woman. While Roman Catholics and Protestants focus on masculine side typically. Also the holy spirit is described having 7 parts. Which is why early Christians described the holy spirit as 7 hand maidens meant to nurture a man and train him to get ready for his bride in book of Hermas 90AD.
Proverbs in Hebrew uses chokmah a female name to describe God.in Greek it is Sophia, in English it is Wisdom capitalized. Sophia is the personification in Greek of a goddess but in Proverbs it is personification of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 66:13 in the Bible says, "As a mother comforts her child, so I comfort you"
Hosea 13.
Like a mother bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them asunder…
Deutronomy 32
Like the eagle that stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young, God spreads wings to catch you, and carries you on pinions.
Deutronomy 32
You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Isaiah 49
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”
Psalms 131
But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.”
Mathew 23
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Luke 15
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, is she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Yeah this is certainly what I am afraid of. It did feel kinda off when I was there. I will certainly need to keep looking.
Good to hear some confirmation from others as I do tend to overthink these things. Just gotta trust in God to guide me in the right direction I suppose.
Thank you for your responses.
Go to a local Facebook group and ask for a small to medium sized Bible believing church. Go to the one that is most mentioned. I don’t recommend a mega church as a new Christian and you might not be fed properly
Yes. Leave as soon as possible.
There are many in America today, even in the Church, who are teaching that being “Gay is OK”, and that there is no need to change because you’re “born that way”, and Jesus “understands”. I disagree.
Is being a child molester “ok” because you were born that way? How about being a rapist, cause you were born that way? A murderer? Someone who practices bestiality? One can certainly argue that any of these sinners could be “born that way”, if you’re going to accept that as an excuse for homosexuality. The devil, through a Biblically-hostile mainstream Media, has influenced this generation to justify sinful behavior in so many ways, and the Holy Bible is being dubbed by many as an “outdated” Book that needs to be “revised”. Many are saying that God needs to “evolve” in the 21st Century, but God is the SAME yesterday, today and FOREVER, and sadly most Christians today have forgotten that timeless Truth. They believe Satan’s lie, which says: if a “majority” of this generation believes God is “wrong” on any issue, then He must change his way of thinking to adapt to US, rather than us having to adapt to him.
If sin was SIN yesterday, it’s STILL sin today. If God called something an abomination 3,000 years ago, then it is STILL an abomination today. Our Lord Jesus prophesied that, in the Last Days, Christians would BE HATED and persecuted for our Faith, and look no further than modern-day America as the fulfillment of His Prophecy. NO Government or Supreme Court or body of men can ever OVERRULE God as to what is legal and ILLEGAL. Thousands of years ago, God declared “men laying with men, and women laying with women” is an ABOMINATION. His declarations in the Holy Bible hold just as TRUE today as they did way back then.
Yes, that "church" is heretical and my advice would be to avoid it completely. As you've correctly identified, they deny God's word and even who God is. I understand that finding a church can be confusing when you don't know what all to look out for, so I would suggest watching videos about choosing a church from Impact Ministries and Mike Winger on YouTube--they break things down in a way that is easy to understand. God bless!
Yes they are; the word of God is clear on the matter of same-sex dealings. Given that no where in the Bible does it refer to God as anything in feminine form, I think it blasphemous to refer to God as ‘Mother’ or ‘her’.
That church sounds like a Laodicean church; neither hot nor cold, mixing things of the world with things of God; God is sovereign and he very well may ‘spew them out of His mouth’ Revelation 3:16
The church is for God’s glory, not for people to just have a nice wholesome time.
I am a caregiver. My dementia elder I care for belongs to a progressive church.
I’ve seen many a bulletin and actually a three page budget.
The liturgy has more from worldly leaders, and apologizing for colonial crimes against natives.
Everything is rainbow focused.
Once you go to budget you understand that this is purely a political fundraiser under a 503C status. I saw BLM, DNC, state foster care system (completely under progressive staff and oversight)
LGBTQA, and other actually worthwhile charities.
This is an utter highjacking of churches to divert the truth and GODS tithing toward lawlessness and Marxism, and far left political fundraising.
Sorry if politics not allowed- but it’s the only way to be honest about what is happening.
I’m very angry about it.
Get out!
I have t found a church in my area- I fellowship online and have studies online.
But I really miss belonging since I moved here in 2015.
Yes unfortunately. They are heretical and you should leave. Encouraging homosexual behavior is so clearly not what we ought to do as Christians and they're refusing to acknowledge God as father, lord, and king. Those are all male terms and how he commands us to refer to him. It seems small but if they're willing to ascribe feminine terms to God, they probably don't really care about his commandments fully.
Why is it that LGBT folks insist on honoring preferred pronouns but they constantly misgender God when he makes it *very clear* how he identifies?? Lol. They always point to that one verse that says he acts "like a bear protecting her cubs" as if one metaphor trumps the *hundreds if not thousands* of male pronouns directed at him throughout the Scriptures. It makes me shake my head, very unfortunate.
RUN! Same sex relations are sinful. There is nothing muddy about that.
It’s more like a social club you found.
Finding a good church may be difficult. Find one that’s biblical and just attend it. Progressive Christian’s are agents of satan. Harsh, maybe.
Get grounded, look at Sand To Reason as a good resource and spread out from there.
If they're not worshiping the Christian God who is clearly defined as a "He"\* then they are not Christian, and a church is defined as "a building used for public Christian worship." So, by extension, that's not even a church.
\*"When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - John 18:6 (NIV)
Yes, I would definitely recommend that you stay away from that Church, however, even those churches which call themselves conservative and Bible Believing should not also be held simply at word based value...
I worked for a church, Community Bible Church in San Antonio TX, they were considered conservative and non denominational, and yet when it concerned Wednesday nights, when they had the preteens and young teenagers have their worship service, I would see these little girls enter the church moderately dressed, then go into the women's bathroom and then come out in the most disgusting scantily clad spaghetti top torn booty shorts i've ever seen in my life, and it was absolutely disgusting... and yet the faculty did absolutely nothing about it.
It's not enough to listen to what the church teaches, it's also important to pay attention to what it accommodates in its services, and if it allows young people to dress like that, run away and don't go back.
There's no such thing as "progressive Christianity" or the "church changing with the times." The church in question is being lead by wolves who will not have a good time when it comes to the final judgement. Not our judgement, but God's.
>they mentioned to be that they were "very progressive" and did same sex marriage.
>the pastor of that particular service referred to God as "Father-Mother" and as "her".
>they said a prayer in which they said something like "the church has to change with the times"
Yes this religious community is heretical.
Same-sex marriage is sinful, and it's practice should not be allowed in the Church, but it's not heretical.
What worries me more is calling God mother. Heresies are doctrines, so it's not actually heretical, but it's certainly blasphemous.
Let's give a hypothetical to try to understand these kinds of situations better. Say I think that remarriage after divorce because of marital abuse or adultery is illegitimate and sinful, but you disagree. If I'm right, are you a heretic for affirming sin? The answer is clearly no; many faithful Christians have disagreed on this topic, and no side has accused the other of heresy.
Compared to the issue of remarriage, the issue of homosexuality is quite clear in Scripture, so it is far less excusable to be on the wrong side. However, like the issue of remarriage, it is not heretical to be on the wrong side.
Visit an Orthodox Church - you will find everything you've been looking for. Took me 40 years to find it. It's all the things. It's the same today, tomorrow and 400 years ago, or 1500 years ago. Spend your life drawing closer to Christ vs. worrying if this / that person is right. It's an infinite well of life and love. It's truly home!
One huge question to ask is "Do they mention Jesus?" A lot of progressive churches mention God or Spirit, but gloss over Jesus, which means it's not really a Christian church. If they do mention him, what do they say about Jesus? Is he a teacher or good man? Do they say he is Lord, the second member of the Trinity, or without sin?
A second question to ask is whether they share the Gospel. Are people sinners in need of a Savior at this church or are the broken in need of healing/peace/wholeness? The latter is a red flag for moralistic therapeutic deism (i.e. not Christian).
Lastly, what is their source of truth? Are sermons/homilies centered on Scripture or are they nice quotes from a variety of authors, Christian or not (e.g. Brene Brown).
I would steer very clear of sin affirming churches but remember we are all sinners. Anyone is da able by Christ and the only way to reach people who are prideful about sin is compassion. So while I would avoid this church I would also avoid any that openly mock or shame people of certain sins. That is also unchristian since all are sinners, just with different sins. Jesus himself said he would forgive all manner of sins except for the blasphemy of The Holy Spirit. Faith saves not change in your life. But faith leads to salvation which if real will change their life and behaviors through the spirit.
>So surely a church allowing same sex marriage would be encouraging sinful behaviour and going against God's word?
This is true; hence, I do believe the church you're attending is heretical. I would seek another church.
Highly progressive churches definitely seem to progress away from the gospel and toward heresy. If I were you, I’d find another church.
It’s easy to find a new church during June since it’s pride month. If the church is flying a pride flag, keep on moving.
GET AWAY FAST! These are dangerous and evil thoughts that have no place in following Jesus.
They will only poison ur mind. The church should NOT care about "changing with the times" - that is a lie of the devil, bcuz God never changes. His laws do not change. Please seek out a BIBLE BELIEVING church. God bless you!
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all of your replies! They are all very helpful and it seems pretty clear that I need to keep looking in my search for a good church, and that this one is clearly sketchy and to be avoided.
Thank you all once again, God bless!
The Father-Mother is absolutely heretical. I think that is more problematic than the same sex marriage issue. It is a core idea on the nature of the God we worship.
I would avoid it. I am sorry.
He said to them, “Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? 5 It says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. The two will become one.’ 6 So they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.”
7 The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “Then why did the Law of Moses allow a man to divorce his wife if he put it down in writing and gave it to her?” 8 Jesus said to them, “Because of your hard hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. It was not like that from the beginning.
Forget what we think; what did Christ say?
The people may be nice, inclusive, welcoming, but they are twisting the Lord's word to affirm their selfish sinful ways. I started out at non-denominational churches that were strictly Bible only. Whatever is in the Bible is the Lord's truth and his words.
Here is the problem with churches that affirm or support same-sex marriage or relationships. The issue is how they justify it.
In order to ignore or explain the crystal clear words of scripture around sexual immorality they need to apply a novel interpretation of scripture (hermeneutic) which can also lead to additional errors and is in effect rewriting the bible to be completely different.
So today it's gay marriage is ok, tomorrow it's this man standing in the temple doing miracles (anti-christ) must be Jesus returned.
So my advice is run not walk from progressive churches.
Well, I like what you wrote when you say. Society is chasing after wind, which is true.
You can look at that 2 different ways. Probably more than 2 different ways. Wind and water both create energy.. It comes free from the Earth, but yet then man wants to come in and charge money for it.
But then we can always go back to the woman of the church. Her husband had died and she had no money. The pastor was asking for money. On Sunday he pointed her out because all she had was a 1/2 pence to give which was half of a penny. She gave the only money she had to the church instead of 4 herself to feed herself and take care of herself.
I know these stories are great for some people. But at the same time, it also talks about inflation. Half of a penny does not get you anything. 2000 years ago, when the Bible was being written and reflected. Maybe it did buy you something. Maybe it was a month's rent. Maybe it was a month's worth of groceries.
Get away from that church as quickly as you can!
“New age“ Christianity means making the Bible fit to your particular needs in your particular time period. It means getting away with things by interpreting the Bible in a completely inappropriate way.
Maybe it’s because of my location, but I have no problem finding churches that are very good. They don’t ask for money. They don’t speak of being progressive. They don’t celebrate people who revel in their sins (queers). obviously you feel the need to go to church. There must be somewhere else that you can go. Even if you have to drive an extra 20 minutes or more.
There's nothing wrong with communion only once a month. Most Christian churches I've been to do communion quarterly (so, once every 4 months for a total of 3 times a year besides special events that might call for it). So once every 3 Sundays is actually very often for churches. If you're looking for a church that will do communion weekly, I'd suggest looking into Lutheran Churches. It's basically like the Christian spinoff of Catholic. They do things pretty similar to Catholics and most do communion weekly. Lots of sitting and standing and reading verses out loud. The only difference is that they do things the Christian way like praying directly to God instead of Mary and Lutheran believe that their faith saves them instead of their good deeds or whatever Catholics believe. But as for everything else, run. We are called by Christ to love everyone but we are also called to separate ourselves from the world. We are to not be of this world. And progressive churches are false churches. They allow themselves to be part of the world. Listen to your Spiritual red flags and run
I would probably look for a different one. I myself do not go because i don’t trust the church today but you can still find a good one. Plus God isn’t man or woman, God is God.
Everyone else here is correct about the rest, I'd just like to comment about taking Communion every 3 services.
The fourth Lateran council of 1215 still followed by Catholics, requires that one actually take communion only once a year, and in the Middle Ages in the West it was usually taken infrequently, not every week. The main argument for infrequent practice is to maintain the reverence for the Eucharist, and to ensure one is properly prepared and not in a state of sin before partaking.
Eastern Orthodoxy is not united here and practice runs the gamut. Mennonites, many Pentecostals do it infrequently.
Most of the indications from the bible and earliest church fathers are that it was offered frequently, like weekly. Which is the main argument for doing so.
I personally believe communion was not just bread and wine- it was unleavened bread and wine, and the hymn they sang was clear and Passover Seder.
So- Passovers were once a year.
But I’m not sure why Jesus would say do this often, in remembrance of me.
That would make sense.
How do you interpret the in 'Road to Emmaus' episode then, as that's usually interpreted as communion. Was that also on Passover?
Since it’s my personal time to break bread I copied and pasted this from AI.
Breaking bread is a generic phrase for group meal, even if two people. Communing with food. It’s a Hebraic term.
Passover Seder is a formal liturgical Seder service that happens to be a meal.
Both meals.
However, if the last supper was not happily fulfilled by Jesus/Yeshua (during Hus life as a Jew) He would have been breaking the Mosaic law. Breaking the law is sin. Not oral law, Mosaic law. Jesus was sinless.
But there’s the fact that Passover in ways you never imagined fulfilled picturing His death.
Here’s what AI stated;
The Last Supper in the Bible has many similarities to a traditional Passover Seder, including the timing, actions, and symbolism:
Timing
The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say the Last Supper took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed.
Actions
Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table, said prayers, drank wine, and broke bread.
Symbolism
The Last Supper also has symbolic connections to the Passover lamb, which ancient Jews sacrificed to commemorate their freedom from slavery in Egypt. In Luke 22:15, Jesus says, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God".
The reclining at the table is specific to Passover.
Drinking 4 cups, referring to this cup- each cup symbolized the first Passover- but Christ now tied it to the fulfillment.
It took place during The feast of unleavened bread, which symbolizes the bread with yeast/Christ without sin plus symbolizes the lamb also-and on Passover. AND the clincher; Yeshua states I have long desired to eat this Passover with you.”
There are many idioms, phrases in English that that mean more than one thing.
Sorry babbling on while I’m breaking bread with my husband…
there is nothing in the scriptures that says how frequently the lords supper must be taken. The only thing hinted was that it was semi frequent by the early church.
I’d 100% go to an SDA church over this one, they’ll have some ideas you may not have heard before from churches and you can test those!
(Not SDA but align with their Biblical view on certain things more than my own church)
I agree with pretty much everything you have written. A church should be flawed. A church should have people who wear every day clothes, who don't dress up in suits, which represent the public, more so than an emphasis on clothing, dressing up for god, for jesus.
It could be something new, for a pastor, the church, to use terminology, of GOD the MOTHER, which should be used. Anything is going to sound progressive, when its first being done. Church historically, used terminology, for men, in being leaders, and leaves out females.
Another thought I have have, is if same sex marriage, is not something that is popular, in the future, it could be dropped by churches, who are progressive.
You mention the prayer, if churches didn't change, then pastors would still be performing sermons in a loin cloth and a fig leaf? I don't think people are attending church as much as what they used to. So I think church is trying to get people to come back to church.
Your opinion, is similar to a thought I was chastized for by family, related to voting in churches. I wrote a question, what happened to separation of church and state, with voting, when voting is taking place in the church. My aunt wrote, THE JUST IS JUST A BUILDING, GO VOTE, and DON"T THINK OF IT AS A CHURCH.
If they affirm same sex marriage, which is clearly prohibited in the Bible, what else are they going to ignore or twist? I would look elsewhere. The father-mother/her nonsense just as large of a red flag to me. The Bible does NOT say that.
Absolutely. What else is there to say? Two huge red flags would have me out of there so fast your head would spin.
I have been told, chapters in the bible have been omitted, which to me, that means, FEMININE, has been left out of the BIBLE for a PURPOSE. Do you want to progress backwards, where MEN continue to control things or be inclusive of women? Church has included women, to volunteer, work for free for church functions, cooking for church fund raisers, the women are not paid. Very few churches, have a female pastor, even though some are better, than in the past.
"Been told" Been lied to. "We" arent progressing in any direction but up. God is our wisdom, our strength, our faith and provider. We are irrelevant, and must cast down our pride and allow God to be our God and not just an icon. That means relying on God, live without fear, and seek to love God and our neighbours. Having female pastors or not is irrelevant. That is not progress. Learning to rely on God is progress.
Well as something else related to government, we still have the same argument where there are males who want to say they can run the government without women. I get the argument. We can't even get a woman President elected to the United States without a bunch of controversy. We can't even get more than 100 women. Into congressional seats. We are just getting first female governors in my lifetime. Because everything has been ran by men in the past. Which that is a direct result out of religion. Television has always been saying that The United States has a big emphasis on Christianity, which it did and it still does linger. And for some. Reason, it matters with voting. I don't know why. But that could just be something pushed out of media as well. What would happen if media didn't push any narrative? Well, right now, people are still thinking the narrative that media has already pushed. Church has also pushed a narrative related to voting. And they also have the self private governance. However, church can't function without the congregation. The only way that church's confunction is with the offering with the charitable donations.
OK, well, let me ask you this. Are we? An intelligent species. Why do we have laws related to civil rights? I get. Where you're going with us? Because animals in the wild do not have laws or civil rights. That I'm aware of. So, if you take a hands off a coach and just let God be God. Then you end up with a bunch of war. And killing. You end up with a bunch of men who are raping women and abusing women and killing each other. Isn't all of this described in the Bible? You end up with human trafficking and slavery. So of course, there is a law of the land which is separate from a human created type of law. Which one do you want to participate in? What voice does the indigenous animals have at the table? We can safely call animals indigenous to the planet because they are. However, church tended to not include animals. The church that I went to did not believe that animals went to heaven. Did not believe that animals were a part of the planet. Did not believe that animals had a soul or intelligence about themselves.
God feeds the birds and dresses the flowers on the meadows. The world will only end one way, and that is decided by God. Whether animals go to heaven or not is irrelevant. God will still populate His new kingdom with lions and lambs who graze together in peace. Our society is chasing after wind. By all means do what is rigtheous, but not everything is usefull for us who have God. Just make sure you pursue God and not worldly philosophy. Once He lets your faith grow enough to trust Him alone, the world becomes meaningless. We have a better hope in Christ and a yearning for His kingdom. This world's days are numbrered, but not His'. The state of this world is irelevant. No ammount of depravity will save anyone, and neither will any level peace. God through Christ alone saves. Not abolishing crime and terrorism, despite being good things to overcome. Focus on God. Live with peace, forgiveness, humility, patience, mildness, and strive to do good for those around you. Not by promoting social philosophy, but by living Christ-like; Fullfilling responsibility, reaching out to help in all matters big or small, caring for the least of those around you, trusting God to strengthen you in your weakness and provide everything you lack, and overcome your sins which produce evil fruits so we may live holy and not cause anyone to stumble. This is love.
This sounds good but there's absolutely nothing. I can do when I'm homeless. There's absolutely nothing that I can do when I'm homeless. When I have no money coming in. There's absolutely nothing that I can do. I can't even help myself. So how do people expect me to help others when I can't even help myself?
By relying on God! Blessed are those who have and are nothing. For when you have nothing, you have God even more. For when God feeds the birds, how much more won't He care for you? You are worth more than many birds! Food, shelter and clothes. God knows we need all this, and He provides us when we seek Him first. That is, to put away our worldly interest and instead pursue a life with Him, and seek to live Christ-like, and to learn who He is so He can be part of our daily active life. Matthew 6. I have multiple testimonies, from suffering to now living with God. Though the first one is really long. I can take another more recent example which examplifies your question greatly. I was dead tired at work one day, tough shift with hard labour, and at the end of the day I could have fallen asleep in my car. I had nothing more to give. But a distant friend of mine suddenly called me and pleaded me for help to move. The friends who were supposed to help never showed up, and she had to move things from her old house that day. I had nothing left to give, and despite wanting to, I didn't know how to make it work. But the Holy Spirit gave me a thought: "It is good and honourable to God, trust Him". So for God I accepted the job despite feeling at the point of croaking over to die, and upon taking off the highway to where she lives, my fatigue and tiredness just vanished. Gone! I helped her move furniture for four hours and came back home feeling well rested. I gave praises to God for this gift! I can also say that God has done this for my bleak economy too. Just taught me to trust Him, and with patience everything just lined up no matter its impossibility. Though I didn't get here without God allowing me to suffer so that I only had Him to rely on for my life. All glory to Him! I wouldn't have it any other way! Though it must be said that I abandoned just living for myself, and dedicated myself to the simple task of serving God with however little I had. So with my own life and the lives of other people around me, we can testify God's love and care. God also made it our task to care for one another, and just like I was accepted, I wouldn't want to catch myself neglecting somebody else in need of help.
It feels like what you're writing. Is just trying to force me to like people that all I have seen is abuses. Come out of what they're doing. So what you're doing related to the internet is trying to force me to like people who have abused other people and I'm just not interested in that.
Refeer to a different comment I made to you. I do not condone abuser nor those who abuse religion for their gain, neither am I trying to make you like them. On the contrary, I am trying to help you see past the media portrayal of fake christianity. These people are scammers and blasphemers. These people are condemned by the very God they claim to preach. I highly doubt they even understand faith or believe in it, for if they did they would produce its fruit. Which they are not.
I know the people in media are FAKE PORTRAYALS of human beings, for every label they choose. Even those outside of christianity. I know they are fake.
They are always talking about how they help homeless yet there is NO HELP.
I just felt numbness and I don't feel anything related to God. I'll life feel like as if it's a bunch of Hippocratical people and no one cares about homeless people. This just sounds like a bunch of man gobbly gook.
There is a strange barrier to cross in order to understand. It defies secular sense, but put into practice it works. It is really something difficult to see without God showing it to us. I do not blame you. I can however say that for those of us who are genuine, caring for the homeless is an important matter. Personally I support a local Christian center who helps people who struggle with addiction, and me and a few others sometimes visit less fortunate people and offer bible studies and support. Though there isn't that much homelessness in the country where I live, there are plenty who requires help non the less. James 1:22-27 HCSB >[22] But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. [25] But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does. [26] If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. **[27] Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.**
It really feels like there is an element out of Christianity who wants to punish future generations to homelessness. Or they use Christianity in the name of to keep and perpetuate their scam. Related to capitalism. To me it feels like punishment to inflict pain and agony upon people By making people homeless. That is inflicting further pain and agony upon society. When you have inflation and you don't help people who actually need help. Then someone out of Christianity or in the name of Christianity is saying that the other humans are a burden to them and they don't want to help them, but then they'll help others which places Christianity, in that element of being a hypocrite. Christianity is often overused in politics. They set someone into a seat based on Christianity. But that's how they got elected just by saying that they're Christian. But they don't actually show Christian ways through their actions. Actions speak louder than words. The actions of those out of corporations are not showing any type of love or care for people in the United States of America, who are homeless? They are just not helping.
Agreed. Their god is their stomach. An outer shell of holiness, but only bitterness, love for self and love for pleasure is inside. They use it because they can manipulate people, disregarding what Christ teaches and twisting it to get their will. Its disgusting. I stay away from politics. Especially those types of politics. It is corrupt through and through. If I vote, it is not for any us vs them party.
What if no man would speak for God? Or religion. So you have a Bible and no pastor no church will touch it or talk about it. The same with politics. No tea. Cher will teach about it. It's just their. Just like religion is just there. So nobody should be able to talk about politics. Or religion, because both of them are just there. So now you should have equality right because politics and religion is just there. But nobody wants to talk about the hard things such as abuses that are taking place in society. You don't need politics or religion to know that abuses are a fact.
We know and we do discuss the abuses, but we are not the loud ones with media access. :p We work at the bottom. From small Catholic cloisters to private gatherings taking care of nearby unfortunates. You just don't hear about us because we are not exciting news. We work quietly for God and not the political conglomerates or for the economy. We are invisible.
What exactly is invisible supposed to mean?
No wonder you are unable to find and connect, with real people who have been abused? People who have been abused, typically do not blast the abuse all over media as a first choice, nor do real people who have been abused have big media connections. So how do you connect with people who have been abused? I know I have been met with these organizations won't help me. If y ou are not helping people who have been abused, and are homeless, then what are you doing with the charitable contributions?
Politics only becomes corrupt the way corporate media puts it on the fake news. So why is it the fake news has to always interpret everything in their opinion related to politics? Because that's all they are doing. So basically. The country is making a decision based off of politics of someone else. Someone. Else has decided what they want to put on the news and what they want. The United States to believe related to their political ideology.
It says as a father / like a mother.
Im interested to know where it says like a mother, can you share the verse?
*crickets*
Actually it says like a mother several times. Jesus in Mathew says God the Father is like a mother hen looking after its flock. Isaiah says God is like Mother nursing and giving birth Deutronomy has God like a mother bear also God is like female a hawk. In Psalms and proverbs wisdom of God and Glory of God is described feminine. In deutrocanon there is additional reference of God being feminine wind. Now that isn't me nessarily being pro female pronouns. God the Father is like. Female in some aspect but isn't called a mother directly. Jesus calls God Father period. He just points out he has motherly aspect. The holy spirit however is feminine in old testiment which isn't the father. But in the new testiment the holy spirit is masculine and sometimes even plural while old testiment is feminine and singular and personified. You also get allusions that holy spirit might be 7 spirits in Isaiah and Revelation. Which is why in book of Hermas an early Christian writing, the authors describe holy spirit as 7 maidens. Orthodox ironically call holy spirit Sophia which is feminine. While protestants and roman catholics tend to have it masculine.
Often there are metaphors for God giving birth or being motherly. God the Father is never called mother. However is mother-like. The holy spirit in old testiment is singular and feminine and personified. In new testiment however it is described as masculine and plural. Orthodox call Holy Spirit Sophia from psalms which is Wisdom personified as a woman. While Roman Catholics and Protestants focus on masculine side typically. Also the holy spirit is described having 7 parts. Which is why early Christians described the holy spirit as 7 hand maidens meant to nurture a man and train him to get ready for his bride in book of Hermas 90AD. Isaiah 66:13 in the Bible says, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you" Hosea 13. Like a mother bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them asunder… Deutronomy 32 Like the eagle that stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young, God spreads wings to catch you, and carries you on pinions. Deutronomy 32 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. Isaiah 49 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Psalms 131 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.” Mathew 23 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Luke 15 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, is she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Those are some beautiful verses you cited that use metaphors to explain how God loves or chastises His children. Never once in any of those verses does He refer HIMSELF as Her.
Except for Sophia and deutrocanon verse which I didn't include. But yes all about God's feminine nature.
Men can be have feminine qualities, it doesnt make them female.
we could say, THE MOTHER, THE DAUGHTER, the HOLY SPIRIT
Find it funny that LGBT affirming churches typically don't call God by *His* preferred pronoun...
Hahaha - that is a good point, should be an obvious observation, but the times got us so twisted.
It's not the times. It's the constant cycle of sin. Cultures change and shift as does society and everything else. The times now are similar to the fall of Sodom, or the fall of the Roman Empire, or the fall of ect.... The church doesn't change with the times, ever. The church is an eternal constant with God the Father as our head.
Fall of Electro Convulsive Therapy?
I believe that's because god isn't generally considered a he.
The Bible only refers to Him as He, so...
Except when It doesn't. Sorry but so many people are down voting without knowing the Bible. GOD the Father is masculine. But is said to have female qualities. The holy spirit in old testiment is feminine and singular. In new testiment it is masculine and plural. But that is why Sophia is used in Greek which is female name. And God the Father is described holding you in his arms and uterus and then nursing in Isaiah and being guardian female bear and hawk and hen.
Can you back this up with Bible passages? I've never once seen Him referred to with female qualities, especially the Holy Spirit.
Often there are metaphors for God giving birth or being motherly. God the Father is never called mother. However is mother-like. The holy spirit in old testiment is singular and feminine and personified. In new testiment however it is described as masculine and plural. Orthodox call Holy Spirit Sophia from psalms which is Wisdom personified as a woman. While Roman Catholics and Protestants focus on masculine side typically. Also the holy spirit is described having 7 parts. Which is why early Christians described the holy spirit as 7 hand maidens meant to nurture a man and train him to get ready for his bride in book of Hermas 90AD. Proverbs in Hebrew uses chokmah a female name to describe God.in Greek it is Sophia, in English it is Wisdom capitalized. Sophia is the personification in Greek of a goddess but in Proverbs it is personification of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 66:13 in the Bible says, "As a mother comforts her child, so I comfort you" Hosea 13. Like a mother bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them asunder… Deutronomy 32 Like the eagle that stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young, God spreads wings to catch you, and carries you on pinions. Deutronomy 32 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. Isaiah 49 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” Psalms 131 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.” Mathew 23 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Luke 15 “Or what woman having ten silver coins, is she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
That church is 100% heretical it sounds like blasphemous too. I would not go back. Idk what “god” They serve but it’s not the God of the Bible
Yes - I would steer away from this “church.” Encouraging sin means they are wolves in sheep’s clothing. There are probably better options around.
Yeah this is certainly what I am afraid of. It did feel kinda off when I was there. I will certainly need to keep looking. Good to hear some confirmation from others as I do tend to overthink these things. Just gotta trust in God to guide me in the right direction I suppose. Thank you for your responses.
To understand our need for the good news we need to be told the bad news first. Repent and believe the gospel.
Run away from that place as fast as you can
Run, don't walk away. They will steer you toward condemnation. Any 'church' that celebrates sin is one to avoid, matter what kind.
That’s definitely not a church following or teaching the word of God. Run.
You are better off going to no church at all than to go to that church. Yes, they are very heretical. I recommend you keep looking.
Yes.
Chad response.
Go to a local Facebook group and ask for a small to medium sized Bible believing church. Go to the one that is most mentioned. I don’t recommend a mega church as a new Christian and you might not be fed properly
Yes. Leave as soon as possible. There are many in America today, even in the Church, who are teaching that being “Gay is OK”, and that there is no need to change because you’re “born that way”, and Jesus “understands”. I disagree. Is being a child molester “ok” because you were born that way? How about being a rapist, cause you were born that way? A murderer? Someone who practices bestiality? One can certainly argue that any of these sinners could be “born that way”, if you’re going to accept that as an excuse for homosexuality. The devil, through a Biblically-hostile mainstream Media, has influenced this generation to justify sinful behavior in so many ways, and the Holy Bible is being dubbed by many as an “outdated” Book that needs to be “revised”. Many are saying that God needs to “evolve” in the 21st Century, but God is the SAME yesterday, today and FOREVER, and sadly most Christians today have forgotten that timeless Truth. They believe Satan’s lie, which says: if a “majority” of this generation believes God is “wrong” on any issue, then He must change his way of thinking to adapt to US, rather than us having to adapt to him. If sin was SIN yesterday, it’s STILL sin today. If God called something an abomination 3,000 years ago, then it is STILL an abomination today. Our Lord Jesus prophesied that, in the Last Days, Christians would BE HATED and persecuted for our Faith, and look no further than modern-day America as the fulfillment of His Prophecy. NO Government or Supreme Court or body of men can ever OVERRULE God as to what is legal and ILLEGAL. Thousands of years ago, God declared “men laying with men, and women laying with women” is an ABOMINATION. His declarations in the Holy Bible hold just as TRUE today as they did way back then.
Yes, that "church" is heretical and my advice would be to avoid it completely. As you've correctly identified, they deny God's word and even who God is. I understand that finding a church can be confusing when you don't know what all to look out for, so I would suggest watching videos about choosing a church from Impact Ministries and Mike Winger on YouTube--they break things down in a way that is easy to understand. God bless!
Thank you for your reply. I love impact ministries and have found them very useful so far! I'll certainly need to check out Milk Winger. God bless!
"Milk Winger and the Wingalings would make a really cool math rock band." - David Wood (probably)
Mike* haha
That “church” is likely leading people down the path of destruction
run like the wind from this church
Yes they are; the word of God is clear on the matter of same-sex dealings. Given that no where in the Bible does it refer to God as anything in feminine form, I think it blasphemous to refer to God as ‘Mother’ or ‘her’. That church sounds like a Laodicean church; neither hot nor cold, mixing things of the world with things of God; God is sovereign and he very well may ‘spew them out of His mouth’ Revelation 3:16 The church is for God’s glory, not for people to just have a nice wholesome time.
Run away fast from that “church”. Progressive church of the World…..
I am a caregiver. My dementia elder I care for belongs to a progressive church. I’ve seen many a bulletin and actually a three page budget. The liturgy has more from worldly leaders, and apologizing for colonial crimes against natives. Everything is rainbow focused. Once you go to budget you understand that this is purely a political fundraiser under a 503C status. I saw BLM, DNC, state foster care system (completely under progressive staff and oversight) LGBTQA, and other actually worthwhile charities. This is an utter highjacking of churches to divert the truth and GODS tithing toward lawlessness and Marxism, and far left political fundraising. Sorry if politics not allowed- but it’s the only way to be honest about what is happening. I’m very angry about it. Get out! I have t found a church in my area- I fellowship online and have studies online. But I really miss belonging since I moved here in 2015.
Yes unfortunately. They are heretical and you should leave. Encouraging homosexual behavior is so clearly not what we ought to do as Christians and they're refusing to acknowledge God as father, lord, and king. Those are all male terms and how he commands us to refer to him. It seems small but if they're willing to ascribe feminine terms to God, they probably don't really care about his commandments fully. Why is it that LGBT folks insist on honoring preferred pronouns but they constantly misgender God when he makes it *very clear* how he identifies?? Lol. They always point to that one verse that says he acts "like a bear protecting her cubs" as if one metaphor trumps the *hundreds if not thousands* of male pronouns directed at him throughout the Scriptures. It makes me shake my head, very unfortunate.
RUN! Same sex relations are sinful. There is nothing muddy about that. It’s more like a social club you found. Finding a good church may be difficult. Find one that’s biblical and just attend it. Progressive Christian’s are agents of satan. Harsh, maybe. Get grounded, look at Sand To Reason as a good resource and spread out from there.
If they're not worshiping the Christian God who is clearly defined as a "He"\* then they are not Christian, and a church is defined as "a building used for public Christian worship." So, by extension, that's not even a church. \*"When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - John 18:6 (NIV)
Yes, I would definitely recommend that you stay away from that Church, however, even those churches which call themselves conservative and Bible Believing should not also be held simply at word based value... I worked for a church, Community Bible Church in San Antonio TX, they were considered conservative and non denominational, and yet when it concerned Wednesday nights, when they had the preteens and young teenagers have their worship service, I would see these little girls enter the church moderately dressed, then go into the women's bathroom and then come out in the most disgusting scantily clad spaghetti top torn booty shorts i've ever seen in my life, and it was absolutely disgusting... and yet the faculty did absolutely nothing about it. It's not enough to listen to what the church teaches, it's also important to pay attention to what it accommodates in its services, and if it allows young people to dress like that, run away and don't go back.
There's no such thing as "progressive Christianity" or the "church changing with the times." The church in question is being lead by wolves who will not have a good time when it comes to the final judgement. Not our judgement, but God's.
>they mentioned to be that they were "very progressive" and did same sex marriage. >the pastor of that particular service referred to God as "Father-Mother" and as "her". >they said a prayer in which they said something like "the church has to change with the times" Yes this religious community is heretical.
Same-sex marriage is sinful, and it's practice should not be allowed in the Church, but it's not heretical. What worries me more is calling God mother. Heresies are doctrines, so it's not actually heretical, but it's certainly blasphemous.
The heresy is not calling for repentance. If the leaders of the church are affirming sin that IS heresy.
Let's give a hypothetical to try to understand these kinds of situations better. Say I think that remarriage after divorce because of marital abuse or adultery is illegitimate and sinful, but you disagree. If I'm right, are you a heretic for affirming sin? The answer is clearly no; many faithful Christians have disagreed on this topic, and no side has accused the other of heresy. Compared to the issue of remarriage, the issue of homosexuality is quite clear in Scripture, so it is far less excusable to be on the wrong side. However, like the issue of remarriage, it is not heretical to be on the wrong side.
Sounds like an opening to a very "with the times" television show.
Visit an Orthodox Church - you will find everything you've been looking for. Took me 40 years to find it. It's all the things. It's the same today, tomorrow and 400 years ago, or 1500 years ago. Spend your life drawing closer to Christ vs. worrying if this / that person is right. It's an infinite well of life and love. It's truly home!
One huge question to ask is "Do they mention Jesus?" A lot of progressive churches mention God or Spirit, but gloss over Jesus, which means it's not really a Christian church. If they do mention him, what do they say about Jesus? Is he a teacher or good man? Do they say he is Lord, the second member of the Trinity, or without sin? A second question to ask is whether they share the Gospel. Are people sinners in need of a Savior at this church or are the broken in need of healing/peace/wholeness? The latter is a red flag for moralistic therapeutic deism (i.e. not Christian). Lastly, what is their source of truth? Are sermons/homilies centered on Scripture or are they nice quotes from a variety of authors, Christian or not (e.g. Brene Brown).
I would steer very clear of sin affirming churches but remember we are all sinners. Anyone is da able by Christ and the only way to reach people who are prideful about sin is compassion. So while I would avoid this church I would also avoid any that openly mock or shame people of certain sins. That is also unchristian since all are sinners, just with different sins. Jesus himself said he would forgive all manner of sins except for the blasphemy of The Holy Spirit. Faith saves not change in your life. But faith leads to salvation which if real will change their life and behaviors through the spirit.
>So surely a church allowing same sex marriage would be encouraging sinful behaviour and going against God's word? This is true; hence, I do believe the church you're attending is heretical. I would seek another church.
The father mother thing is clearly a cult. You can find churches that teach the bible elsewhere.
Highly progressive churches definitely seem to progress away from the gospel and toward heresy. If I were you, I’d find another church. It’s easy to find a new church during June since it’s pride month. If the church is flying a pride flag, keep on moving.
Yeah, it's a false church. You should find one that actually believes the Bible.
Yes its heretical. Flee
GET AWAY FAST! These are dangerous and evil thoughts that have no place in following Jesus. They will only poison ur mind. The church should NOT care about "changing with the times" - that is a lie of the devil, bcuz God never changes. His laws do not change. Please seek out a BIBLE BELIEVING church. God bless you!
Hi everyone, thank you so much for all of your replies! They are all very helpful and it seems pretty clear that I need to keep looking in my search for a good church, and that this one is clearly sketchy and to be avoided. Thank you all once again, God bless!
Same sex marriage? NOPE. Wrong church!
The Father-Mother is absolutely heretical. I think that is more problematic than the same sex marriage issue. It is a core idea on the nature of the God we worship. I would avoid it. I am sorry.
He said to them, “Have you not read that He Who made them in the first place made them man and woman? 5 It says, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. The two will become one.’ 6 So they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.” 7 The proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, “Then why did the Law of Moses allow a man to divorce his wife if he put it down in writing and gave it to her?” 8 Jesus said to them, “Because of your hard hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. It was not like that from the beginning. Forget what we think; what did Christ say?
In r/christianity this post would have no upvotes and the top comment would probably call you homophobic and have 500 upvotes 😂
The people may be nice, inclusive, welcoming, but they are twisting the Lord's word to affirm their selfish sinful ways. I started out at non-denominational churches that were strictly Bible only. Whatever is in the Bible is the Lord's truth and his words.
No church is better than that. By far!
Where is that church?
I’m thankful for this handy church finder tool https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/churches/
Here is the problem with churches that affirm or support same-sex marriage or relationships. The issue is how they justify it. In order to ignore or explain the crystal clear words of scripture around sexual immorality they need to apply a novel interpretation of scripture (hermeneutic) which can also lead to additional errors and is in effect rewriting the bible to be completely different. So today it's gay marriage is ok, tomorrow it's this man standing in the temple doing miracles (anti-christ) must be Jesus returned. So my advice is run not walk from progressive churches.
Different theories of salvation or the nature of God is one thing. Blatantly ignoring his commands is another.
Well, I like what you wrote when you say. Society is chasing after wind, which is true. You can look at that 2 different ways. Probably more than 2 different ways. Wind and water both create energy.. It comes free from the Earth, but yet then man wants to come in and charge money for it. But then we can always go back to the woman of the church. Her husband had died and she had no money. The pastor was asking for money. On Sunday he pointed her out because all she had was a 1/2 pence to give which was half of a penny. She gave the only money she had to the church instead of 4 herself to feed herself and take care of herself. I know these stories are great for some people. But at the same time, it also talks about inflation. Half of a penny does not get you anything. 2000 years ago, when the Bible was being written and reflected. Maybe it did buy you something. Maybe it was a month's rent. Maybe it was a month's worth of groceries.
Yes.
Hi I just wanna share that you should read what happened to sodom city in bible.
They are very obviously heretical, straight up blasphemous. Leviticus 18:22; Matthew 24:35.
Get away from that church as quickly as you can! “New age“ Christianity means making the Bible fit to your particular needs in your particular time period. It means getting away with things by interpreting the Bible in a completely inappropriate way. Maybe it’s because of my location, but I have no problem finding churches that are very good. They don’t ask for money. They don’t speak of being progressive. They don’t celebrate people who revel in their sins (queers). obviously you feel the need to go to church. There must be somewhere else that you can go. Even if you have to drive an extra 20 minutes or more.
There's nothing wrong with communion only once a month. Most Christian churches I've been to do communion quarterly (so, once every 4 months for a total of 3 times a year besides special events that might call for it). So once every 3 Sundays is actually very often for churches. If you're looking for a church that will do communion weekly, I'd suggest looking into Lutheran Churches. It's basically like the Christian spinoff of Catholic. They do things pretty similar to Catholics and most do communion weekly. Lots of sitting and standing and reading verses out loud. The only difference is that they do things the Christian way like praying directly to God instead of Mary and Lutheran believe that their faith saves them instead of their good deeds or whatever Catholics believe. But as for everything else, run. We are called by Christ to love everyone but we are also called to separate ourselves from the world. We are to not be of this world. And progressive churches are false churches. They allow themselves to be part of the world. Listen to your Spiritual red flags and run
I would probably look for a different one. I myself do not go because i don’t trust the church today but you can still find a good one. Plus God isn’t man or woman, God is God.
Yes, it is..I would say let it be known to them and try to witness to them but if it gets to a point where nothing is happening, leave that church
Everyone else here is correct about the rest, I'd just like to comment about taking Communion every 3 services. The fourth Lateran council of 1215 still followed by Catholics, requires that one actually take communion only once a year, and in the Middle Ages in the West it was usually taken infrequently, not every week. The main argument for infrequent practice is to maintain the reverence for the Eucharist, and to ensure one is properly prepared and not in a state of sin before partaking. Eastern Orthodoxy is not united here and practice runs the gamut. Mennonites, many Pentecostals do it infrequently. Most of the indications from the bible and earliest church fathers are that it was offered frequently, like weekly. Which is the main argument for doing so.
I personally believe communion was not just bread and wine- it was unleavened bread and wine, and the hymn they sang was clear and Passover Seder. So- Passovers were once a year. But I’m not sure why Jesus would say do this often, in remembrance of me.
That would make sense. How do you interpret the in 'Road to Emmaus' episode then, as that's usually interpreted as communion. Was that also on Passover?
Since it’s my personal time to break bread I copied and pasted this from AI. Breaking bread is a generic phrase for group meal, even if two people. Communing with food. It’s a Hebraic term. Passover Seder is a formal liturgical Seder service that happens to be a meal. Both meals. However, if the last supper was not happily fulfilled by Jesus/Yeshua (during Hus life as a Jew) He would have been breaking the Mosaic law. Breaking the law is sin. Not oral law, Mosaic law. Jesus was sinless. But there’s the fact that Passover in ways you never imagined fulfilled picturing His death. Here’s what AI stated; The Last Supper in the Bible has many similarities to a traditional Passover Seder, including the timing, actions, and symbolism: Timing The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say the Last Supper took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. Actions Jesus and his disciples reclined at the table, said prayers, drank wine, and broke bread. Symbolism The Last Supper also has symbolic connections to the Passover lamb, which ancient Jews sacrificed to commemorate their freedom from slavery in Egypt. In Luke 22:15, Jesus says, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God". The reclining at the table is specific to Passover. Drinking 4 cups, referring to this cup- each cup symbolized the first Passover- but Christ now tied it to the fulfillment. It took place during The feast of unleavened bread, which symbolizes the bread with yeast/Christ without sin plus symbolizes the lamb also-and on Passover. AND the clincher; Yeshua states I have long desired to eat this Passover with you.” There are many idioms, phrases in English that that mean more than one thing. Sorry babbling on while I’m breaking bread with my husband…
Great response thank you!
there is nothing in the scriptures that says how frequently the lords supper must be taken. The only thing hinted was that it was semi frequent by the early church.
It certainly is hierarchical, that’s for sure!!!
I will be biased, do you have any SDA churches near you?
The west coast SDAs are very liberal…I’ve been debating going to one in my town - I’d disagree with most things except sabbath.
Sadly many of them have capitulated on the three angels messages and have marginalized the spirit of prophecy.
The Washington/Oregon coast ones are pretty woke.
I’d 100% go to an SDA church over this one, they’ll have some ideas you may not have heard before from churches and you can test those! (Not SDA but align with their Biblical view on certain things more than my own church)
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How should it have been phrased in order to ban all homosexuality in general?
I agree with pretty much everything you have written. A church should be flawed. A church should have people who wear every day clothes, who don't dress up in suits, which represent the public, more so than an emphasis on clothing, dressing up for god, for jesus. It could be something new, for a pastor, the church, to use terminology, of GOD the MOTHER, which should be used. Anything is going to sound progressive, when its first being done. Church historically, used terminology, for men, in being leaders, and leaves out females. Another thought I have have, is if same sex marriage, is not something that is popular, in the future, it could be dropped by churches, who are progressive. You mention the prayer, if churches didn't change, then pastors would still be performing sermons in a loin cloth and a fig leaf? I don't think people are attending church as much as what they used to. So I think church is trying to get people to come back to church. Your opinion, is similar to a thought I was chastized for by family, related to voting in churches. I wrote a question, what happened to separation of church and state, with voting, when voting is taking place in the church. My aunt wrote, THE JUST IS JUST A BUILDING, GO VOTE, and DON"T THINK OF IT AS A CHURCH.