Excellent articles. A couple of thoughts:
- we have such a weak generation of American Christianity. We think we are experiencing difficult times. Methinks we need to read Hebrews 11 a bit more.
- I say this cautiously, but how weak was this man's sense of doctrine, and approach to biblical interpretation that it could not take a contrary human experience, albeit a painful one!
- I have long maintained that what is basically mainstream American evangelicalism has been swallowed in the last 10=15 years by the whole contemporary philosophy. That is increasingly true of even conservative denominations such as the SBC, or associations such as the BBF. This philosophy is utterly pragmatic at its core and embraces worldliness as a core belief. While this generation of such churches are almost all theologically sound I don't think you will be able to say that about the next generation, and certainly not about the one after that. You can see inklings of that in Rob Bell and, specifically relating to a mushy approach to sodomy, by Andy Stanley. When your entire premise of church is growth at almost any cost and you build in people a refusal to embrace or even accept unpopular preaching you are sowing the wind and you will reap the whirlwind. The pressure of either unsaved/carnal church members that fill your pews and finance your budgets to dumb down your public opposition to an increasingly popular social change movement (gay 'rights') only grows ...and so you come to 're-examine' your position, both personally and corporately. This extremely well-written article is simply the tip of the iceberg. A whole lot more of this will be done in the next 10-20 years. I realize I am extrapolating out some things, and broad-brushing a bit, but I think I'm right. The contemporary movement is not a song. It is an entire movement, and it is taking churches and preachers on a ride they haven't thought through very well, at least the long term consequences of it they haven't.
- I say this cautiously, but how weak was this man's sense of doctrine, and approach to biblical interpretation that it could not take a contrary human experience, albeit a painful one!
