Have Evangelicals replaced the gospel with...?

[CarpentersApprentice]

An extract from The Evangelical Manifesto (The bullet format is mine.):

*******************************
"All too often Evangelicals have trumpeted the gospel of Jesus, but we have replaced

- biblical truths with therapeutic techniques,
- worship with entertainment,
- discipleship with growth in human potential,
- church growth with business entrepreneurialism,
- concern for the church and for the local congregation with expressions of the faith that are churchless and little better than a vapid spirituality,
- meeting real needs with pandering to felt needs, and
- mission principles with marketing precepts.

In the process we have become known for

- commercial, diluted, and feel-good gospels of health, wealth, human potential, and
- religious happy talk,

each of which is indistinguishable from the passing fashions of the surrounding world."

*******************************

Your thoughts?

CA

 

[Tom Butler]

It's obvious that many church are as you described. They make no secret of it, and if the measure is numbers, they are quite successful at it.

There are also many church which have remained faithful to the gospel. The congregation which I serve, for instance.

 

[Rippon]

An extract from The Evangelical Manifesto (The bullet format is mine.):

*******************************
"All too often Evangelicals have trumpeted the gospel of Jesus, but we have replaced

- biblical truths with therapeutic techniques,
- worship with entertainment,
- discipleship with growth in human potential,
- church growth with business entrepreneurialism,
- concern for the church and for the local congregation with expressions of the faith that are churchless and little better than a vapid spirituality,
- meeting real needs with pandering to felt needs, and
- mission principles with marketing precepts.

In the process we have become known for

- commercial, diluted, and feel-good gospels of health, wealth, human potential, and
- religious happy talk,

each of which is indistinguishable from the passing fashions of the surrounding world."

*******************************

Your thoughts?

CA

A.W. Pink and A.W. Tozer have said the same kinds of things decades ago. (AWP with more biblical insight)

 

[Amy.G]

It's obvious that many church are as you described. They make no secret of it, and if the measure is numbers, they are quite successful at it.

There are also many church which have remained faithful to the gospel. The congregation which I serve, for instance.

Do you think that churches that remain faithful have a lower growth rate than the seeker churches? I would say they do. I think most people want a "warm, fuzzy, you're ok" kind of message and the churches that preach the truth of the Bible are not as popular because being convicted of sin is not pleasant.

 

[nunatak]

That is an interesting question Amy G. Are there any mega churches that are faithful to the gospel?

 

[donnA]

Since it is God who gives the growth in churches, then I would think there are mega churches that are faithful to the gospel, and small churches who aren't. Some of each on both sides, some large and small faithful, some large and small not faithful. God grows the church based on His purposes for that church.

 

[Dr. L.T. Ketchum]

An extract from The Evangelical Manifesto (The bullet format is mine.):

*******************************
"All too often Evangelicals have trumpeted the gospel of Jesus, but we have replaced

- biblical truths with therapeutic techniques,
- worship with entertainment,
- discipleship with growth in human potential,
- church growth with business entrepreneurialism,
- concern for the church and for the local congregation with expressions of the faith that are churchless and little better than a vapid spirituality,
- meeting real needs with pandering to felt needs, and
- mission principles with marketing precepts.

In the process we have become known for

- commercial, diluted, and feel-good gospels of health, wealth, human potential, and
- religious happy talk,

each of which is indistinguishable from the passing fashions of the surrounding world."

*******************************

Your thoughts?

CA

At which time they ceased to be true Evangelicals and, therefore, there is no longer a "we" regarding those that move away from true Evangelicalism!

 

[Gerhard Ebersoehn]

I tried to say the same things post 1 says on my thread, 'When it is not the Church', but it sunk into oblivion beneath that bottom line ... Hope your thread is going to fare better, Carpenter!

 

[Gerhard Ebersoehn]

Dr Ketchum,
What is 'evangelical' or an 'evangelical church'?

In the old days (which were until the late 1800's), 'Evangelical' stood for 'Reformed' of 'Calvinistic'. Nowadays it's just the opposite!!

But as for me, I'll tell you all, if you want to know what is truly 'Evangelical', read Bunyan, "Grace abounding to the chief of sinners"!

 

[Gerhard Ebersoehn]

"... mega churches that are faithful to the gospel ..." is a contradiction both in terms and in principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

[Cutter]

Since it is God who gives the growth in churches, then I would think there are mega churches that are faithful to the gospel, and small churches who aren't

You are naive to think that the only reason a church grows numerically is because of God. In the true church God adds daily such as should be saved, but carnal churches that are experiencing numerical growth, do so otherwise.

 

[donnA]

You are naive to think that the only reason a church grows numerically is because of God. In the true church God adds daily such as should be saved, but carnal churches that are experiencing numerical growth, do so otherwise.

If believing scripture is naive, then I guess I am naive.
To say churches with the biggest growth are filled with unbeleivers isn't biblical, and isn't true.

 

[Amy.G]

If believing scripture is naive, then I guess I am naive.
To say churches with the biggest growth are filled with unbeleivers isn't biblical, and isn't true.

What about Joel Osteen and his church?

 

[Cutter]

If believing scripture is naive, then I guess I am naive.
To say churches with the biggest growth are filled with unbeleivers isn't biblical, and isn't true.

Do you honestly believe that every building that has church written out front is doing the work of the Lord? I said that God is adding to the church daily, thus fulfilling scripture. Anybody can add names to a church roll, but that doesn't mean their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The lukewarm church age we currently live in is drawing people by the thousands with their gospel of compromise. If you believe scripture then you believe in Revelation 3:16.

 

[JustChristian]

Do you honestly believe that every building that has church written out front is doing the work of the Lord? I said that God is adding to the church daily, thus fulfilling scripture. Anybody can add names to a church roll, but that doesn't mean their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The lukewarm church age we currently live in is drawing people by the thousands with their gospel of compromise. If you believe scripture then you believe in Revelation 3:16.

What's your cut off number? 2,000? 1,000? 500? 250? 100?

 

[TCGreek]

I'm so glad that the Builder knows His.

 

[Cutter]

What's your cut off number? 2,000? 1,000? 500? 250? 100?

.
Exactly what is your point? I do not have a cutoff number. About 5000 were added to the church in Acts 4 after Peter preached the gospel. If the Word of God being preached is what saves folks why has the "church" (and I use that term loosely) resorted to almost every alternative to draw people in. Signing them on the church roll is not what saves them.

 

[Gerhard Ebersoehn]

Cutter:
"If you believe scripture then you believe in Revelation 3:16."

GE:
And, verse 17, even more so! Verse 17, verse 17, Read! all ye rich!

 

[Gerhard Ebersoehn]

Thesis:
'I do not have a cutoff number.'

Antithesis:
"Where two or three gather together in My Name, there I-Am-In-Their-Midst." It is the Name of Christ, pronounced over a cut-off number? Jesus also pronounced: There shall come a time that you won't worship here or there the place of worship and the number shall be so insignificant.

 

[rbell]

Do you honestly believe that every building that has church written out front is doing the work of the Lord? I said that God is adding to the church daily, thus fulfilling scripture. Anybody can add names to a church roll, but that doesn't mean their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The lukewarm church age we currently live in is drawing people by the thousands with their gospel of compromise. If you believe scripture then you believe in Revelation 3:16.

You cannot judge the whole by a few.

I was married in a church that was growing in more ways than numerical.

Show me in Scripture where a church that is large is in the wrong...because it's large.

Now...am I saying we should all be in large churches? Absolutely not.

There are things that a small church can do, that a large church only wishes it could do....and vice-versa.