If you are a Christian, and your pastor is preaching anything other than what’s in the Bible, it’s time to find a new church. Today.

I recently heard of a local pastor who refuses to officiate any weddings at all because he’s too afraid to stand on Biblical principles and say “no” to marrying couples who don’t have a godly relationship. But isn’t a pastor’s job to shepherd his flock, teaching them to live according to what the Bible actually says and to warn them against ungodly decisions? It’s certainly not to hide in the corner in an attempt to avoid offending people. You can stand by God’s principles and still be kind and loving, but stand by those principles you must.

Unfortunately, this kind of watered-down, soft and fuzzy leadership is the norm now, not the exception. The churld has slowly subverted traditional Christianity, inch by inch, word by word, until it looks nothing like the original.

What is the churld, you ask? Well, I made it up, but I think it fits.

The churld is the most in mash-up right now: it’s where you take the church and the world and throw it all together and top it off with glitter. It’s fun and inclusive and nice. And since most people believe the eleventh commandment is “thou shall not step on thy neighbor’s toes,” a lot of people are too scared to speak up and say “Nah, bro.” And so it progresses.

The thing blowing my mind is just how many Christians have taken up the banner of social justice and political correctness, supposedly in the name of Jesus, yet holiness and repentance from sin are nowhere to be found in their so-called gospel. Or they redefine what qualifies as sin based on their feelings. They just want people to feel loved and accepted. While love is the driving force behind the gospel, good works divorced from the full teaching of the Bible are just good works. When we try to solve our problems apart from the gospel, it’s me-ology over theology, and that’s a big problem, comrade.

I know, I know. People are just trying to do the best they can, and besides, you “shouldn’t judge” (apparently the only verse in the Bible we need to adhere to). While we certainly are not God and don’t condemn one another, we are absolutely to use discernment (and good old fashioned common sense) when it comes to our Christian brothers and sisters. We are supposed to be there for each other in every way, which includes helping one another other kill sin and live lives pleasing to God. We need each other because we all get off track sometimes. My hand is raised right now.

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.

Also, Luke 17:3 says. “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.”

Neither of these verses seem to say “MYOB.”

Acts 2:37-38
[37] Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” [38] Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

Here’s the problem: when the church refuses to call sin “sin”, it is doing its congregants a huge disservice. Sin is what God has told us to stay away from because it hurts us and separates us from him. The Bible talks about it a lot. God is not okay with it. Those preaching and teaching otherwise will be held accountable in the end.

2 Peter 2:1-10 NLT
[1] … “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. [2] Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. [3] In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. [4] For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. [5] And God did not spare the ancient world-except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood. [6] Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. [7] But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. [8] Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. [9] So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. [10] He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. …”

The bottom line is, God doesn’t encourage us to keep sinning, and if a leader does, they are dead wrong. He actually seems to think it’s our job to warn each other. Imagine that.

Since it’s hard to know who to trust these days, here’s some helpful advice. There’s only one way to know what God actually says.

You have to read the Bible for yourself.

There’s no way around it. People, even well-intentioned ones, fail. They miss the mark. You have to examine God’s word personally so you won’t be misled. Examine it against what I’m saying. See for yourself.

Christian books are not a substitute, especially with totally likable authors such as Hatmaker, Hollis, Doyle, and Bolz-Weber leading thousands of women astray with their self-worship-filled “me-ology”.

I’m making up all kinds of phrases today.

Know God’s word. Run from the churld. Theology > me-ology. Find a church that preaches the full counsel of God. Also, the Enneagram is not in the Bible. Ok, love you guys!

Angela

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