have you churchgoers ever heard of this?

[aubiefifty 18,231]

this is a friend of a friend. i do not know him so take it for what it is worth. he is talking about Word Alive in oxford alabama. to be fair others have spoke out on this as well but i did not want to try to remember word for word what some said. anyway check this out...........

 

Trey Carter Ok folks I used to go to church there just prior to them building the new building. In an attempt to get the money to build that building Kent Maddox told his congregation, with me sitting right there, that God told him to show your obedience to God you must donate your gold and silver jewelry. This was echoed for multiple weeks. During this time my sister worked there and she had on earrings or a necklace, I can’t remember which, and they told her she needed to donate them as a show of obedience she declined and found another job. It was a basic money grab to get what they wanted. I discontinued my attendance as that was wrong. One of the ploys he used to prove that’s what God wanted you to do was “putting gold dust in your hands”. “Just open your hands and look”. Of course there were sparkles, but what those people who believed that didn’t understand is it wasn’t gold in your hands it was simply salt from sweat. After that I saw them for what they were con-artists.

also kent is backing a man running for ward four in anniston who has started a drug rehab place and he does a decent job saving some folks but it is none profit. he takes those folks food stamp cards while charging them ex amount of dollars and serving outdated food as well. he is a recovered adict but he had 67 charges and complaints up to 2018. he also sent a friend some stuff and init  he claims he has a video of his opponent with another man and says she is having an affair. i know this because my friend sent me a copy. my point is when all these bad folks do things while claiming to be a man of god or god told them to why do christians never say a word? i know some like grumps cannot believe it happens and i bet he is not the only one. and i am not taking shots at grump. do christians not realize when they do not call they fakes out it hurts religion as a whole? it is like some will refuse to watch pro ball altho not everyone kneels. and the last statistics i googled said church attendance is declining. where is the outrage? i struggle to do the right thing but i call the bull out. i mean if it is hurting the church and using jesus for serious profit and personal gain why do people not speak up? it just blows my mind. this is why i tell people i am a struggling christian because i never want to influence anyone away from god by my actions. another drug rehab place claims to be nonprofit but they own two condo's in panama city. how do i know? they got family across the street from me that will have nothing to do with them. it would be nice if someone could explain what i might be missing. this bothers me and it just looks like some folks are taking advantage of god. and before anyone says they leave it up to god to handle it maybe he would appreciate some backup? and no i am not high. i am feeling very disgusted.

[jj3jordan 2,171]

Never heard of this church or the pastor. Churches including their pastors are full of sinners. Pastors should be more resistant to sin but some are not and some are just flat evil. They can be mislead easily and yet believe they are doing something good.  Sounds like this guy is definitely off track and hurting himself and his congregation. Without knowing all the facts I can’t judge but I would not support this guy if the facts are as stated. I would question his legitimacy and his relationship with God.

[TitanTiger 21,241]

I don't have any info on that specific church or pastor.  But it sounds like things I heard when I was in the pentecostal/charismatic realm.  Usually with churches that are not part of any formal pentecostal denomination (such as the Assemblies of God or Church of God) and thus have no real authority or accountability structure above the local pastor himself.  Also sounds like a pastor steeped in 'prosperity gospel' teaching.

People should flee that church and that pastor.  He is not a shepherd, but rather a wolf.

[SuperAUsome09 749]

I've always found it interesting that churches teach the following from the Bible:

Eph. 4:5 - "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" 

1 Cor. 1:12-13 - "...saying I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Has Christ been divided."

and the last statistics i googled said church attendance is declining (quoted from the OP)

You wanna know why church attendance is down? Go to any city and there are at least 1 church of Christ, 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist, 1 Catholic, 1 Pentecostal, 1 nondenominational, 1 Presbyterian, and if you're lucky a Jehovah's Witness group.

Kinda hypocritical to preach a doctrine of unity from the Bible when every town is divided into 6+ group believing different things from the same book. Sounds a bit like..."Well I'm of Baptist, I of Methodist, I of Catholic, and I of church of Christ." Violates the very Scriptures that are at the core belief structure. So it's no wonder people are becoming less inclined to jump on board the "So which church do you go to" ship.

 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

55 minutes ago, SuperAUsome09 said:

I've always found it interesting that churches teach the following from the Bible:

Eph. 4:5 - "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" 

1 Cor. 1:12-13 - "...saying I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Has Christ been divided."

and the last statistics i googled said church attendance is declining (quoted from the OP)

You wanna know why church attendance is down? Go to any city and there are at least 1 church of Christ, 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist, 1 Catholic, 1 Pentecostal, 1 nondenominational, 1 Presbyterian, and if you're lucky a Jehovah's Witness group.

Kinda hypocritical to preach a doctrine of unity from the Bible when every town is divided into 6+ group believing different things from the same book. Sounds a bit like..."Well I'm of Baptist, I of Methodist, I of Catholic, and I of church of Christ." Violates the very Scriptures that are at the core belief structure. So it's no wonder people are becoming less inclined to jump on board the "So which church do you go to" ship.

 

you skipped the main part. would you give your jewelry up if you were "required to" because a preacher said god commands it? my church is where ever i am at when i feel inspired to give thanks or pray. and i did your google for you. remember most people on here have already googled a subject before they post something.

 

pewforum.org

 

In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace

 

14-18 minutes

---

(Sungjin Ahn photography/Getty Images)

The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.

Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009. Members of non-Christian religions also have grown modestly as a share of the adult population.

These are among the key findings of a new analysis of trends in the religious composition and churchgoing habits of the American public, based on recent Pew Research Center random-digit-dial (RDD) political polling on the telephone.¹ The data shows that the trend toward religious disaffiliation documented in the Center’s 2007 and 2014 Religious Landscape Studies, and before that in major national studies like the General Social Survey (GSS), has continued apace.

Pew Research Center’s 2007 and 2014 Religious Landscape Studies were huge national RDD surveys, each of which included interviews with more than 35,000 respondents who were asked dozens of detailed questions about their religious identities, beliefs and practices. The Center has not yet conducted a third such study, and when the Landscape Study is repeated, it is likely to use new methods that may prevent it from being directly comparable to the previous studies; growing challenges to conducting national surveys by telephone have led the Center to rely increasingly on self-administered surveys conducted online.²

But while no new Religious Landscape Study is available or in the immediate offing, the Center has collected five additional years of data (since the 2014 Landscape Study) from RDD political polls (see detailed tables). The samples from these political polls are not as large as the Landscape Studies (even when all of the political polls conducted in a year are combined), but together, 88 surveys from 2009 to 2019 included interviews with 168,890 Americans.

These surveys do not include nearly as many questions about religion as the Landscape Studies do. However, as part of the demographic battery of questions that ask respondents about their age, race, educational attainment and other background characteristics, each of these political polls also include one basic question about religious identity – “What is your present religion, if any? Are you Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox such as Greek or Russian Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, agnostic, something else, or nothing in particular?”

Additionally, most of these political polls include a question about religious attendance – “Aside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services? More than once a week, once a week, once or twice a month, a few times a year, seldom, or never?” Taken together, these two questions (one about religious identity, the other about religious attendance) can help shed light on religious trends in the U.S.

The data shows that just like rates of religious affiliation, rates of religious attendance are declining.³ Over the last decade, the share of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month dropped by 7 percentage points, while the share who say they attend religious services less often (if at all) has risen by the same degree. In 2009, regular worship attenders (those who attend religious services at least once or twice a month) outnumbered those who attend services only occasionally or not at all by a 52%-to-47% margin. Today those figures are reversed; more Americans now say they attend religious services a few times a year or less (54%) than say they attend at least monthly (45%).

The changes underway in the American religious landscape are broad-based. The Christian share of the population is down and religious “nones” have grown across multiple demographic groups: white people, black people and Hispanics; men and women; in all regions of the country; and among college graduates and those with lower levels of educational attainment. Religious “nones” are growing faster among Democrats than Republicans, though their ranks are swelling in both partisan coalitions. And although the religiously unaffiliated are on the rise among younger people and most groups of older adults, their growth is most pronounced among young adults.

Furthermore, the data shows a wide gap between older Americans (Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation) and Millennials in their levels of religious affiliation and attendance. More than eight-in-ten members of the Silent Generation (those born between 1928 and 1945) describe themselves as Christians (84%), as do three-quarters of Baby Boomers (76%). In stark contrast, only half of Millennials (49%) describe themselves as Christians; four-in-ten are religious “nones,” and one-in-ten Millennials identify with non-Christian faiths.

Only about one-in-three Millennials say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month. Roughly two-thirds of Millennials (64%) attend worship services a few times a year or less often, including about four-in-ten who say they seldom or never go. Indeed, there are as many Millennials who say they “never” attend religious services (22%) as there are who say they go at least once a week (22%).

While the trends are clear – the U.S. is steadily becoming less Christian and less religiously observant as the share of adults who are not religious grows – self-described Christians report that they attend religious services at about the same rate today as in 2009. Today, 62% of Christians say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month, which is identical to the share who said the same in 2009. In other words, the nation’s overall rate of religious attendance is declining not because Christians are attending church less often, but rather because there are now fewer Christians as a share of the population.

Other key takeaways from the new analysis include:

• The data suggests that Christians are declining not just as a share of the U.S. adult population, but also in absolute numbers. In 2009, there were approximately 233 million adults in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. Pew Research Center’s RDD surveys conducted at the time indicated that 77% of them were Christian, which means that by this measure, there were approximately 178 million Christian adults in the U.S. in 2009. Taking the margin of error of the surveys into account, the number of adult Christians in the U.S. as of 2009 could have been as low as 176 million or as high as 181 million.

Today, there are roughly 23 million more adults in the U.S. than there were in 2009 (256 million as of July 1, 2019, according to the Census Bureau). About two-thirds of them (65%) identify as Christians, according to 2018 and 2019 Pew Research Center RDD estimates. This means that there are now roughly 167 million Christian adults in the U.S. (with a lower bound of 164 million and an upper bound of 169 million, given the survey’s margin of error).

Meanwhile, the number of religiously unaffiliated adults in the U.S. grew by almost 30 million over this period.

• The share of Americans who describe themselves as Mormons has held steady at 2% over the past decade.⁴ Meanwhile, the share of U.S. adults who identify with non-Christian faiths has ticked up slightly, from 5% in 2009 to 7% today. This includes a steady 2% of Americans who are Jewish, along with 1% who are Muslim, 1% who are Buddhist, 1% who are Hindu, and 3% who identify with other faiths (including, for example, people who say they abide by their own personal religious beliefs and people who describe themselves as “spiritual”)⁵
• The rising share of Americans who say they attend religious services no more than a few times a year (if at all) has been driven by a substantial jump in the proportion who say they “never” go to church. Today, 17% of Americans say they never attend religious services, up from 11% a decade ago. Similarly, the decline in regular churchgoing is attributable mainly to the shrinking share of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once a week, which was 37% in 2009 and now stands at 31%.
• The trends documented in Pew Research Center surveys closely resemble those found in the long-running General Social Survey (GSS), a project of the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, with principal funding from the National Science Foundation. In GSS surveys conducted in the early 2000s (2000 to 2004), 80% of U.S. adults identified as Christians, including 54% who described themselves as Protestants and 25% who were Catholic. By the late 2010s, 71% of GSS respondents described themselves as Christians (48% Protestant, 23% Catholic). Over the same period, the GSS found that religious “nones” grew from 14% of the U.S. adult population to 22%.

The point estimates from the GSS and Pew Research Center surveys (that is, the share of adults who identify as Protestant or Catholic or as religious “nones”) are not directly comparable; the two studies ask different questions and employ different modes of survey administration. But the fact that the direction of the trend is similar in both studies strongly suggests that both are picking up on real and significant change underway in the U.S. religious landscape.

These findings about the religious composition of Hispanics closely resemble those from Pew Research Center’s National Surveys of Latinos (NSL) – a nationally representative survey of U.S. Latino adults fielded almost every year. (See the detailed tables for complete trends in the religious composition of Hispanics based on both Pew Research Center political surveys and the NSL.)

• Among white adults, the share of people who say they attend religious services a few times a year or less now exceeds the share who attend monthly or more (57% vs. 42%); a decade ago, the white population was evenly divided between those who went to church at least monthly and those who did not. Regular churchgoers still outnumber those who infrequently or never go to religious services among black Americans (58% vs. 41%), though the share of people who say they attend religious services a few times a year or less often has risen over the last decade among black Americans, just as it has among the population as a whole. U.S. Hispanics are now about evenly divided between those who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month (51%) and those who say they attend a few times a year or less (49%).
• There is still a gender gap in American religion. Women are less likely than men to describe themselves as religious “nones” (23% vs. 30%), and more likely than men to say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month (50% vs. 40%). But women, like men, have grown noticeably less religious over the last decade. The share of “nones” among women has risen by 10 percentage points since 2009 – similar to the increase among men. And the share of women who identify as Christian has fallen by 11 points (from 80% to 69%) over that same period.
• Christians have declined and “nones” have grown as a share of the adult population in all four major U.S. regions. Catholic losses have been most pronounced in the Northeast, where 36% identified as Catholic in 2009, compared with 27% today. Among Protestants, declines were larger in the South, where Protestants now account for 53% of the adult population, down from 64% in 2009.
• Religious “nones” now make up fully one-third of Democrats. And about six-in-ten people who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party say they attend religious services no more than a few times a year. The ranks of religious “nones” and infrequent churchgoers also are growing within the Republican Party, though they make up smaller shares of Republicans than Democrats.
• The religious profile of white Democrats is very different from the religious profile of racial and ethnic minorities within the Democratic Party. Today, fewer than half of white Democrats describe themselves as Christians, and just three-in-ten say they regularly attend religious services. More than four-in-ten white Democrats are religious “nones,” and fully seven-in-ten white Democrats say they attend religious services no more than a few times a year. Black and Hispanic Democrats are far more likely than white Democrats to describe themselves as Christians and to say they attend religious services regularly, though all three groups are becoming less Christian.Although 2009 surveys did not include enough black Republicans to analyze separately, the most recent surveys show smaller religious differences by race and ethnicity among Republicans than Democrats.
• Pew Research Center’s telephone political polls do not typically include the detailed questions that are needed to determine whether Protestants identify with denominations in the evangelical, mainline or historically black Protestant tradition. However, the political polls upon which this analysis is based do ask Protestants whether they think of themselves as “born-again or evangelical” Christians. The data shows that both Protestants who describe themselves as born-again or evangelical Christians and Protestants who are not born-again or evangelical have declined as a share of the overall U.S. adult population, reflecting the country’s broader shift away from Christianity as a whole. However, looking only at Americans who identify as Protestants – rather than at the public as a whole – the share of all Protestants who are born-again or evangelical is at least as high today as it was in 2009.
• The share of U.S. adults who are white born-again or evangelical Protestants now stands at 16%, down from 19% a decade ago. The shrinking white evangelical share of the population reflects both demographic changes that have occurred in the United States (where white people constitute a declining share of the population) and broader religious changes in American society (where the share of all adults who identify with Christianity has declined). However, looking only at white Protestants – rather than at the public as a whole – the share of white Protestants who describe themselves as born-again or evangelical Christians is at least as high as it was a decade ago.

For complete information about trends in the religious composition and worship attendance habits of the U.S. public, see detailed tables.

[gr82be 14,910]

@aubiefifty, before anything else let me say that there is not a Christian alive who is not a struggling Christian on a daily basis. I know nothing about this church or the pastor but he will answer for his actions in misleading his congregation. I won't get into tithings and offerings other than the Bible is clear on this subject. As for certain churches and congregations there is this...

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV / For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

As @TitanTiger said, he's no shepherd, at least he wouldn't be mine. 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

1 minute ago, gr82be said:

@aubiefifty, before anything else let me say that there is not a Christian alive who is not a struggling Christian on a daily basis. I know nothing about this church or the pastor but he will answer for his actions in misleading his congregation. I won't get into tithings and offerings other than the Bible is clear on this subject. As for certain churches and congregations there is this...

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV / For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

As @TitanTiger said, he's no shepherd, at least he wouldn't be mine. 

if i went to church it would probably be a methodist one because they seem to be about love. too many evangelicals ruined me locally with pro trump and dems are evil stuff. and yes it is happening in my area. i do not need to go to church for the hate or tough love. i have had enough of both most of my life. i want love period and love that lifts me up. my  old motto is love is the higher law. and yes i get vicious on here but this is a political board. in real life i am actually a pretty nice guy. i just wanted to state that before someone calls me a hypocrite. this is why i call myself a struggling christian when i speak of religious matters so i hopefully do no damage to jesus and what he stands for. yes i know i am complicated but i always try to be as honest as i can.

[gr82be 14,910]

22 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

if i went to church it would probably be a methodist one because they seem to be about love. too many evangelicals ruined me locally with pro trump and dems are evil stuff. and yes it is happening in my area. i do not need to go to church for the hate or tough love. i have had enough of both most of my life. i want love period and love that lifts me up. my  old motto is love is the higher law. and yes i get vicious on here but this is a political board. in real life i am actually a pretty nice guy. i just wanted to state that before someone calls me a hypocrite. this is why i call myself a struggling christian when i speak of religious matters so i hopefully do no damage to jesus and what he stands for. yes i know i am complicated but i always try to be as honest as i can.

Understand. Just know that the only thing that will get you into Heaven is a personal relationship with Jesus (that is not directed at you personally). It sounds like you know him so just keep building that relationship.

I love this saying from Joyce Meyer. "Sitting in church doesn't make a person a Christian anymore than sitting in a garage makes them a car". 

 

[wdefromtx 3,610]

55 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

if i went to church it would probably be a methodist one because they seem to be about love. too many evangelicals ruined me locally with pro trump and dems are evil stuff. and yes it is happening in my area. i do not need to go to church for the hate or tough love. i have had enough of both most of my life. i want love period and love that lifts me up. my  old motto is love is the higher law. and yes i get vicious on here but this is a political board. in real life i am actually a pretty nice guy. i just wanted to state that before someone calls me a hypocrite. this is why i call myself a struggling christian when i speak of religious matters so i hopefully do no damage to jesus and what he stands for. yes i know i am complicated but i always try to be as honest as i can.

I was raised Methodist. Most seem to take a more light hearted approach to stuff and admit to kicking back a few cold ones and not try to act perfect. LOL

[AuburnNTexas 7,317]

1 hour ago, SuperAUsome09 said:

I've always found it interesting that churches teach the following from the Bible:

Eph. 4:5 - "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" 

1 Cor. 1:12-13 - "...saying I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Has Christ been divided."

and the last statistics i googled said church attendance is declining (quoted from the OP)

You wanna know why church attendance is down? Go to any city and there are at least 1 church of Christ, 1 Baptist, 1 Methodist, 1 Catholic, 1 Pentecostal, 1 nondenominational, 1 Presbyterian, and if you're lucky a Jehovah's Witness group.

Kinda hypocritical to preach a doctrine of unity from the Bible when every town is divided into 6+ group believing different things from the same book. Sounds a bit like..."Well I'm of Baptist, I of Methodist, I of Catholic, and I of church of Christ." Violates the very Scriptures that are at the core belief structure. So it's no wonder people are becoming less inclined to jump on board the "So which church do you go to" ship.

 

What you have proven is that many in the religious community are weak and sinners. That we don't live up to what is in the Bible. That is why it is so important to belong to one of the churches and try to follow the basic teaching of Jesus.  Love God with all your heart and love your fellow man as you would love yourself.  I am a Catholic and I wish we were all one church as we started but because of failings in my church at times new denominations came about. Ideally those who left would have stayed and worked inside the church to reform it.  They didn't and like the Catholic Church they have all had issues at times.  All the issues are because we strayed from the teaching of Jesus and because all the different churches have human beings both as members and leaders and we are not perfect.  

The sad thing is the great majority of the Christian Denominations have more in common then what they let divide them.  Even when you go outside the Christian faith most religions are about tolerance and love of our GOD the problem is our human weaknesses get in the way. As a Catholic and Christian the best I can do is try and be as close to what Christ wants us to be and to accept others whether of my faith or not.  

There is a saying in the Catholic Church and maybe other denominations also and it is evangelize all the time and speak if you have to.

I try to do that and I can honestly say that most of the people in my local Church do also. I work for a group within my church called "People Helping People" - It has many missions one is we collect used Furniture and deliver to families in need. We have a Food Pantry where our Church has a building where  we store the food but all the other churches in Allen donate food we have the building but we work with other denominations  to help provide the food. During summer when school is out we rotate with other churches in supplying food at Celebration park for the kids that may not get a meal when school is out.  We supply rent assistance, etc. Never do we ask what religious group you belong to.  We worked with Habitat for Humanity and helped build a home for a Muslim Family.  I went to Mexico about 15 years ago and laid Water Pipe's in an Indian Village in Mexico with a bunch of college kids after our Church paid to have a clean deep water well drilled.  I have worked with High School Kids for many years where we go for a weak to a community to help. We have been to Louisiana a few times and parts of Texas and Oklahoma after Hurricanes where we removed insulation and Sheetrock cleaned up outside,  built storage sheds, hung and finished Sheetrock, replaced windows, what ever was asked of us.

We in the religious community do screw up at times but I believe we do far more good then those outside of the community.

[AUDub 11,842]

As good a thread as any since hypocrisy is the theme of the day. 

Who wants to talk about the hilarious goings on with Fallwell Jr? 

All those joked about the pool boy turned out to be true, go figure, and the guy has a cuckold fetish. 

[SuperAUsome09 749]

47 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

you skipped the main part. would you give your jewelry up if you were "required to" because a preacher said god commands it?

Absolutely not. Unless he could give me Biblical evidence of such a command. A pastor that tells me "God spoke to him and told him so." would mean he read that in Scripture. 2 Tim. 3:16 is a reference for that. If the Bible is everything one needs because it is "God's words", this pastor best have a verse ready for such command. If not, he is dismissed and in violation of the the Scripture he claims to be under.

my church is where ever i am at when i feel inspired to give thanks or pray.

Admirable and I respect your view on that.

and i did your google for you. remember most people on here have already googled a subject before they post something.

Personally, I prefer discussing topics on religion using source material(Bible). Google search has its benefits, I don't discount that. In speaking(before pandemic) with a decent collection of college kids and young adults on church attendance, "hypocrisy" and "which is right when there are so many" was a frequent response. 

 

[SuperAUsome09 749]

41 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

What you have proven is that many in the religious community are weak and sinners. That we don't live up to what is in the Bible.

We in the religious community do screw up at times but I believe we do far more good then those outside of the community.

And I honestly respect others that understand that and claim that.

However, the problem doesn't come from those that screw up AND claim it. It comes from those that screw up, push it under a rug, and still claim they are high and mighty. Having somewhat of a biblical knowledge can help discern between the two. Simply asking them WHY they believe what they claim, is sometimes enough. I'm the pointed guy that asks "Do you have a verse for that?" and you best hope that you do. lol

[AUDub 11,842]

I feel bad for the individual in charge of Liberty's social media today. 

 

[wdefromtx 3,610]

9 hours ago, AUDub said:

As good a thread as any since hypocrisy is the theme of the day. 

Who wants to talk about the hilarious goings on with Fallwell Jr? 

All those joked about the pool boy turned out to be true, go figure, and the guy has a cuckold fetish. 

I was trying to figure out where Cohen played into this when you mentioned him in the other thread. Making a lot more sense now. The article I read hadn’t mentioned all this. 

 

He’s f**ked. Pun Intended. Lol 

[ArgoEagle 2,050]

God's Church is meant to be wonderfully simple and simply wonderful. Whenever money is brought in as a focus of the church, it becomes a slippery slope that can go in the wrong direction very fast, if the situation is handled inappropriately, such as this so-called pastor did. God expects the expenses of the church to be paid by the members and other Christians (it's called Grace Giving), and my church, which has been established since 1931 practices this. In 2004 we built a new Church in God's will. We used what money we had built up in the "Building Fund" over the years and borrowed the rest from our bank. We borrowed $500,000 from the bank and glory be to God, we paid it off in 6 years by merely using the tithes of our church members and grace giving (offerings above and beyond tithes from our members). The divine fact is we only have around 80 members and quite a few of these are youth who don't work and contribute. This is evidence that when you seek God's will for your church and not your own, He will bless your endeavors beyond belief.

There are too many "False Churches and Religions" that are popping up all over the country who are teaching and preaching false doctrine (any doctrine that is not in The Holy Bible, and does not focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ through his death, burial, and resurrection for salvation.) These false religions will ultimately fail because they are not called by or inspired by God Himself!

I feel sorry for these people who have the best intentions of serving God and are led astray by false religions, teachers, and preachers. May they find a legitimate, God based, God led church to escape to, and get away from the wolves in sheep's clothing.

[aubiefifty 18,231]

42 minutes ago, ArgoEagle said:

God's Church is meant to be wonderfully simple and simply wonderful. Whenever money is brought in as a focus of the church, it becomes a slippery slope that can go in the wrong direction very fast, if the situation is handled inappropriately, such as this so-called pastor did. God expects the expenses of the church to be paid by the members and other Christians (it's called Grace Giving), and my church, which has been established since 1931 practices this. In 2004 we built a new Church in God's will. We used what money we had built up in the "Building Fund" over the years and borrowed the rest from our bank. We borrowed $500,000 from the bank and glory be to God, we paid it off in 6 years by merely using the tithes of our church members and grace giving (offerings above and beyond tithes from our members). The divine fact is we only have around 80 members and quite a few of these are youth who don't work and contribute. This is evidence that when you seek God's will for your church and not your own, He will bless your endeavors beyond belief.

There are too many "False Churches and Religions" that are popping up all over the country who are teaching and preaching false doctrine (any doctrine that is not in The Holy Bible, and does not focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ through his death, burial, and resurrection for salvation.) These false religions will ultimately fail because they are not called by or inspired by God Himself!

I feel sorry for these people who have the best intentions of serving God and are led astray by false religions, teachers, and preachers. May they find a legitimate, God based, God led church to escape to, and get away from the wolves in sheep's clothing.

the problem i knowing who to trust. and do not get me wrong. there are a lot of churches that have stepped up and fed a lot of folks or helped how they can. i get that and i help as well. but if you talk politics or tell me gays or anyone does not deserve a decent life i am gone. but i am more comfy praying at home even tho i miss out on the friendships and home cooked meals etc. to me love is the higher law and should be everyone's mantra so to speak. and yes i raise hell on the politic boards but so does everyone else. it does not define who i am. i have sent two righties gifts on this board and no lefties and i think that speaks volumes. my disclaimer is a must because people think i am a jerk when i am not in real life. but arguing is fun and messy and it allows me to blow off steam.

[ArgoEagle 2,050]

4 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

the problem i knowing who to trust. and do not get me wrong. there are a lot of churches that have stepped up and fed a lot of folks or helped how they can. i get that and i help as well. but if you talk politics or tell me gays or anyone does not deserve a decent life i am gone. but i am more comfy praying at home even tho i miss out on the friendships and home cooked meals etc. to me love is the higher law and should be everyone's mantra so to speak. and yes i raise hell on the politic boards but so does everyone else. it does not define who i am. i have sent two righties gifts on this board and no lefties and i think that speaks volumes. my disclaimer is a must because people think i am a jerk when i am not in real life. but arguing is fun and messy and it allows me to blow off steam.

Well, since you brought up gays and love. The biggest mistake the church makes today is saying wrecklessly "if you are gay, you are going to Hell" This is judging.    We are taught to call out sin, not sinners. I cannot, nor can anyone else tell you who is going to Heaven or Hell. Only God knows that. I can factually tell you that Homosexuality is without a shadow of a doubt called a sin by God several times in the Bible (along with many other sins). I am instructed by God to call sin what it is and to inform people (with love) that they are sinning against God, not against me, and other people are to let me know (with love) when I am sinning.  The judging of one's soul is strictly up to God and God alone. Love is caring enough about another person to the point that you do not wish to see their soul go to Hell when their time here on Earth is over, and so we tell them the Gospel message that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again for their salvation, and we encourage them to do right, not to condemn them when they do wrong. Simply telling someone that God loves them or that I love them does not save their soul; it's a great thing to do and we should do that, but it doesn't save their soul. That should be our focus as Christians.

[gr82be 14,910]

On 8/24/2020 at 12:14 PM, wdefromtx said:

I was raised Methodist. Most seem to take a more light hearted approach to stuff and admit to kicking back a few cold ones and not try to act perfect. LOL

Same here and same here.

I don't think there is anything at all wrong with having a drink. It's when you drink too much and your judgement is impaired that can cause the trouble so I will avoid that situation. 

 

[aubiefifty 18,231]

On 8/25/2020 at 11:50 AM, ArgoEagle said:

Well, since you brought up gays and love. The biggest mistake the church makes today is saying wrecklessly "if you are gay, you are going to Hell" This is judging.    We are taught to call out sin, not sinners. I cannot, nor can anyone else tell you who is going to Heaven or Hell. Only God knows that. I can factually tell you that Homosexuality is without a shadow of a doubt called a sin by God several times in the Bible (along with many other sins). I am instructed by God to call sin what it is and to inform people (with love) that they are sinning against God, not against me, and other people are to let me know (with love) when I am sinning.  The judging of one's soul is strictly up to God and God alone. Love is caring enough about another person to the point that you do not wish to see their soul go to Hell when their time here on Earth is over, and so we tell them the Gospel message that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again for their salvation, and we encourage them to do right, not to condemn them when they do wrong. Simply telling someone that God loves them or that I love them does not save their soul; it's a great thing to do and we should do that, but it doesn't save their soul. That should be our focus as Christians.

i cannot remember the times i was told i was going to hell for having long hair. and all the church going baptists had to keep their boozed stash hidden. times have changed.

[wdefromtx 3,610]

7 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

i cannot remember the times i was told i was going to hell for having long hair. and all the church going baptists had to keep their boozed stash hidden. times have changed.

Benefits of being Methodist. No need to hide it. LMAO

[aubiefifty 18,231]

2 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

Benefits of being Methodist. No need to hide it. LMAO

i have no idea what the church thinks of pot anymore since it is legal in so many states now.

[wdefromtx 3,610]

1 minute ago, aubiefifty said:

i have no idea what the church thinks of pot anymore since it is legal in so many states now.

 

At least the Methodist churches I have been around in the past didn't claim to be perfect and most knew that many enjoyed the occasional drinking, and many pastors I had known even admitted to being heathens when they were younger and smoked pot. Their view was yeah, technically it is a sin and they won't judge others for their sins. Just make sure you are right with the lord when that day comes and admit you aren't perfect. 

 

At least there wasn't the hypocrisy that some churches have. You could almost say the motto was "We are all heathens, just try not to f*** it up too much and not get into heaven." 

[ArgoEagle 2,050]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

i cannot remember the times i was told i was going to hell for having long hair. and all the church going baptists had to keep their boozed stash hidden. times have changed.

I hear you. They were definitely wrong for that. It really comes down to is a particular church practicing what they preach, and are they a legitimate Bible teaching church? Jesus said "If you love me, keep my commandments". Problem is there are fewer and fewer people who are interested in keeping God's commandments today. it's become a me first society. You really have to do some weeding out to find the churches who sincerely wish to live for the Lord.

[I_M4_AU 8,935]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

i cannot remember the times i was told i was going to hell for having long hair. and all the church going baptists had to keep their boozed stash hidden. times have changed.

“There’s a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning”.  Jimmy Buffett.