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“Today, the term ‘evangelical’ is claimed and applied to pastors, politicos, activists, bloggers, artists, commentators, congregations, and conferences with widely (and, at times, wildly) different views about Scripture, conversion, Jesus, and social issues… The real crisis simmering beneath evangelical division is a theological one…. [because] 62% of American Christians [now] don’t believe that the Holy Spirit is a real person. 61% [also] say all religious faiths are of equal value… [Worst of all,] just 6% of American Christians consistently hold recognizably Christian [that is, biblical] beliefs.”
https://www.breakpoint.org/the-evangelical-fracture/
[ASND, therefore, asks the obvious question: What is evangelicalism? That question is answered in spades in the second main section on this page (about 15% the way down the scroller on the right).]
—
The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/perils-facing-evangelical-church/
and…
Study: Fewer than half of Evangelicals believe Bible is literally true
[Some of that may be related to the ongoing and meaningful debate about biblical inerrancy (scroll down a short ways on that page) but most of that problem is just intellectual laziness on the part of professing “Christians.” In reality, once the scholarly research is done, there is no defensible position other than that the Bible is literally true — at least in the sense that any given passage was originally intended to convey.]
and…
Only 37% of Christian pastors in the United States have a biblical worldview
https://www.christianpost.com/news/only-37-of-pastors-have-a-biblical-worldview-barna.html
[That means, therefore, that 63% of U.S. pastors are not actually Christian pastors at all.]
… &
Americans losing grip on most basic tenets of Christian faith
… &
Almost 70% of self-identified “born-again Christians” believe Jesus is not the only way to God
and…
“[Most professing ‘Christians’] believe having ‘some kind of faith’ is more important than the specific faith a person chooses [and] nearly a third of evangelicals agree with the statement that ‘Jesus was a good teacher, but he was not God’.”
and…
‘Fake Christianity‘ Has Supplanted the Biblical Worldview
This counterfeit religion is moralistic therapeutic deism, MTD
and…
The 5 Most Dangerous Wolves Preying on Christians
1. Joel Osteen
2. Rachel Held Evans
3. Jim Wallis (Sojourners)
4. Matthew Vines
5. Andy Stanley
https://pjmedia.com/faith/john-ellis/2016/09/29/the-5-most-dangerous-wolves-preying-on-christians
and…
Survey Finds Most American Christians Are Actually Heretics
http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/10/survey-finds-american-christians-actually-heretics/
and…
What modern evangelicals don’t get about God
and…
“Atheists and Agnostics, Mormons and Jews Score Best on Religious Knowlege Survey”
http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx
[Evangelicals weren’t even in the top five. What ASND wonders is, what will be your score ?]
and…
“… less than one third of born-agains (or evangelicals) ha[ve] a set of beliefs consistent with [a] biblical worldview…”
http://probeblog.org/2013/09/how-are-evangelicals-doing-part-2/
——————–
“With their public theology limited to the Great Commission, and their vision of ‘making disciples‘ merely a matter of getting people to pray the Sinners’ Prayer, evangelicals have for the past couple generations been complicit in the de-Christianization of America, as faith is reduced to a purely private concern, and religion reduced to the business of saving souls… [because f]or many [modern American] evangelicals, the idea of a Christian government is unthinkable, intolerable, a betrayal of the essence of [what they misguidedly believe is “authentic”] Christian faith… [Yet] earlier generations of American evangelicals understood that religious revival also entailed cultural renewal… [such as] public social norms, artistic norms, popular entertainment, business practices… [Yes,] A Christian public culture, like a Christian person, will still be deeply sinful and deficient. But it can still be an awful lot better than the [anti-Christ-ian, secular] alternatives [that American evangelicals — with their apolitical retreatism — have allowed to dominate American public life]... A Christian public culture will be better than the alternatives in at least three ways… First, even for the many members of society who never come to share Christian faith, a Christian public culture serves as a profound form of neighbor-love… Second, for Christians themselves, a Christian public culture is an aid to living out a life of Christian virtue… Third, a Christian public culture is even a support to Christian faith [because unbelievers] will have a larger chance of coming to saving faith in [such] a society… A properly Christian America, then, will need to be an America characterized by laws and a government that promote Christianity and Christian norms… A [truly biblical] Christian America… would not be one in which theocratic zealots went around looking for reasons to lock people up. Rather, it would be one in which a largely Christian public culture used the authority of laws to maintain and perpetuate the goods of that culture: affirming the importance of the natural family, the Christian family, and the virtues of self-restraint [to name just a few]… [T]here is nothing crazy or radical or unconstitutional [about these ideas as a]ll these things… were done throughout much of America for much of America’s history [until the last few decades].”
https://americanreformer.org/reimagining-a-christian-america/
[While differing in thematic emphasis (that essay relies on “civic duty” as the primary purpose of Christian political action), there are significant similarities above with this page here @ ASND, which page emphasizes Christian obedience to God’s word as the primary purpose of Christian political action.]
and…
“A key dynamic in our present epistemological crisis [a.k.a. liberalism] is the way truth has moved from being a matter of reason to a matter of feeling. Rather than something discovered through logical discourse in community, truth is now — to many people — discovered primarily through felt experience as individuals. What matters most [now] is whether I feel something to be true for me, and this only has implications for others insofar as they must respect the viability of ‘my truth’ and not threaten it with ‘their truth.’ It used to be that if another’s understanding of truth conflicted with yours, you could engage with and entertain their view, potentially letting it challenge and adjust your own view (and vice versa). Not anymore. Now, if another’s understanding of truth challenges yours, you mute them, cancel them, [or] accuse them of bigotry… Spend any amount of time on social media and you’ll see this in action… Evangelicals have been complicit in this trajectory. It isn’t just secular progressives who tend to mute differing voices or avoid encountering ‘threatening’ ideas. Many [ostensibly] conservative Christians do the same thing. In the 20th century, fundamentalist fears of ‘worldly‘ ideas led many evangelical parents, pastors, and institutions to shield their children, parishioners, and students from wide swaths of potentially hazardous influences. To be sure, we’ve cultivated our own ‘safe spaces.’ Accusations of evangelical anti-intellectualism are thus often — though not always warranted. Meanwhile, much of evangelical Christianity has emphasized the therapeutic and emotive experience of faith above the theological ideas that undergird it. Poor catechesis and avoidance of difficult doctrine means that for many Christians, religious identity is only as secure as the feelings that accompany it — which is to say, not secure at all. When difficult questions arise and one is forced to wrestle with the intellectual scaffolding of belief, the house of cards collapses, as we see often in deconversion accounts. Untrained in the art of logic, reasonable discourse, and articulating what they believe, many evangelicals turn out to be just as fragile as the secular ‘snowflakes’ they critique…
… But if we are going to make progress as a society — and for Christians, as missionaries and advocates for the capital ‘T’ Truth — we can’t avoid discomfort. Truth must be contended for, and that process will inevitably be contentious… [I]f we give up on persuasion, all that’s left is power. This is why politics has become a new religion [to liberals and fake Christians]… Sadly, many [professing, deceived] Christians are functionally atheists in this regard; they’ve thrown in the towel on contending for truth, opting instead to just claw for [political] power. But this approach doesn’t change minds. It doesn’t lead anyone to the freedom that comes from knowing the truth (John 8:32). It’s nihilistic and dangerous, and it will only escalate the violence of our culture wars.”
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/exit-echo-chamber-persuade/
and…
“By virtually any metric, the landscape of evangelical intellectual thought is materially more developed than it was [thirty years ago]… The [recent] rise of… a class [of ‘embarrassed elite, winsome‘ evangelicals], however, has not led to much of a rapprochement between America’s evangelicals and an increasingly secular mainstream. Nor has it… engendered a healthier and more unified evangelicalism… [T]he price of elite evangelical respectability in the modern academy is adoption of the embarrassment reflex — understood as… a willingness to allow the idea of the ‘social‘ to displace that of the classically theological at the taproot of intellectual. Such a displacement demands that evangelicals norm their theological claims against the conclusions of the [anti-Christ-ian, left-wing] social sciences, rather than vice versa… Pursuing that path can only, in the end, lead to a hollowing-out of theology as such. If the ‘right‘ kind of theology simply baptizes what other disciplines have already decided to sanction, the church’s ‘prophetic witness‘ inevitably comes to mean merely rubber-stamping some secular ideology or another. If religious practice is principally about the believer’s interior sense of meaning and purpose [rather than an objective, exteriorly — divinely — defined sense of meaning and purpose], what purpose does [religious practice] serve that cannot be better accomplished by self-help materials? Such a view entails that theology must become only about an abstract hereafter and cede the temporal domain to other fields.“
https://americanreformer.org/the-embarrassment-reflex-evangelicals-and-culture/
——————–
Study: 84% Of Christians Show No Symptoms Of Following Jesus
https://babylonbee.com/news/study-84-of-americans-who-claim-to-follow-jesus-show-no-symptoms
… &
Nation’s Evangelicals Warn They’ll Only Give Trump 1 Or 2 Hundred More Mulligans
[Yes, those last two “articles” were satire. I point out often on the pages of ASND that what makes satire good is when it successfully communicates tragedy using comedy.]
——————–
What IS An Evangelical?
“With increasing frequency throughout many sectors of American culture, use of [the term] ‘evangelical’ in social discourse is now an epithet… Rarely is the term defined with any theological precision. The way the conversation proceeds online assumes a common working definition of ‘evangelical’ but rarely is it tendered or dwelt upon with any degree of nuance or caution… In other words, it is a tribal shibboleth where theology may matter on the margins of the term, but no longer at its center. The confusion over the word ‘evangelicalism‘ and the ensuing plasticity of the label is truly tragic and leads to unhelpful categorization… [For many, the term] has become synonymous with Republican politics… [i]nstead of theological affinity for Jesus Christ… [because] more people are embracing the label who have no attachment to Protestant Christianity [whence the term ‘evangelical’ originated]… [In fact] That same pattern [i.e.people self-identifying as ‘evangelical’ also now] appears with Muslims… Orthodox Christians, Hindus and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints… [But the notion] that Muslims and Hindus can be ‘evangelical’… ought to raise [strong objections] about both the [contemporary use of] term itself and the contents that go into defining [it]… [because] any demographic research that allows the use of ‘evangelical’ to be applied to those who consider themselves Muslim, Hindu, or reject the divinity of Jesus Christ [as Mormons do] exhibits profound theological malpractice.“
https://americanreformer.org/defining-evangelicalism-down/
and…
15 Theses on Evangelical Theology
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/15-theses-evangelical-theology/
and…
What Is A True Evangelical?
https://stream.org/what-is-an-evangelical/
[Astute readers of ASND will notice numerous and stark differences from the evangelicals described in those articles (and on this page ) with the “evangelicals” described elsewhere on this page (i.e. not in this definitional section) and on our other three pages devoted to so-called “evangelicalism“.]
and…
All true evangelicals believe at least the following:
1) The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
2) It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
3) Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
4) Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
https://stream.org/the-un-evangelistic-evangelical/
and…
[Biblical] Evangelicalism
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/evangelicalism/
Yet…
“We [evangelicals] have failed to educate those who walk through our doors about what we believe and why we believe it and the consequences have been dire. ”
http://www.apologetics315.com/2012/06/how-to-get-apologetics-in-your-church-2_21.html
and…
An Evaluation of the “Evangelical Manifesto”
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-times/article.php?articleid=4303
and…
Five Evangelical Myths or Half Truths
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/five-evangelical-myths-or-half-truths/
and…
The (True) Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
and…
“The problem of false conversion is the theological elephant sitting in the living room of evangelical Christianity. Many are aware of the problem but few have the courage to address it in a meaningful way.“
and…
False Conversions Are the Suicide of the Church, Pastor Warns
and…
Christianity the Only Means of Eternal Life? Some Pastors Disagree
and…
Strange bedfellows
The National Association of Evangelicals and contraception for the unmarried
http://www.worldmag.com/printer.cfm?id=19628
and…
“If current trends continue, evangelical will no longer be a synonym for Protestant, because there is no error so grievous that it must be protested. It will instead become a synonym for liberal.”
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/can-person-be-evangelical-and-not-believe-hell/
and…
Poll: Evangelicals May Double Their Support for Obama in 2012 Election
and…
How Soviet Intelligence Promoted Christian Marxism
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/ryan-mauro/how-soviet-intelligence-promoted-christian-marxism/print/
and…
“Obama Defends U.S. Action in Libya; Some Evangelicals Agree”
http://www.christianpost.com/news/obama-defends-us-action-in-libya-some-evangelicals-agree-49617/
[ Since when do the opinions of self – professed “evangelical” Christians count for anything ? ]
and…
“Most of my friends are true Christians, believing wholeheartedly that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. But many of them will almost blindly enter the voting booth every two years and pull the lever for the Democrats.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/02/christians_and_the_democratic_party.html
[ “True” Christians, Mr. Sadar?]
and…
“So, there it is. Christians defending the funding of abortion. Christians defending their own sinful actions. Christians defending sin.”
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/04/17/christian-biz-thirty-one-gifts-funds-planned-parenthoods-friends/
[ Christians , Ms. Johnson? Really ?]
and…
Many Born-Again Christians Hold Universalist Views, Barna Finds
[No, Barna discovered (but refuses to admit) that many professing born-again Christians are universalists. That “discovery” is hardly news , though.]
and…
“The choice to end our partnership is definitely something that shines a light on a disappointing trend within parts of the Christian community… truth is unpopular [including among self-professed evangelicals] , and when you’re supporting unpopular truth, you are unpopular too.”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=93273
[ Hmm… ]
and…
“1 in 3 self-proclaimed Christians admit [in an online quiz that] they rarely live the teachings of Jesus Christ… The quiz results show 30.9% of Christians are worldly; an increase of 7.2% since the prior year.“
http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/5/prweb9550221.htm
and…
Too Much ‘Me’ Focus in Evangelical Community, Says Gospel Project Editor
and…
“Today, the flood waters continue to rise and are even encroaching into some evangelical churches.“
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1561422
and…
“All we did was asked questions. We just raised concerns. There’s no sin in that.”
and…
[Many] Youth Ministries Teaching Behavior Modification, Not Gospel
Not surprisingly, then…
Young ‘Millennials’ losing faith in record numbers
[ASND thanks Wintery Knight for that image.]
——————–
Apologetics:
[ASND thanks Wintery Knight for that image.]
“Sunyak Kim is ostensibly concerned at the effects of apologetics on Christian culture. He thinks that [apologetics] is damaging our appreciation of faith.”
http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2012/when-the-christian-brain-ceases-to-be-relevant/
and…
The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
http://blogs.christianpost.com/confident-christian/the-tragedy-of-the-dumb-church-10567/print.html
and…
The Problem of Anti-Intellectualism in the Church
http://chab123.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/why-dont-christians-think-2/
and…
“… 70 percent [of American teenagers surveyed] expressed persistent, measurable doubts that what the Bible says about Jesus is true. And these are ‘cream of the crop’ youth group kids.”
http://magazine.biola.edu/article/12-summer/what-do-christian-teens-actually-believe-about-jes/
and…
When will the evangelical church realize that just as important as living like Jesus is thinking like Jesus?… In contrast to Paul’s emphasis on the renewal of the mind it seems for many evangelicals that the fast track to Christ-likeness is the removal of the mind.”
http://houstonproblem.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/a-lesson-from-the-atheist/
and…
“About half of [American evangelical] teens say that many religions may be true; more than one-third say it is okay to practice multiple religions; more than one-third believe people should not try to evangelize others; more than one-third say it is okay to pick and choose one’s religious beliefs and not accept the teachings of one’s faith as a whole, and nearly two-thirds say a person can be truly religious and spiritual without being involved in a church.”
http://blogs.christianpost.com/guest-views/the-biblical-literacy-of-teenage-believers-11909/
So, ASND wonders, if evangelicals are not very well studied in the evidence and reasons for claiming their faith, what, pray tell, might be one of the consequences of that reality?
Study: Most Churchgoers Fail to Share Faith
http://www.charismanews.com/us/33957-study-most-churchgoers-fail-to-share-faith
———————-
5 Challenges to Christianity Which Apologetics Can’t Answer
http://sntjohnny.com/front/5-challenges-to-christianity-apologetics-cant-answer-part-3/1374.html
———————-
What Do Protestants Protest?
Sadly in our day, not much of anything.
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-do-protestants-protest/
——————–
Ergun Caner and The Great Evangelical Coverup
http://sententias.org/2013/12/16/ergun-caner-and-the-great-evangelical-coverup/
[Dr. Caner, for those who don’t know of him, recently moved from a post as a dean and professor at Liberty Baptist Seminary to the role of President of Brewton-Parker College.]
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=41597&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed1203
and…
Liberty University Forcibly Removes Anti-Trump Christian Author from Campus
——————–
Rick Joyner, Televangelist And Pastor, Wants A Military Takeover Of The U.S. Government
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/televangelist-military-takeover-rick-joyner_n_4030522.html
——————–
“… the monolithic big ministry culture is controlling the narrative in America.”
http://mobile.wnd.com/2013/12/dont-question-the-pastor-hes-famous/?cat_orig=faith
——————–
“If [Beth] Moore is exercising the position of a Bible teacher, then she should be able to properly exegete scripture.“
[See, also, the Beth Moore section on this page .]
——————–
Why Some Churches Should Lose Their Tax Exempt Status
http://www.policymic.com/articles/13484/why-some-churches-should-lose-their-tax-exempt-status
——————–
What is heresy?
http://carm.org/questions-heresy
——————–
Tim Keller:
[Dr. Tim Keller is a doctrinally orthodox Christian and a gifted scholar, preacher, and pastor but — like several others affiliated with The Gospel Coalition — he is grossly mistaken on certain theological points where they intersect with modern ” social justice ” issues. For examples…]
Tim Keller believes that Christians should not divide over the politics of abortion.
Keller is dead wrong.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/tim-keller-is-wrong-about-abortion.html
… &
“Christians like Tim Keller are to be commended for trying to fight racism with theology and scripture. But Keller’s use of the Bible on race assigns contemporary meanings to ancient texts that their authors never intended to convey.“
https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/10/72125/
… &
“[W]ith regard to that sensitive matter of church and state… there are other Christian leaders, like Mariam Bell, more qualified [than Tim Keller] to speak and advise in this area… Dr. Keller argues that Christians don’t ‘fit into the two-party system‘ and that ‘they are pushed toward two main options‘… In the past this would certainly have been true, and there would have been no argument. However, things are [very, very] different today… For instance, when one political party in our two-party system votes into law that which is Godless in every way, and disciples others (especially our children) in this same godlessness while in public schools; and when the other party does not, and even upholds the Moral Law of God, isn’t this party the only one supporting Christian teaching (especially in the areas of biblical marriage, born and un-born children, and gender)? Aren’t we just stating the obvious?… Are all ‘thoughtful Christians‘ trying to obey God’s call, as Dr. Keller… says [by citing an aquaintance of his]? I don’t think so [actually, ‘hardly’]. Otherwise ‘thoughtful Christians‘ on the Left and ‘thoughtful Christians‘ on the Right would all agree that abortion is murder; that the definition of marriage is given by God, not the state; that gender is determined by God [and, therefore, also by science since all truth is God’s truth ], not the individual; that bearing false witness [i.e. lying] is very serious to God, even if [liberals] don’t think so. Such thinking is biblically and politically naïve [actually, it’s not ‘thinking‘ at all; it is godless, anti-Christian self-deceit borne not of God but of Satan]… Today, the differences between good and evil are stark, with the Democrat Party supporting infanticide, euthanasia, gay marriage, gender identity, and the list grows every day. Is it possible for ‘thoughtful Christians, all trying to obey God’s call‘, to ‘reasonably appear at different places on the political spectrum, with loyalties to different political strategies‘? The answer is [biblically and unequivocally] ‘no‘, it is not possible if we honor the same God and His Word… The church’s mission is to speak of saving grace, of sin, of common grace to everyone. This involves knowledge of God’s Moral Law and action on the believers’ part… Churches today not dependent on God, especially in something as critical as the state’s ability to legislate immorality, are in danger of becoming ‘useless‘ in God’s eyes [ Rev 3:15-16 ]. Being useful, on the other hand, by confronting [governmental] as well as individual sin, and showing grace, is exactly what the church should be doing all the time.“
https://www.theaquilareport.com/a-response-to-tim-kellers-new-york-times-op-ed/
… &
“Keller makes a dangerous mistake in assuming moral equivalency between both of the major political parties in the United States today, and the positions they take on certain important issues; most importantly, the issue of abortion… By finding ways to compromise the philosophies of both political parties… Keller is acting as if the preborn are not fully human… Clearly, a political party which is engaged in advocating for and defending all of these practices is NOT one that is in line with a Biblical worldview, nor is it one which Christians concerned with upholding a Biblical worldview of truth and justice should support. As Pastor Keller himself points out, ‘The biblical commands to lift up the poor and to defend the rights of the oppressed are moral imperatives for believers. For individual Christians to speak out against egregious violations of these moral requirements is not optional‘… If an entire political party were openly in support of slavery and vowed to back candidates who would use their office to defend the practice legislatively, I am sure Pastor Keller would say Christians had a moral duty to oppose that party until they changed their position on the issue or until society as a whole opposed the practice.“
https://humandefense.com/and-who-is-my-neighbor/
… &
Tim Keller Staff Member Says Homosexuality Isn’t Sin, Part of ‘Church Plant’ Behind Transgender Restroom Plan
——————–
Pat Robertson:
“Pat Robertson… said Monday during the program’s airing that God does not send tornadoes ‘to kill people’ and that those affected by the deadly string of twisters in the Midwest and Southeast only had themselves to blame for living in tornado-prone areas.“
[Well, Robertson has his opinion, liberal atheists have their opinions, and then there are some who apparently hold the opinion of the God of the Bible .]
[Hmm…]
and…
Pat Robertson: Pot should be legal like alcohol
https://www.foxnews.com/us/pat-robertson-pot-should-be-legal-like-alcohol
[Pat was never much concerned with doing real research .]
and…
Pat Robertson: ‘God Told Me Who The Next President Will Be‘
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/pat-robertson-president-2012-god_n_1181669.html
[Apparently Pat misunderstood God that particular day. No doubt God wasn’t aware of it Himself either.]
and…
Pat Robertson:
Christianity Is Not About Religion — It’s About A Personal Relationship With… Donald Trump
http://babylonbee.com/news/christianity-not-religion-personal-relationship-donald-trump/
[Yes, that “article” was intentional satire, but after reading some of Robertson’s actual comments above, the need for this satirical jab should be well understood.]
and…
U.S. Christians Brace For Brutal Onslaught Of ‘Happy Holidays’ Attacks
http://babylonbee.com/news/us-christians-brace-brutal-onslaught-happy-holidays-attacks/
[Yes, that was satire. Astute readers know, though, that satire is always written for a reason.]
——————–
Evangelicals on Education:
“[E]vangelicals have… been guilty of criticizing homeschooling on the grounds that it leaves children un-socialized — even though that socialization is into a secular worldview that exalts progress over tradition, utilitarianism over moral and ethical absolutes, empiricism and scientism over a metaphysical view of reality, and forced conformity over the nurture and celebration of unique individuals with unique gifts and talents. That so many evangelicals today take for granted [the secular lies] that beauty is [always[ relative, that egalitarianism and inclusivism are the core of Jesus’ teaching, and that equity is always to be preferred to elitism [&] hierarchy offers sad proof to how fully (and uncritically) [evangelicals] have absorbed the progressivism of [government] schools and colleges. Is it any wonder then that evangelicals have fallen prey to the latest educational fads? Out of a praiseworthy desire to foster racial reconciliation and advocate for groups that have been historically marginalized, manipulated, or abused, we have opened ourselves to a Critical Race Theory (CRT)-based, resentment studies-based vision of education. In conscious opposition to the biblical teaching that we are all made in God’s image (and therefore have essential value and worth) but are fallen and depraved (and therefore are equally prone to sin, rebellion, and evil), the pedagogical merchants of CRT and resentment divide all groups into oppressor (evil) or oppressed (good), victimizer (irredeemably vicious) or victim (innately virtuous). And [those evangelicals] are more than willing to alter [their own children’s] reading of literature, history, philosophy, economics, sociology, psychology, and the arts to prop up their [anti-Christ-ian] identity politics.”
https://americanreformer.org/christian-education-in-a-woke-world/
——————–
“Evangelicals” on Evil:
“God is not the creator of evil, pain, and suffering… The other type of evil is natural evil such as disasters…”
http://www.christianpost.com/news/lee-strobel-why-does-god-allow-pain-suffering-71201/print.html
[So, God didn’t create Satan , then?]
[What about central nervous systems and emotions, did God not create them either ?]
[What about earthquakes , droughts , floods and tornadoes , did they create themselves too ?]
[Those are all pretty good tricks.]
and…
A Real Act of God in Joplin, Missouri
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/05/a_real_act_of_god_in_joplin_mi.html
[‘Tis a pity (actually, a cryin’ shame) that, even among this country’s most erudite, educated and edifying people, a persistent unwillingness to carefully and thoroughly study that which they call “God” is excruciatingly evident.]
——————–
“Evangelicals” on Hell:
“… when it came to hell… 31% [of self-identifying evangelical Christians said] they were unsure what to believe…”
and…
Can a Person Be Evangelical and Not Believe in Hell?
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/can-person-be-evangelical-and-not-believe-hell/
——————–
“Evangelicals” on Drugs:
“A drug bust on and around the Texas Christian University campus in Fort Worth Wednesday morning led to the arrest of 17 current students…”
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Major-Drug-Bust-Hits-TCU-Campus-139355758.html
and…
NZ charity boss committed on drug charges
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/19550787/nz-charity-boss-committed-on-drug-charges/
and…
Calif. Marijuana Dispensary Owned by Evangelical Christian Family
and…
Fla. megachurch pastor died from drug overdose
http://www.myfoxny.com/Story/24263356/nyc-autopsy-fla-pastor-died-from-drugs
———————-
“Evangelicals believe the culture is redeemable and can and should be impacted by Christians.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-02-14/who-are-evangelicals/53095520/1
[ASND asks, “Really?”]
——————–
“… he called the rest of his congregation devils and demons.”
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/110315-pastor-calls-flock-devils-demons
[You know, we aren’t there. We don’t know. Maybe they are . ]
———————
“… [Ray] Comfort could make a nice living as a freelance propagandist for every rogue leader around the world.”
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/gaddafi%e2%80%99s-evangelical-advocate-ray-comfort/?print=1
[For someone with such a quick wit as Ray has, he doesn’t like doing his homework.]
[ Like a lot of Christians . ]
[Pity, that.]
———————
Study suggests ‘born-again’ believers have smaller brains
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-05-25-brain24_ST_N.htm?csp=hf
[Well, if we’re talking about Harold Camping and his minions, or these people…
“Bethel’s members purport to have the ability to bring the dead back to life.”
http://www.qt.com.au/story/2011/05/21/cancer-cure-course-supernatural-springfield/
… or these people…
“… in living room Bible studies across North America… lovely Christian people, with no training whatsoever, drink decaf, eat brownies and ask each other, ‘What does this text mean to you?‘ Not only do they get the interpretation wrong, but very often end up quoting verses that really aren’t there.’”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/thats-not-in-the-bible/?hpt=hp_c1
… or this lady…
“Moe… was happy to embrace the contradiction.”
http://zeek.forward.com/articles/117272/
…, we think we’re on board with that.]
[BTW, speaking of really bad biblical interpretations…]
5 Passages Your Pastor Wishes You’d Stop Taking Out of Context
Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 , Romans 13:1 , Matthew 7:1 , 3 John 2
… &
Man With Jeremiah 29:11 Tattoo Recounts His Time In Babylonian Captivity
https://babylonbee.com/news/man-jeremiah-2911-tattoo-recounts-time-babylonian-captivity
[Once again, as we have said on numerous pages here @ ASND, what makes good satire good (i.e. both tragic and humorous) is when it is based on reality.]
———————
[Harold Camping’s false prophesies, the Left Behind fiction series and the voluminous other silliness notwithstanding (except they are with standing — considerable standing, in fact — at least in evangelicalism), how many of us have bothered to do any real homework on the biblical “rapture” ? Hmm?]
and…
“Family Radio, you already realized the absolute mess you made around the world by these crazy [end of the world] predictions and now you’re going to go back to Harold Camping’s teaching from 2001 where he told everyone the church age was over and everyone should flee the church and you’re going to re-air that?”
———————
“… 9 percent of Christians… [are] alienated by the name Campus Crusade for Christ.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/21/campus-ministry-drops-christ-from-name/
[ Hmm… ]
———————-
“… 74 percent [of American evangelicals] want to hear about Christian persecution, but only 48 percent of [evangelical] pastors want to introduce the topic.”
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/millions-persecuted-church-wants-to-know.html
———————-
“These parishioners are discovering that churches are not immune from tort liability.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/evangelical-churches-catch-suits-from-spirit-falls/
———————-
10 Lame Excuses for Not Praying
http://www.christianpost.com/news/10-lame-excuses-for-not-praying-67894/print.html
———————-
“Evangelicals” & Islam:
“Wycliffe Bible Translators [and] the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Frontiers… are producing Bible translations that remove or modify [original language] terms which they have deemed offensive to Muslims.“
http://www.wnd.com/2012/01/new-bible-yanks-father-jesus-as-son-of-god/print/
and…
“I’m not shocked that pagans would unite with pagans.”
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=314661
[Neither were Jesus , Paul or Peter . ]
and…
Newspaper catches Rick Warren fibbing?
Says Saddleback confirmed its report on ‘Chrislam’ accurate
http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/newspaper-catches-rick-warren-fibbing/print/
and…
“The silence of the pulpits is the greatest aider and abettor of Islam in the U.S.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/the_silence_of_the_pulpits.html
———————-
Evangelicals vs. Israel:
New Evangelical Movement Seeks Split From Pro-Israel Line
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/new-evangelical-movement-seeks-split-from-pro-israel-line
and…
“The Evangelical Left is hosting a ‘Christ at the Checkpoint’ jamboree at the birthplace of Jesus Christ to identify the Savior with Palestinian liberation. This anti-Israeli mobilization will include leading evangelicals from the U.S.”
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/02/20/christ-at-an-israeli-checkpoint-2/print/
and…
Messiah College Professor: ‘Obama May Be the Most Explicitly Christian President in American History’
[See ASND’s page devoted exclusively to Obama’s Faith for numerous examples of that freakishly distorted reality.]
and…
Israel Haters Invade Wheaton College
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ryan-mauro/israel-haters-invade-wheaton-college/print
and…
Twice as many Evangelicals as Jews say God gave Israel to the Jewish people
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/147640/pew-study-sheds-light-on-evangelicals-and-israel
———————-
“Watch as we’re all about to get a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.”
http://www.wnd.com/2012/01/tusks-in-his-nose-jesus-in-his-heart/print/
and…
“Everything about Donni Brickyard’s appearance screams ‘thug.’“
http://www.hcn.org/hcn/blogs/range/churches-use-punk-culture-to-reach-montana-teens
———————-
“A Torah’s use in a ceremony ordaining Long as ‘a king’ is offensive to many Jews….”
http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/new-birth-ceremony-with-1328502.html?cxtype=rss_news
[But not to Christians?]
———————-
Sex Sells, Even in Christian Bookstores
http://www.christianpost.com/news/sex-sells-even-in-christian-bookstores-74831/print.html
———————-
Rick Warren: (etc.)
Newspaper catches Rick Warren fibbing?
Says Saddleback confirmed its report on ‘Chrislam’ accurate
http://www.wnd.com/2012/03/newspaper-catches-rick-warren-fibbing/print/
and…
Rick Warren Uncertain if Homosexual Behavior is Sinful
and…
Sex charges rock Purpose Driven ‘healthy church’
Warren’s model pastor accused of manipulating woman for ‘perverted pleasures’
http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/sex-charges-rock-purpose-driven-healthy-church/print/
———————-
Megachurches:
“… megachurches… [comprise] only one-half of 1% of all U.S. churches and account for only 5% of all weekend worship attenders.”
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-04-22-church-switch_N.htm
and…
“Some 60 [New York City] churches may be left homeless as a ban that prohibits worship services at New York City public schools takes effect on Sunday. While [smaller churches] continue to fight the ban, some are also crying foul over the lack of support from megachurches.”
———————-
Purgatory: An Evangelical Doctrine?
http://www.credomag.com/issues/Purgatory.pdf
———————-
Study: Singles dump clubs, head to church for love
http://www.kplctv.com/story/16977666/study-singles-dump-clubs-heads-to-church-for-love
———————-
“Officials at a Tennessee high school, which is reported to have a Christian majority of students and some faculty, have disallowed the publication of an editorial column in which the student editor of the school’s newspaper states her rights as an atheist are severely limited on campus.“
———————-
“Last year the EEN spent $150,000 on radio spots and billboards in seven states that thanked several members of Congress for ‘defending life.’ Yet many of the targeted lawmakers have pro-abortion voting records…“
http://www.worldmag.com/printer.cfm?id=19174
———————-
Bethany Christian Services — a ‘Christian’ adoption organization — announced that it would begin offering its services to same-sex couples.
https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA21C14&f=WU21C04
———————-
“Everyone who wants to seriously become a disciple of Jesus should learn Blackjack.“
http://www.holyrollersthemovie.com/
[Wow, is that story a trip, or what?]
———————-
”…two of the children involved were just 2 months old when discipline was advocated by Caminiti.“
———————-
“’All of us eat, eat, eat,’ said Whyte, pastor of Harvest International Ministries in Anniston. ‘And we never address the fact that gluttony is a sin.‘”
http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/18309916-Does-church-make-you-fat-Churchgoers-tend-to-be-overweight
[ Nobody Important has been to that Alabama city several times.]
———————-
“I am a Christian… [b]ut what I’m talking about is not faith or religion. I’m talking about spirituality.”
–Oprah Winfrey, April, 2012
http://www.charismanews.com/us/33290-oprah-winfrey-i-am-a-christian
[That was easy .]
———————-
“The former principal of Berks Christian School was charged Monday with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl who was a student at the private school…“
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=384856
———————-
“We offer NO apologies in believing the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.“
http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2012/05/22/pastor-build-electrified-fence-for-gays-so-they-die-out/
[Not surprising, at least to Nobody Important , were the reactions of most of that shepherd’s flock.]
NC Congregation Defends Pastor’s Sermon on ‘Getting Rid’ of Homosexuals
[BTW, ASND wonders if the members of that church understand a) the meaning of the original Greek word from which we get the English word “apology” and b) if they understand the issues surrounding the reliability of the KJV vs. the many other, more recent translations of the Bible.]
[Fortunately, at least to Nobody Important , the reactions of most pastors to that “sermon” were significantly different.]
———————-
“An Indiana church that allowed a four-year-old boy to sing a short song containing the lyrics ‘ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven’ is receiving death threats after a video of the performance went viral on the Internet.”
———————-
Texas Teen Walking To D.C. With Cross On Back
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/06/07/19-year-old-walking-to-dc-with-cross-on-his-back/
[Once again, ASND simply asks, “Why? How does he taking that journey make anyone else want to become a Christian?”]
———————-
“The best argument against Christianity is sometimes the life lived out by a professing Christian.”
———————-
Black Couple Denied Wedding at Miss. Church After White Members ‘Pitch a Fit‘
———————-
National Security:
“Besides Love’s group [Peace Catalyst International], other sponsors include Wallis’ Sojourners, the also pacifist Evangelicals for Social Action, the leftist New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, and the World Evangelical Alliance, which professes to represent 600 million evangelicals globally.”
http://frontpagemag.com/2012/mark-d-tooley/evangelical-left-plots-d-c-pacifist-summit/print/
———————-
A Caution to Young, Culture-Embracing Evangelicals
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/a-caution-to-young-culture-embracing-evangelicals
Speaking of young evangelicals…
“An 11-year-old boy in the US has been ordained as a minister in his family’s church, and also preaches at a number of local churches. He is the latest in a long history of American child preachers…”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19377143
———————-
Study: Most churchgoers don’t read Bible daily
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=38659
———————-
What Concerns You About Modern-Day Protestant Christianity?
———————-
Internet Evangelist Blamed for Obama Victory
“… because of the nearly 2.2 million who pledged to write in the name of JESUS for President…”
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/6671470838.html
———————-
As Kentwood pastor’s embezzlement tally doubles to $316,000, some church members continue their support
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/12/even_as_money_lost_in_embezzle.html
———————-
Churches warn against all-too-incredible evangelist
———————-
How a pastor built a multi-million dollar home
———————-
More allegations of plagiarism surface against Mark Driscol
———————-
“Hamblin and his church say the Bible commands them to handle the snakes in worship.”
http://www.religionnews.com/2014/01/08/snake-salvation-pastor-wont-charged-violating-tenn-law/
———————-
South African preacher makes congregation eat GRASS to ‘be closer to God’
———————-
Vacaville Pastor, 3 Others, Arrested For Alleged Firebombing Of Occupied Home
———————-
Another Slow News Day 