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The True Force Behind the ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
- By Vambram
- American Politics
- 14 Replies
The Foreign Policy Blob Has Launched a 'War on Wrongthink'
The foreign policy blob is codifying a "war on wrongthink" through Big Tech and the Biden administration, analysts warn.
The foreign policy establishment that once thrived under the control of both political parties has used Big Tech and the Biden administration to codify a “war on wrongthink” that stifles dissent from the elites’ narrative, a journalist and an online censorship analyst warned.
“What we’re up against here are not pink-haired, ambi-gendered LGBT-BLM-maximizing identitarian politics when we’re talking about censorship on the internet,” Michael Benz, a former State Department official under President Donald Trump and founder of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said Tuesday at an Oversight Project event at The Heritage Foundation.
It’s not “partisan politics” driving censorship, said Benz, but “the foreign policy establishment.” Conservatives and populists “don’t think about the American empire, they don’t think about the managers of the American empire, which is the foreign policy establishment, our State Department, our Pentagon, our intelligence services.”
“When you go upstream on internet censorship and what’s driving it, you will find that foreign policy establishment,” Benz argued.
Benjamin Weingarten, editor-at-large at RealClearInvestigations, also attributed “the leading edge of all the attacks on Donald Trump as an avatar for tens of millions of dissenting Americans” to the administrative state and the “deep state” within it. (The “deep state” refers to bureaucrats who oppose the agenda of the duly-elected president.) These entrenched bureaucrats “felt most threatened that [Trump] would upend the uniparty foreign policy blob,” he said.
“You also had the tech companies identify that what happened in 2016 could never happen again,” Weingarten said, referring to both the Brexit referendum and Trump’s election victory.
“They kind of used the pretext of Russian mis-, dis-, and malinformation, grafting a Cold War paradigm” to define a new enemy—Americans who disagree with their agenda, he said. “We are the enemy that’s engaging in wrongthink that threatens to undermine their power.”
Pray that India's Opposition parties that are weak, divided, clumsy and hapless some how miraculously make significant election victories against Indi
- Prayer Wall
- 1 Replies
Pray that India's Opposition parties that are weak, divided, clumsy and hapless some how miraculously make significant election victories against India's Hindu Nationalist party in the upcoming 2024 elections:
www.economist.com
Gandhi v Modi: crunch time for Congress as India prepares to vote
The Economist joins the most prominent opposition politician on the campaign trail
What part did Barak play in the Song of Deborah?
- By tonychanyt
- Exposition & Bible Study
- 2 Replies
Judges 4:
He was the backup singer. He played second fiddle
Barak was hesitant.
Barak missed the opportunity to demonstrate his bravery. He would be overshadowed by Jael (v. 22).
Judges 5:1 begins with two persons:
Then verse 3 shows first person singular:
Verse 7 specifically mentions Deborah only.
What was Barak's role in this song?
He was the backup singer. He played second fiddle
Gorsuch hammers Biden DOJ on ‘mostly peaceful protests’
- By Valletta
- American Politics
- 21 Replies
Two of the four counts against former President Donald Trump in special counsel Jack Smith's election subversion case are also related to the same question, which is whether the statute known as 1512(c)(2) that makes it a federal crime to "corruptly" obstruct an official proceeding applies to otherwise nonviolent protesters.
gazette.com
The politicization of the Justice Department is a tragedy for America.
Gorsuch hammers Biden DOJ on ‘mostly peaceful protests’
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Tuesday questioned the Biden administration’s ranking Justice Department lawyer about the scope of a federal criminal law used against protesters during the Jan. 6
The politicization of the Justice Department is a tragedy for America.
Witnessing at a pagan festival in a storm
- By 1Tonne
- Missions, Evangelism & Witnessing
- 23 Replies
This Saturday just been, I went with a couple of other Christians to share the Gospel at a festival called, "Baldrics Big Day Out." At this festival, many come dressed in medieval clothing and many do medieval reenacting of battles. Within this festival, there are all manner of people from all walks of life.
The day before the festival the weather was very bad, and it was set to continue through the weekend. But we went along anyway with the hope that we would get to tell some people the Gospel. When we arrived, all the food stalls had come in their sheltered caravans, but we were the only trade stall that arrived (Trade Stalls have gazebos). All the remaining 24 stayed home. (I don't blame them. The weather was really bad.) The place where they had us situated was very exposed to the wind and rain so we asked if we could be moved next to a building where we could tie our gazebo down to the pillars of the building. They said yes and so we were able to move to a place that was reasonably sheltered. We put up the gazebo and we were rearing to go. The rain kept coming in so much that the ground was covered in about an inch of water. But we continued and it was well worth it. We spoke to about 15-20 people (This is good considering we thought that nobody would come).
I spoke to a lady who was about 25 years old. After I had told her the Gospel, she said that she had been through university, and she had studied evolution and so she did not believe in the Bible. She said she knew that evolution was proven and so the Bible had to be wrong. I pointed out to her that no one has ever been able to observe or test evolution as they would have to be millions of years old. Even her tutors could not prove it. She then thought about it and admitted that it was scientifically proven. It was a blind faith. I was really surprised as most people who believe in evolution will put up a big argument. But she seemed to understand. I then told her that I could prove that there must be a God. So, I used the "Builder built the building, the painter painted the painting and the creator created creation" argument. She then looked around at the trees and then turned back to me and said, "You are right, someone had to have made everything." I was amazed. I then spoke to her some more and encouraged her to start honouring God. I had a couple of other good conversations with other people as well as one with lady who said she was a witch.
One of the other people that I was with, Cruise, also had a very good conversation with a Muslim man. They spoke for about 20 minutes, and I wished that I had videoed the conversation. It was great. Cruise was able to speak from a place of authority as he had read the Koran and studied Islam as well as Christianity. Cruise gave the man a lot to think about. So, all we can do is pray for him that God shows him the lie of Islam.
Here are a couple of good quotes for evangelising in the rain.
"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people" Bill Bowerman
"Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use an umbrella" 1Tonne (This made me laugh)
Here are some pics. The first one is the pic where I was talking to the lady who was about 25 years old.
The second pic shows how empty the place is. Normally there would be a heap of stalls and many people. You can also see in the background the rain coming down. In the bottom right of the picture, you can also see how the water was pooling all around us.
The day before the festival the weather was very bad, and it was set to continue through the weekend. But we went along anyway with the hope that we would get to tell some people the Gospel. When we arrived, all the food stalls had come in their sheltered caravans, but we were the only trade stall that arrived (Trade Stalls have gazebos). All the remaining 24 stayed home. (I don't blame them. The weather was really bad.) The place where they had us situated was very exposed to the wind and rain so we asked if we could be moved next to a building where we could tie our gazebo down to the pillars of the building. They said yes and so we were able to move to a place that was reasonably sheltered. We put up the gazebo and we were rearing to go. The rain kept coming in so much that the ground was covered in about an inch of water. But we continued and it was well worth it. We spoke to about 15-20 people (This is good considering we thought that nobody would come).
I spoke to a lady who was about 25 years old. After I had told her the Gospel, she said that she had been through university, and she had studied evolution and so she did not believe in the Bible. She said she knew that evolution was proven and so the Bible had to be wrong. I pointed out to her that no one has ever been able to observe or test evolution as they would have to be millions of years old. Even her tutors could not prove it. She then thought about it and admitted that it was scientifically proven. It was a blind faith. I was really surprised as most people who believe in evolution will put up a big argument. But she seemed to understand. I then told her that I could prove that there must be a God. So, I used the "Builder built the building, the painter painted the painting and the creator created creation" argument. She then looked around at the trees and then turned back to me and said, "You are right, someone had to have made everything." I was amazed. I then spoke to her some more and encouraged her to start honouring God. I had a couple of other good conversations with other people as well as one with lady who said she was a witch.
One of the other people that I was with, Cruise, also had a very good conversation with a Muslim man. They spoke for about 20 minutes, and I wished that I had videoed the conversation. It was great. Cruise was able to speak from a place of authority as he had read the Koran and studied Islam as well as Christianity. Cruise gave the man a lot to think about. So, all we can do is pray for him that God shows him the lie of Islam.
Here are a couple of good quotes for evangelising in the rain.
"There is no such thing as bad weather, just soft people" Bill Bowerman
"Preach the Gospel at all times and if necessary, use an umbrella" 1Tonne (This made me laugh)
Here are some pics. The first one is the pic where I was talking to the lady who was about 25 years old.
The second pic shows how empty the place is. Normally there would be a heap of stalls and many people. You can also see in the background the rain coming down. In the bottom right of the picture, you can also see how the water was pooling all around us.
Most new U.S. priests ordained in 2024 will be 31 years old or younger
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 9 Replies
Most of the men scheduled to be ordained as priests in the United States in 2024 are 31 years old or younger, according to the latest research from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.
The Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commissioned the annual survey of ordinands to the priesthood.
A total of 392 ordinands completed the survey. CARA says four in five respondents (83 percent) were from a diocesan or eparchy, and one in six respondents (17 percent) was a religious. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38 percent) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest.
The statement from CARA listed some other characteristics of the Ordination Class of 2024, including:
Continued below.
cruxnow.com
The Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) commissioned the annual survey of ordinands to the priesthood.
A total of 392 ordinands completed the survey. CARA says four in five respondents (83 percent) were from a diocesan or eparchy, and one in six respondents (17 percent) was a religious. The biggest group of responding ordinands (38 percent) is completing studies at one of the seminaries in the Midwest.
The statement from CARA listed some other characteristics of the Ordination Class of 2024, including:
Continued below.
Most new U.S. priests ordained in 2024 will be 31 years old or younger
Most of the men scheduled to be ordained as priests in the United States in 2024 are 31 years old or younger, according to the latest research from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.
Heart Religion Praised by God
- Deeper Fellowship
- 2 Replies
Heart Religion Praised by God
True religion must never expect to be popular. It will not have the praise of man, but of God. I dare not turn away from this part of my subject, however painful it may be. Anxious as I am to commend heart-religion to everyone who reads this, I will not try to conceal what heart-religion entails. I will not gain a recruit for my Master’s army under false pretences. I will not promise anything which the Scripture does not warrant. The words of Paul are clear and unmistakable. Heart-religion is a religion “whose praise is not of men, but of God.”God’s truth and scriptural Christianity are never really popular. They never have been. They never will be as long as the world stands. No one can calmly consider what human nature is, as described in the Bible, and reasonably expect anything else. As long as man is what man is, the majority of mankind will always like a religion of form far better than a religion of heart.
Formal religion exactly suits an unenlightened conscience. Some religion a man will have. Atheism and downright infidelity, as a general rule, are never very popular. But a man must have a religion which does not require much, trouble his heart much, interfere with his sins much. Formal Christianity satisfies him. It seems the very thing that he wants.
Formal religion gratifies the secret self-righteousness of man. We are all of us more or less Pharisees. We all naturally cling to the idea that the way to be saved is to do so many things, go through so many religious observances, and at last we shall get to heaven. Formalism meets us here. It seems to show us a way by which we can make our own peace with God.
Formal religion pleases the natural indolence of man. It attaches an excessive importance to that which is the easiest part of Christianity—the shell and the form. Man likes this. He hates trouble in religion. He wants something which will not meddle with his conscience and inner life. Only leave conscience alone and, like Herod, he will do “many things” (Mar 6:20). Formalism seems to open a wider gate and a more easy way to heaven. Facts speak louder than assertions.
Facts are stubborn things. Look over the history of religion in every age of the world and observe what has always been popular. Look at the history of Israel from the beginning of Exodus to the end of the Acts of the Apostles, and see what has always found favor. Formalism was one main sin against which the Old Testament prophets were continually protesting. Formalism was the great plague which had overspread the Jews when our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. Look at the history of the Church of Christ after the days of the apostles. How soon formalism ate out the life and vitality of the primitive Christians! Look at the Middle Ages, as they are called. Formalism so completely covered the face of Christendom that the gospel lay as one dead. Look, lastly, at the history of Protestant churches in the last three centuries. How few are the places where religion is a living thing! How many are the countries where Protestantism is nothing more than a form! We cannot avoid taking notice of these things. They speak with a voice of thunder. They all show that formal religion is a popular thing. It has the praise of man.
But why should we look at facts in history? Why should we not look at facts under our own eyes and by our own doors? Can anyone deny that a mere outward religion, a religion of downright formality, is the religion which is popular at the present day? It is not for nothing that John says of certain false teachers, “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them” (1Jo 4:5). Only say your prayers, go to church with tolerable regularity, and receive the sacrament occasionally, and the vast majority will set you down as an excellent Christian. “What more would you have?” they say: “If this is not Christianity, what is?” To require more of anyone is thought bigotry, illiberality, fanaticism, and enthusiasm! To insinuate a doubt whether such a man as this will go to heaven is called the height of uncharitableness! When these things are so, it is vain to deny that formal religion is popular. It is popular. It always was popular. It always will be popular till Christ comes again. It always has had and always will have “the praise of men.”
Turn now to the religion of the heart and you will hear a very different report. As a general rule it has never had the good word of mankind. It has entailed on its professors laughter, mockery, ridicule, scorn, contempt, enmity, hatred, slander, persecution, imprisonment, and even death. Its lovers have been faithful and ardent—but they have always been few. It has never had, comparatively, “the praise of man.”
Heart-religion is too humbling to be popular. It leaves natural man no room to boast. It tells him that he is a guilty, lost, hell-deserving sinner, and that he must flee to Christ for salvation. It tells him that he is dead, and must be made alive again and be born of the Spirit. The pride of man rebels against such tidings as these. He hates to be told that his case is so bad.
Heart-religion is too holy to be popular. It will not leave natural man alone. It interferes with his worldliness and his sins. It requires of him things that he loathes and abominates: conversion, faith, repentance, spiritual-mindedness, Bible reading, prayer. It bids him give up many things that he loves and clings to, and cannot make up his mind to lay aside. It would be strange indeed if he liked it. It crosses his path as a killjoy and a marplot, and it is absurd to expect that he will be pleased.
Was heart-religion popular in Old Testament times? We find David complaining: “They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards” (Psa 69:12). We find the prophets persecuted and ill-treated because they preached against sin, and required men to give their hearts to God. Elijah, Micaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, are all cases in point. To formalism and ceremonialism the Jews never seem to have made objection. What they did dislike was serving God with their hearts.
Was heart-religion popular in New Testament times? The whole history of our Lord Jesus Christ’s ministry and the lives of His apostles are a sufficient answer. The scribes and Pharisees would have willingly received a Messiah who encouraged formalism, and a gospel which exalted ceremonialism. But they could not tolerate a religion of which the first principles were humiliation and sanctification of heart.
Has heart-religion ever been popular in the professing church of Christ during the last eighteen centuries? Never hardly, except in the early centuries when the primitive church had not left her first love. Soon, very soon, the men who protested against formalism and sacramentalism were fiercely denounced as “troublers of Israel.” Long before the Reformation, things came to this pass—that anyone who cried up heart-holiness and cried down formality was treated as a common enemy. He was either silenced, excommunicated, imprisoned, or put to death like John Huss (1369-1415). In the time of the Reformation itself, the work of Luther (1483-1546) and his companions was carried on under an incessant storm of calumny and slander. And what was the cause? It was because they protested against formalism, ceremonialism, monkery, and priestcraft, and taught the necessity of heart-religion.
Has heart-religion ever been popular in our own land in days gone by? Never, excepting for a little season. It was not popular in the days of Queen Mary, when Latimer (c.1487-1555) and his brother martyrs were burned. It was not popular in the days of the Stuarts, when to be a Puritan was worse for a man than to get drunk or swear. It was not popular in the middle of the eighteenth century, when Wesley (1703-1791) and Whitefield (1714-1770) were shut out of the established church. The cause of our martyred Reformers, of the early Puritans and of the Methodists, was essentially one and the same. They were all hated because they preached the uselessness of formalism, and the impossibility of salvation without repentance, faith, regeneration, spiritual-mindedness, and holiness of heart.
Is heart-religion popular at this very day? I answer sorrowfully that I do not believe it is. Look at the followers of it among the laity. They are always comparatively few in number. They stand alone in their respective congregations and parishes. They have to put up with many hard things, hard words, hard imputations, hard treatment, laughter, ridicule, slander, and petty persecution. This is not popularity! Look at the teachers of heart-religion in the pulpit. They are loved and liked, no doubt, by the few hearers who agree with them. They are sometimes admired for their talents and eloquence by the many who do not agree with them. They are even called “popular preachers” because of the crowds who listen to their preaching. But none know so well as the faithful teachers of heart-religion that few really like them. Few really help them. Few sympathize with them. Few stand by them in any time of need. They find, like their divine Master, that they must work almost alone. I write these things with sorrow, but I believe they are true. Real heart-religion today, no less than in days gone by, has not “the praise of men” (Joh 12:43).
But after all, it signifies little what man thinks and what man praises. He that judgeth us is the Lord. Man will not judge us at the last day. Man will not sit on the great white throne, examine our religion, and pronounce our eternal sentence. Those only whom God commends will be commended at the bar of Christ. Here lies the value and glory of heart-religion. It may not have the praise of man, but it has “the praise of God” (Joh 12:43).
God approves and honors heart-religion in the life that now is. He looks down from heaven, and reads the hearts of all the children of men. Wherever He sees heart-repentance for sin, heart-faith in Christ, heart-holiness of life, heart-love to His Son, His Law, His will, and His Word—wherever God sees these things He is well pleased. He writes a book of remembrance for that man, however poor and unlearned he may be. He gives His angels special charge over him. He maintains in him the work of grace and gives him daily supplies of peace, hope, and strength. He regards him as a member of His own dear Son, as one who is witnessing for the truth as His Son did. Weak as the man’s heart may seem to himself, it is the living sacrifice which God loves, and the heart which He has solemnly declared He will not despise. Such praise is worth more than the praise of man!
God will proclaim His approval of heart-religion before the assembled world at the last day. He will command His angels to gather together His saints, from every part of the globe, into one glorious company. He will raise the dead and change the living and place them at the right hand of His beloved Son’s throne. Then all that have served Christ with the heart shall hear Him say: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mat 25:34). “Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Mat 25:23). Ye confessed Me before men, and I will confess you before my Father and His holy angels. “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me” (Luk 22: 28-29). These words will be addressed to none but those who have given Christ their hearts! They will not be addressed to the formalist, the hypocrite, the wicked, and the ungodly. They will, indeed, stand by and see the fruits of heart-religion, but they will not eat of them. We shall never know the full value of heart-religion until the last day. Then and only then we shall fully understand how much better it is to have the praise of God than the praise of man.
If you take up heart-religion, I cannot promise you the praise of man. Pardon, peace, hope, guidance, comfort, consolation, grace according to your need, strength according to your day, joy which the world can neither give nor take away—all this I can boldly promise to the man who comes to Christ and serves Him with his heart. But I cannot promise him that his religion will be popular with man. I would rather warn him to expect mockery and ridicule, slander and unkindness, opposition and persecution. There is a cross belonging to heart-religion and we must be content to carry it. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Act 14:22). “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2Ti 3:12). But if the world hates you, God will love you. If the world forsakes you, Christ has promised that He will never forsake and never fail. Whatever you may lose by heart-religion, be sure that the praise of God will make up for all. And now I close with three plain words of application. I want it to strike and stick to the conscience of everyone into whose hands it falls. May God make it a blessing to many a soul both in time and eternity!
- J. C. Ryle, from Formality
Chapel Library
Why We Should Be Cautious of Jordan Peterson
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 6 Replies
Catholics should hesitate before getting on the Jordan Peterson bandwagon.
We live in a period of mass deception. We cannot trust politicians, be they establishment or anti-establishment. Even anti-establishment figures such as RFK Jr., Donald Trump, and Javier Milei, all of whom I have praised in the past, have shown inconsistencies with what originally made them appealing and seemingly authentic figures. Here are just a few examples: RFK Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan, who helped finance Event 201, as his running mate; Trump launched the Covid vaccine Warp Speed program, resulting in unprecedented deaths and extremely harmful side effects for an allegedly safe and effective vaccine; and Milei recently instituted a mandatory registry for Bitcoin and all crypto currencies.
Another anti-establishment figure, Jordan Peterson, is no exception. As the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold.
I have met Peterson twice, and both times he was very congenial and open. I have written many articles about him, some published on Crisis, a chapter in an academic book, and elsewhere. I also reviewed 12 Rules for Life quite favorably. I have always tried my best to have a balanced view of Peterson, or any thinker or influencer for that matter. In contrast to some I have introduced to Peterson’s work, including academics who idolize him and place him on a pedestal, I take a balanced approach, offering both praise (as I have done in some of my past articles) and criticism when it’s due.
Continued below.
crisismagazine.com
We live in a period of mass deception. We cannot trust politicians, be they establishment or anti-establishment. Even anti-establishment figures such as RFK Jr., Donald Trump, and Javier Milei, all of whom I have praised in the past, have shown inconsistencies with what originally made them appealing and seemingly authentic figures. Here are just a few examples: RFK Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan, who helped finance Event 201, as his running mate; Trump launched the Covid vaccine Warp Speed program, resulting in unprecedented deaths and extremely harmful side effects for an allegedly safe and effective vaccine; and Milei recently instituted a mandatory registry for Bitcoin and all crypto currencies.
Another anti-establishment figure, Jordan Peterson, is no exception. As the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold.
I have met Peterson twice, and both times he was very congenial and open. I have written many articles about him, some published on Crisis, a chapter in an academic book, and elsewhere. I also reviewed 12 Rules for Life quite favorably. I have always tried my best to have a balanced view of Peterson, or any thinker or influencer for that matter. In contrast to some I have introduced to Peterson’s work, including academics who idolize him and place him on a pedestal, I take a balanced approach, offering both praise (as I have done in some of my past articles) and criticism when it’s due.
Continued below.
Why We Should Be Cautious of Jordan Peterson
Catholics should hesitate before getting on the Jordan Peterson bandwagon.
crisismagazine.com
Churches Dying
- Current News & Events (Articles Required)
- 97 Replies
(Hopefully this is the right forum for this.)
People rarely consider how churches begin and almost never consider how they end. Churches, just like people, have lifecycles. They are born and they die. Where is your church in its lifecycle?
Have you ever considered how close your church is to death? In his book, “The Unstuck Church: Equipping Churches to Experience Sustained Health” Tony Morgan describes seven stages of a church’s life.
People rarely consider how churches begin and almost never consider how they end. Churches, just like people, have lifecycles. They are born and they die. They close their doors, they sell their buildings, they liquidate their assets, and they stop gathering.
If you don’t believe me, get on a plane to Jerusalem and look for the church first pastored by James. Then skip over to Turkey and see if you can find the church at Antioch still meeting. Those churches are closed, disbanded and scattered. American churches are closing too, and not just one or two at a time – they are closing by the thousands. This Sunday morning when you go to church, about 135 fewer American churches will be gathering than gathered the same time last week. That’s 600 churches disbanding every month – and 7,000 churches vanishing every year.
Western Europe experienced drastic changes over the course of the 20th century. During the 1960s, it experienced terminal decline of virtually all its large, organized churches and the pervasive Christian culture, which influenced Western Europe for centuries, virtually disappeared. Today the streets of major cities throughout Western Europe are peppered with church buildings that lasted longer than the congregations that erected them. Hundreds of church buildings are now being used as restaurants, nightclubs, concert venues, cafés, modern condominiums, museums and mosques. They stand as stark proof that western culture is spitting Christianity out of its mouth.
The change is not really that shocking if you think about it. Churches are made up of sinners, and sin kills everything it touches. If sinners are going to church, churches will be dying. If churches are dying, new churches are necessary. Every year in America about 4,000 evangelical churches begin. Of those started, 35% close before their 5th anniversary, leaving about 2,600 new churches planted annually. While churches are dying at a significantly higher rate, each year in the U.S. approximately 7,000 churches close their doors forever. All things considered, the number of churches in the U.S. is decreasing by about 4,400 churches per year, while our population is growing by about 3 million people per year.
How is the American church responding to the crisis? We are spending countless millions of dollars erecting buildings that likely will outlast the congregations that erect them. We are building the nightclubs and mosques of tomorrow, while tossing pennies to the establishment of new churches.
As you get busy with your work, you will be tempted to find the measure of your success based on the number of people you successfully gather for worship. Please keep in mind that the mission of the church was to scatter, not to gather. Instead of measuring the success of your church by the harvest you gather, concentrate your energy and measure your success based on the seed that you scatter.
Churches have a life cycle and eventually die, and one day yours will too. My prayer is that you would plant a church vigorously committed to planting other new churches. I pray you will stretch the faith of your people, not so they can have a larger building to worship in, but that Christ may have a larger kingdom of worshipers.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 8, 2021
www.newchurches.com
I know it's just a building, but it's sad. I've seen my former church torn down, or sold and become something else. It makes you wonder what became of the real church that congregated in that building: the body of Christ, as something that old probably did have memebres of the body of Christ in attendance. Today, there are lot's of churches where it's another body and another Spirit, but I'm not talking about that.
Your Church is Going to Die
BY CLINT CLIFTONPeople rarely consider how churches begin and almost never consider how they end. Churches, just like people, have lifecycles. They are born and they die. Where is your church in its lifecycle?
Have you ever considered how close your church is to death? In his book, “The Unstuck Church: Equipping Churches to Experience Sustained Health” Tony Morgan describes seven stages of a church’s life.
- Launch
- Momentum Growth
- Strategic Growth
- Sustained health
- Maintenance
- Preservation
- Life Support
People rarely consider how churches begin and almost never consider how they end. Churches, just like people, have lifecycles. They are born and they die. They close their doors, they sell their buildings, they liquidate their assets, and they stop gathering.
If you don’t believe me, get on a plane to Jerusalem and look for the church first pastored by James. Then skip over to Turkey and see if you can find the church at Antioch still meeting. Those churches are closed, disbanded and scattered. American churches are closing too, and not just one or two at a time – they are closing by the thousands. This Sunday morning when you go to church, about 135 fewer American churches will be gathering than gathered the same time last week. That’s 600 churches disbanding every month – and 7,000 churches vanishing every year.
Western Europe experienced drastic changes over the course of the 20th century. During the 1960s, it experienced terminal decline of virtually all its large, organized churches and the pervasive Christian culture, which influenced Western Europe for centuries, virtually disappeared. Today the streets of major cities throughout Western Europe are peppered with church buildings that lasted longer than the congregations that erected them. Hundreds of church buildings are now being used as restaurants, nightclubs, concert venues, cafés, modern condominiums, museums and mosques. They stand as stark proof that western culture is spitting Christianity out of its mouth.
The change is not really that shocking if you think about it. Churches are made up of sinners, and sin kills everything it touches. If sinners are going to church, churches will be dying. If churches are dying, new churches are necessary. Every year in America about 4,000 evangelical churches begin. Of those started, 35% close before their 5th anniversary, leaving about 2,600 new churches planted annually. While churches are dying at a significantly higher rate, each year in the U.S. approximately 7,000 churches close their doors forever. All things considered, the number of churches in the U.S. is decreasing by about 4,400 churches per year, while our population is growing by about 3 million people per year.
How is the American church responding to the crisis? We are spending countless millions of dollars erecting buildings that likely will outlast the congregations that erect them. We are building the nightclubs and mosques of tomorrow, while tossing pennies to the establishment of new churches.
As you get busy with your work, you will be tempted to find the measure of your success based on the number of people you successfully gather for worship. Please keep in mind that the mission of the church was to scatter, not to gather. Instead of measuring the success of your church by the harvest you gather, concentrate your energy and measure your success based on the seed that you scatter.
Churches have a life cycle and eventually die, and one day yours will too. My prayer is that you would plant a church vigorously committed to planting other new churches. I pray you will stretch the faith of your people, not so they can have a larger building to worship in, but that Christ may have a larger kingdom of worshipers.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 8, 2021
Your Church is Going to Die
People rarely consider how churches begin and almost never consider how they end. Churches, just like people, have lifecycles. They are born and they die. Where is your church in its lifecycle?
www.newchurches.com
I know it's just a building, but it's sad. I've seen my former church torn down, or sold and become something else. It makes you wonder what became of the real church that congregated in that building: the body of Christ, as something that old probably did have memebres of the body of Christ in attendance. Today, there are lot's of churches where it's another body and another Spirit, but I'm not talking about that.
For parents finding it too difficult to spring clean
Although spring is in the air, it's not always easy to get your home all shipshape, and here's why it doesn't have to be.
I recently read some comments on a Facebook thread where a woman asked for tips to make her home look unlived in. I must admit I was a little shocked, I personally want my home to look lived in (and it seriously does!). I hope it reflects my family’s life and personalities.
In fact, when visitors come to my home I want them to feel welcome and the warmth of my family. I don’t want them to feel they can’t relax or put something out of place. I definitely don’t want them to feel like they’re in a hotel environment.
I was therefore a little curious about the woman’s desire for a sterile home. I looked down through the comments and saw a mixture of replies. Some people gave no judgment and just passed on some tips. Others shared they wanted the same help, and others couldn’t believe why anybody would want to live in an “unlived” in home.
The woman explained in reply to the comments that she suffers from anxiety, and for her to feel at her best she needs zero dirt or clutter. That’s totally understandable. However, it made me think about the pressure we might feel to have the insta-perfect home. Where the whole house is carefully curated, pristine, and not one item is out of place.
And this pressure seems to mount around this time of year with the expectation we should be embarking on a spring clean.
Continued below.
aleteia.org
I recently read some comments on a Facebook thread where a woman asked for tips to make her home look unlived in. I must admit I was a little shocked, I personally want my home to look lived in (and it seriously does!). I hope it reflects my family’s life and personalities.
In fact, when visitors come to my home I want them to feel welcome and the warmth of my family. I don’t want them to feel they can’t relax or put something out of place. I definitely don’t want them to feel like they’re in a hotel environment.
I was therefore a little curious about the woman’s desire for a sterile home. I looked down through the comments and saw a mixture of replies. Some people gave no judgment and just passed on some tips. Others shared they wanted the same help, and others couldn’t believe why anybody would want to live in an “unlived” in home.
The woman explained in reply to the comments that she suffers from anxiety, and for her to feel at her best she needs zero dirt or clutter. That’s totally understandable. However, it made me think about the pressure we might feel to have the insta-perfect home. Where the whole house is carefully curated, pristine, and not one item is out of place.
And this pressure seems to mount around this time of year with the expectation we should be embarking on a spring clean.
The call to clean
Continued below.
For parents finding it too difficult to spring clean
Although spring is in the air, it's not always easy to get your home all shipshape, and here's why it doesn't have to be. Although spring is in the air, it's not always easy to get your home all shipshape, and here's why it doesn't have to be.
aleteia.org
