Paidiske said:

A very interesting read. Does it resonate for you? How might we, as church leaders, best respond?

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Dear friends, grace and peace to you in Christ’s name.
Thank you for engaging so deeply with Melissa Florer‑Bixler’s article, “Capitalism is killing the small church,” and for asking: Does it resonate? And how might we, as church leaders, best respond?

1. Resonance with Reality​

Yes! deeply. Florer‑Bixler articulates what many pastors and congregants feel but seldom name: our people aren't spiritually apathetic—they're exhausted by the economic system. As she writes, countless congregants are juggling multiple jobs, drowning in debt, skipping worship to meet workplace demands, and feeling the squeeze of gig work and student loans. This exhaustion isn't a failure of faith. It’s a consequence of an economy that demands more hours than lives permit.

One forum member echoed this in raw simplicity:

“Our economy is collapsing … young people are scrambling for a smaller and smaller amount of an ever‑shrinking economic pie … we are one of them.” — linux.poet

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Another noted how Sunday worship is compromised by retail schedules:

“My old parish has a 24/7/365 prayer room… My new parish… open but only four days… expanding soon. … It does bring about miracles…” chevyontheriver Christian Forums

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These testimonies underscore what Florer‑Bixler frames: it’s not lack of faith or creativity, but economic pressure stealing time and spiritual life from small churches.

2. How Can Church Leaders Respond?​

a) Reframe the Narrative
Resist blaming millennials or citing “busyness.” Instead, narrate the truth: our people are drained by systems that ask more than they can give. Embrace theological critiques of capitalism echoing voices from liberation theology and Christian social teaching that call for justice, dignity, and Sabbath rhythms over relentless productivity.

b) Build Mutual Support & Labor Advocacy
Florer‑Bixler challenges us to help congregants organize for just labor: to support fair wages, reasonable hours, debt relief, and collective negotiating not just as activists, but as pastoral leaders rooted in Jesus’ worker identity. When we walk beside labor struggles offer financial workshops, letter-writing campaigns, prayer for workers on strike we do justice in faith and practice.

c) Offer Practical Relief in Worship Spaces
Forum testimonies highlight how small gestures matter:

• Offering free meals or groceries on Sundays to families under pressure.
• Creating accessible worship scheduling for those working weekends or gig jobs.
• Opening sustained prayer spaces where people can pause and pray amid turmoil (like the 24/7 room mentioned above).

d) Cultivate a Theology of Rest and Enough
Remind congregants that our wealth isn't defined by greater output or growth, but by presence, Sabbath, community, and worship. Small church life thrives on relationships, not programs; on shared vulnerability, not metrics Faith and Leadership.

3. A Pastor’s Conviction for Action​

So how might we respond, pastorally and courageously?

1. Speak the truth with love: Name that the church's decline is not spiritual dryness, but spiritual fatigue in a culture that idolizes more productivity and profit.
2. Foster solidarity: Encourage members to use their voice and votes for fair labor laws, equitable wages, and debt relief policies.
3. Pray practically: Set aside Sundays or worship days for thanksgiving, grief, and lament over economic burdens and invite experts to equip members in biblical discipleship for economic justice.
4. Build small church resilience: Model community that isn't transactional. Encourage gift-based participation, cross-generational care, shared meals, and mutual aid networks.

4. A Word of Hope​

Brothers and sisters, small churches are not dying because faith has waned. They are under siege by a system that denies humans time, presence, and Sabbath. But the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is still empowering communities to resist, rest, gather, and rebuild in resurrection life.

Let us lead not by chasing those metrics but by embodying belonging, justice, and evening rest. Small churches may have small numbers—but they bear big witness, because our identity lies not in programs but in God's presence among us.

May this not only resonate, but transform us renewing pastoral vision and communal resilience rooted in the good news that grace endures where capitalism exhausts.

In hope and prayer with you,
Servant in Christ

King of the Hill

Hentenza said:

Here is one.

“CNN —
A 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he criticized the group publicly and participated in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, his family said.

Uday Rabie was taken last week by dozens of armed fighters with Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, his brother Hassan Rabie told CNN on Tuesday.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/01/middleeast/uday-rabie-palestinian-tortured-hamas-intl-latam

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God bless Uday Rabie..! The best Palestinian I've ever heard of!

DaisyDay said:

That was the title of a guest editorial, not a news headline.

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www.washingtonpost.com

View attachment 368027

There was something severely wrong with that election we just conducted, and not just the outcome. It’s becoming pretty evident that Russia was actively intending and acting to subvert our principal exercise in democracy by doing precisely what the original intent of Watergate was: stealing secrets from the Democratic Party and using them to undermine the party’s campaign. Mission accomplished this time.​

​

But what’s worse is that it now appears that the FBI was unwittingly an accomplice to these dark efforts, and maybe not so entirely unwittingly. John Podesta isn’t a neutral observer for sure, but he manages to lay out a devastating critique of the FBI’s actions before the election, actions that could fairly have been described at the time as likely to prejudice the outcome.​

​

...And yet Clinton still won the most votes. By a lot. And yet, she doesn’t get to be president because of a rule that gives Trump the White House because he won a tiny handful more votes in a few states. Yes, rules are rules. But when you look at the Russian efforts to swing the result, and the strange behavior of the FBI, is anybody prepared to say that those efforts weren’t sufficient to give Trump the tiny margin he will be made president by?​

​

...If you don’t want to call it stolen, I’d like to hear your suggestion for a more appropriate word for what just happened.​

Tom Toles, a Pulitzer Prize winner, was an editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post from 2002 until 2020. His latest book is "The Madhouse Effect," a book about climate and climate-change denial co-authored with climate scientist Michael Mann.
follow on XTomTolesToons

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Additionally, when I get the link for that piece in the WaPo search results, I get a subtitle that makes the real point especially clear:



That subtitle seems to not be visible in every context, but either way, there is no claim in there of manipulation of actual votes.

RandyPNW said:

Some things are simply a matter of logic

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Nothing in God's truth is based on pure human logic.
All is based on God's specific revelation and subject to agreement with the rest of the NT to be understood correctly.

RandyPNW said:

--you don't need the Bible to prove one must be logical about interpreting it.

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Is it logical that only some condemned sinners, of the all that are guilty of the imputed sin of Adam (Ro 5:17-19), are predestined to eternal life?
Is it logical that God requires of us what we cannot do (e.g., perfect law keeping)?
Is it logical that the new birth is only by the sovereign decision of the Holy Spirit, who is as unaccountable as the wind (Jn 3:3-8)?

And therein is the source of your error. . .you subject God's revealed divine truth to your personal human logic.

Your use of man's reason to judge the validity of God's revealed truth has it upside down.
We don' judge God' truth, it judges us.

ThatDumbChicken said:

Tax the Internet! Or make it illegal.

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Who owns the internet.

Aseyesee said:

How ordered our footsteps have always been ...

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every step be it left or right ...

Landon Caeli said:

How many heroic Palestinians have been killed hy Hamas for attempting to overthrow them? Zero? Oh...

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Here is one.

“CNN —
A 22-year-old Palestinian man was tortured and killed by Hamas militants after he criticized the group publicly and participated in rare anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, his family said.

Uday Rabie was taken last week by dozens of armed fighters with Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood of Gaza City, his brother Hassan Rabie told CNN on Tuesday.”

food festival

How many heroic Palestinians have been killed by Hamas for attempting to overthrow them? Zero? Oh...

So yeah, I lack sympathy.

@ Douggg - Disagree.

Fig tree generation can last up to 80 years max, and it started in 1948. So that means 2028. ^^

So agree to disagree.

Lost4words said:

All down to hamas....100%

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The Germans quickly abandoned Nazi affiliation after the war, and even then, still suffered around the world through constant deportations.

Now we have Palestinians who still allow Hamas to be their government, and they are being defended by Westerners.

...We live in a sick world.

Las Vegas is down on its luck as tourism drops. Why it’s kind of California’s fault [and international travellers]​

Visits to Las Vegas were down 11.3% in June 2025 versus a year earlier, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Traffic on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border was down 4.3% over the same period, suggesting fewer visitors from the Golden State heading for Vegas casinos.

The number of air travelers into Las Vegas overall declined 6.3% over the previous June

The convention and visitors authority estimates that 12% of the city’s visitors are international.

Visitors from Canada and Mexico made up more than half of international tourists to Las Vegas in 2024, according to data from the visitors authority.

[OTOH] Clark County collected $1.16 billion in gambling revenue in June 2025, up 3.5% from a year earlier. In the end, the house always wins.

Jan001 said:

Grace and Peace to you, Pastor Waris.

Which Scripture verse claims that Scripture alone is the foundation of the truth?
(Please don't quote 2 Timothy 3:16. It states that Scripture is useful, not that it has any authority in itself.)


Which came first, the Church or the NT Scriptures?


Which received God's authority to preach/teach Jesus Christ's gospel to the world, the church, or the book it authored?

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Grace and peace to you as well, Dear Sister in Christ!

Thank you for your thoughtful and sincere questions. They go right to the heart of a vital issue facing the Church today: What is the final authority for faith and practice Scripture or the Church?


Let’s walk through each of your points together, like Bereans (Acts 17:11), testing everything by the Word of God with reverence and humility.

1. “Which Scripture verse claims that Scripture alone is the foundation of the truth?”​

While the phrase “Scripture alone” isn’t used explicitly, neither is the word “Trinity”yet the truth of both is thoroughly biblical. The principle of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) is taught not by a single verse, but by the total testimony of the Bible itself.


Let’s examine what the Word of God says:

Book of Psalm: 119:160​

"The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever."

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Not tradition. Not oral sayings. Your Word is truth.

Gospel of John: 17:17​

"Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth."

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When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He didn't say “The church is truth,” but “Your Word is truth.”

Book of Isaiah: 8:20​

"To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

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That’s a powerful standard: everything and everyone must be tested by the written Word, not the other way around.

---

Acts of Apostles : 17:11​

"These were more noble... in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

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Even the Apostle Paul, a chosen instrument of Christ was tested by the Scriptures! If Paul was not above the Word, no church or leader is.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (You asked not to use it, but let’s look closely)​

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

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"Complete" and "thoroughly equipped" means nothing more is needed. If Scripture equips you for every good work, what else must be added?

This is not just "useful." It is sufficient and authoritative—because it is God-breathed (Greek: theopneustos).

2. “Which came first, the Church or the New Testament?”​

Absolutely! the Church came first chronologically. No disagreement there. The Holy Spirit birthed the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2) before the New Testament was written.


But here’s the key: the Church was never given authority to create truth. It was called to preserve, proclaim, and protect it.

Paul said to the elders: "I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32)

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Even after years of apostolic ministry, Paul did not commend them to the Church’s hierarchy or oral traditions but to the Word of God.

3. “Which received God's authority to preach Jesus Christ’s gospel to the world, the Church, or the Book it authored?”​

Another fantastic question. The answer is: God gave His authority to the apostles and prophets, who wrote the Scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21)

The gospel does not come from the Church, it comes from God.

Galatians 1:11–12
"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ."

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Yes, the Church has the calling to preach, but not the authority to override, replace, or add to the Word.
The church is not the source of truth. It is the steward of truth (1 Corinthians 4:1–2).

4. THE CHURCH IS NOT ABOVE SCRIPTURE​

1 Timothy 3:15 says the Church is the “pillar and ground of the truth.”
But what is that truth? Jesus tells us plainly: “Your Word is truth.” (John 17:17)

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A pillar holds something up, it doesn’t create it. The Church upholds the Scriptures, not substitutes them with councils, creeds, or customs.


Jesus rebuked the Pharisees saying:

"You nullify the Word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." Mark 7:13

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Let’s not repeat their mistake.

DEAR SISTER, "THE TRUE AUTHORITY IS GOD'S WRITTEN WORD",​

In the last days, deception will increase not by denying Jesus, but by distorting His gospel through tradition, extra-biblical authority, and man-made doctrines.

Paul warned: "Do not go beyond what is written." 1 Corinthians 4:6

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So, to my Dear Sister,
I believe in the Church. I love the Body of Christ.
But I trust the Word of God as the final, infallible, God-breathed authority in all matters of doctrine and practice.

Let us not be divided between "Scripture or Church."
Let the Church return to Scripture as her source of truth, and let the Scriptures judge every Church teaching by the light of God’s eternal Word.

"The Bible is not just useful... it is final."
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

Blessings to you and your family!

The Jetsons

Clare73 said:

Who in Christ is now living sinlessly. . .in thought, word and deed?

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Should one's lack of faith make the Faith of God of no affect? God forbid! Let God be true and very man a liar.

I only know the word says that Jesus said, we who commit sin are a slave to it and if the Son should set us free, free we are indeed.
This freedom Paul also alludes to as being accomplished. In Romans 8 He says that Jesus has set us free from the Law of Sin and death that the righteousness of the Law be fulfilled in us who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. This Law of sin is disclosed in chapter 7. There Paul through the Spirit states, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. And saying this He states that it is no longer him , but the sin that dwelleth in Him. He then says this is a law and says that this law is that when he would do good evil is present with Him. He delighted after the Law of God in His inner most being, but this other law, that while he wanted to do good he couldn't, and the evil he did not want to do, that he did was warring against the Law of His mind, the Law of God and it was bringing him into captivity, to this law of sin which was in his members. Thank God the Lord has set us free from this Law of sin and death that the righteousness of the Law be fulfulled in us who walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. For if we walk after the Spirit we will die. But if we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the Body we shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

stevevw said:

The overseer is the shepherd that watches over the church. They warn, correct and reprove the believers to enough they are following the teachings and Christ as there are many wolves that come into the church to decieve believers.

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It doesn't make sense to keep teaching or guiding the same people after teaching them about "they don't need anyone to teach them" and after they received the Holy Spirit and is able to receive guidance from it.

Any leadership role is very temporary. When someone receives the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit takes over that role as the sole spiritual leader over their lives.

What's the point of serving as a spiritual authority/guide over another Christian who has the anointing of the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit alone is already more than sufficient (1 John 2:26-27, John 16:13)?

I think just being friends is more appropriate as in John 15:15.

These things really have to be taken into context. They're both right but only exists in their own time. Get people started. That's the only leadership role we can have over others. Beyond that, we can't usurp the role of the Holy Spirit.

Wansvic said:

You are still missing what contitutes a name. What you reference are titles. God is a title, Jesus is His name. Son is a title, Jesus is His name. Lord is a title, Jesus is His name And, as to Matthew 4, no names are referenced;, Lord is a title, God is a title.

God chose to state, "I am," indicating He is all in all, rather than provide His actual name. Concealing His name was clearly part of God's plan.

Note Lord and God are titles of the one known by the name of Jesus:
Then saith he (Jesus) to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. John 20:27-28

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Jesus stated the following:

Matthew 28:18-19 Then Jesus approached them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Jesus commanded his apostles to use these names: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

This is exactly what his church obeys.

God the Father is also Lord and God. God the Holy Spirit is also Lord and God.

Genesis 2:4 This was the origin of the heavens and the earth when they were first created. When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

Genesis 1:26 And God said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the wild animals and reptiles that crawl upon the earth.”

The Holy Trinity is the Lord God.

Lukaris said:

I think a core issue is the intent of Trump in the whole matter. If he truly feels that the BLS is running the numbers in favor of his opponents and against him, his reason could be incorrect but not authoritarian. He may just feel he lacks reliable resources.

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While his reason may be incorrect, his action is undeniably authoritarian. Potemkin stats, anyone?

Phil G said:

How could anything be “at risk” by His hand???

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I agree.

Phil G said:

There is nothing….absolutely nothing…that would be “at risk” if God is in control…and He is in control of everything!!

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Absolutely. - This is why God created an unmovable earth & the sun and the moon too circuit the skies on a daily basis, it couldn't be more simpler.

Phil G said:

Conspiracy theories have your mind completely addled with irrationality!

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No, our minds are full of the truth from God.

ozso said:

But many see it as the first president wrongfully convicted.

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The first former president to be convicted as well as the first convict to be president. As long as he is president, the law can't touch his absolute immunity as per the USSC.

DaisyDay said:

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5429516-trump-confabulation-dementia-signs/

Confabulation is sometimes called “honest lying,” because the person doing it genuinely believes what he’s saying, even if it is obviously and patently false. A person confabulates when they are telling completely invented stories that don’t provide them any particular tangible benefit. In other words, it’s not like lying to try and get out of a speeding ticket. ​

​

Confabulation isn’t misremembering a date or forgetting something. The mistakes of memory we are all subject to become confabulation when people remember false information in vivid detail — detail so vivid and complete that people who don’t know otherwise often believe what they are hearing is true. ​

​

In older people, confabulation is one of the clearest early signs of dementia. The day you witness someone confabulate is often the day you are forced to admit to yourself that a beloved parent needs help, and that all the little slips and oddities you’ve been seeing can no longer be rationalized away. ​

It's always been a quandary to deal with President Trump's constant lying as we try to determine whether he knows he's lying or whether he believes the obviously untrue things he says. Is it 25th Amendment time yet?

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While I disagree with many of President Trump's policies, he was legitimately elected by the American people and has the constitutional authority to serve as president for the next four years. Unless he commits an impeachable offense, he should remain in office until January 20, 2029. If Democrats or others oppose his actions, they should aim to win back Congress in 2026 and use legislative power to counter his agenda. This reflects how American democracy functions—the 25th Amendment exists for rare and extreme circumstances, which are not present today.