An outsiders view of Australian Christians....

Yeah i tend to agree.

Some people just lose sight of what's important.

Why is it this way? Cause, quite frankly, pride holds those kinds of people at bay. There are those who will argue and scoff off at those in authority, they don't care because as far as they're concerned, Jesus is only for them and not for others. As far as they're concerned, God works their way, not His way. Through their own hypocrisy, they witness falsely.

Their selfish ways are luke warm and their pride blinds them to their error. They don't want to hear the voice of God, only the voice of their hearts. They believe they are the ones in right standing with God but they are like the Pharasee in the Church boasting about their achievements. A tax collecter behind humbling himself before God they have no regard for.

They are not open for conviction, stirring up strife and they are happy at calamity.

Correction, we try so many times but they ignore it. Really, repentance is the key here.

Jesus warned us of those kinds of people so we shouldn't be worried about them.

Just don't get snare in with them. They will say "Come fight with me otherwise you are against God!" and will give you a bunch of bible verses.





I was listening to a radio once an evangelist went out to talk with a bunch of women in some kind of movement. The women we happy when 9/11 happened and they were praising God about it because they believe that God willed it to happen and those who died deserved it.


When the evangelist went there to talk with them, they spoke all kinds of weird stuff about God. "God hates those who aren't here protesting with us." "if you're not with us celebrating then you are not saved etc".

Was pretty funny the evangelist had a bit of trouble getting comments out of them hehe

(Proverbs 17:5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he who is glad at calamity shall not be held innocent or go unpunished.)

I cannot imagine what it would be like to live in a world where Christians were really christians - Christlike, gentle, humble - and above all, loving and kind. The Ministers are poorly paid, and so many of their wives rely on the Op Shops. And, I see churches closing and becoming private homes. Mainly I guess because I'm in the country. But, this is also happening in the cities I believe.
Yes, they can be tight fisted because they don't trust where their money is going to in the churches. And, sadly, they cannot just relax in the Love of God and absorb His Love. They are just too busy.
Yes, it's a sad plight alright.

Yeah true. We worry too much about what will happen tomorrow.

We just go nuts and get obsessed about tomorrow.

Hey, when you say that the churches make fun of each other, I just wanna point out that that isn't the churches so much as it is Aussie humor. We make fun of each other soooo much more than any other nation in the world.

I dont think the criticism can be written of as aussie humour. I agree its a real problem, i've seen people be really nasty to each other over different denominations/beliefs.

Yes amiel, of cource there are people who are really nasty over everything but I think for a lot of people it is just the aussie humour. For example, I know that myself and most of the other people around where I live LOVE to make jokes at the fundamentalists and Roman Catholics but it is all in good humour and none of us actually hate them or the denomination and we are fully supportive of them in their choice to belong tho that stream if it really comes down to it.

The_White said:

Yes amiel, of cource there are people who are really nasty over everything but I think for a lot of people it is just the aussie humour. For example, I know that myself and most of the other people around where I live LOVE to make jokes at the fundamentalists and Roman Catholics but it is all in good humour and none of us actually hate them or the denomination and we are fully supportive of them in their choice to belong tho that stream if it really comes down to it.

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Yes, I agree with The White. Have a look around CF, and tell me that it's mostly the Aussies who criticise and pick other denoms and christians to pieces. Quite a few from other countries fit that description. From what I've seen of churches in OZ, they generally get along very well.

Trogdor the Burninator said:

Was having a chat to a couple of Christian friends the other day about lots of various Christian topics. As they are both from O/S ( Singapore to be exact ) at one point I asked them how they found Australian churches. While they were mostly positive, especially about the great Bible teaching available here – a couple of comments caught my attention.

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The great Bible teaching didn't come from Hillsong ofcourse. Because the evangelicals have been setting up churches that network from Sydney to Singapore...

The first was that Australian Christians seem to be quite tight-fisted. They noticed that our churches seemed to be filled with hand-me-down donated items. That the ministers were relatively poorly paid compared to regular aussie wages, and that some denominations were having to sell off church buildings because they couldn't get enough money to support them – despite our Christians being among the wealthiest in the world.

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Being a pastor should not be a career option but an option gifted by God to proclaim his word.

The churches their mentioning are the anglican, baptist and some presbyterian churches that have been wreck over the years by liberals and a whole heap of charismatics that use that church as a stepping stone for their persue of a stable career in a church.

The other comment they both made was that Australian Christians seem to spend lots of time criticising each other. The Evangelicals poke fun at the Charismatics and visa-versa, and both groups seemed to spend their spare time making nasty comments about the other.

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This is a good thing. Otherwise you have a heck of a long que of heretics complaining to God that their life has problems.

Have you heard the "Children of God" group, where they defined love as sex. Hence people in that group started having sex with children and the elderley...it's a sick and disgusting group.

Charismatics always accuse the Evangelicals of reading the Bible too often...
Evangelicals accuse the Charismatics of looking towards the spirit for answers rather than the Bible.

And Hillsong, what can we say? It seems no matter how much proof, how much things we do to tell them that prosperity gospel is out...they still accept it. Even the vatican thinks that the prosperity gospel is accepted by immature people....

And when I thought about my experience as a Christian over the years I had to agree with them. So now I guess I’m asking – why is it this way ? And what could be done to change it ?

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Well, you're young you're the future of the church.

But before going into finding a solution, you might want to take some time looking into the foundation of the church, for the case of Hillsong, it's built on sand.

Most of the people here, esspecially Sharky, talk about their own opinion rather than having the experience of what it's like building a church from teh ground up.

Evenone else is in luxury, whilst the elderley community are forced to do the dirty work.

Sharky said:

Yeah i tend to agree.

Some people just lose sight of what's important.

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Being a natural BS-artist as you are, I can see why!

Why is it this way? Cause, quite frankly, pride holds those kinds of people at bay. There are those who will argue and scoff off at those in authority, they don't care because as far as they're concerned, Jesus is only for them and not for others. As far as they're concerned, God works their way, not His way. Through their own hypocrisy, they witness falsely.

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Pride, why don't you give some examples? Isn't it strange the two things you accuse me of, that this one paragraph shows that you're that as well.

Just because I don't conform to Prosperity Gospel, and I'm a Calvinist doesn't mean that Jesus is only for me and not for others.

Rather it's based on your childish actions, which fail to read the Bible for yourself and you're lack of understanding of what Calvinism really is.

And besides, being a hypocrit, your pride seems to make you think that your knowledge is correct...

Their selfish ways are luke warm and their pride blinds them to their error.

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HAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHHA.... "Their selfish ways are luke warm"

does that mean their "selfish" ways are good and bad. Are you trying to say theres good selfish and bad selfish?

Geez you're pride seem to blind yourself in your own errors.

They don't want to hear the voice of God, only the voice of their hearts. They believe they are the ones in right standing with God but they are like the Pharasee in the Church boasting about their achievements. A tax collecter behind humbling himself before God they have no regard for.

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like Hillsong.
They boast in numbers, saying, the thousands and the growth...for that amount of number, it can't be wrong.

They are not open for conviction, stirring up strife and they are happy at calamity.

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Are you telling me, that MSN Chat we had several months ago, you were open for conviction?

I proved to you through the scriptures how wrong you were...yet you wern't opened up for it...

have you changed since?

Correction, we try so many times but they ignore it. Really, repentance is the key here.

Jesus warned us of those kinds of people so we shouldn't be worried about them.

Just don't get snare in with them. They will say "Come fight with me otherwise you are against God!" and will give you a bunch of bible verses.

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You've again proved your Bible illiterate.

I was listening to a radio once an evangelist went out to talk with a bunch of women in some kind of movement. The women we happy when 9/11 happened and they were praising God about it because they believe that God willed it to happen and those who died deserved it.


When the evangelist went there to talk with them, they spoke all kinds of weird stuff about God. "God hates those who aren't here protesting with us." "if you're not with us celebrating then you are not saved etc".

Was pretty funny the evangelist had a bit of trouble getting comments out of them hehe

(Proverbs 17:5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he who is glad at calamity shall not be held innocent or go unpunished.)

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Sharky, you're always had a mouthful of dirt.

When will you go out, buy a book or a Bible and start reading things for yourself, rather than childishly give some BS suggestions.

Go out, buy a book about Calvinism, defend your faith properley rather than spitting the dummy.



I find it contradicting that some people in Hillsong disagree with the Prosperity Gospel yet at the same time, they still continue to go.

Hillsong has been full of lifestyle garbage since.

Trogdor the Burninator said:

Was having a chat to a couple of Christian friends the other day about lots of various Christian topics. As they are both from O/S ( Singapore to be exact ) at one point I asked them how they found Australian churches. While they were mostly positive, especially about the great Bible teaching available here – a couple of comments caught my attention.

The first was that Australian Christians seem to be quite tight-fisted. They noticed that our churches seemed to be filled with hand-me-down donated items. That the ministers were relatively poorly paid compared to regular aussie wages, and that some denominations were having to sell off church buildings because they couldn't get enough money to support them – despite our Christians being among the wealthiest in the world.

The other comment they both made was that Australian Christians seem to spend lots of time criticising each other. The Evangelicals poke fun at the Charismatics and visa-versa, and both groups seemed to spend their spare time making nasty comments about the other.

And when I thought about my experience as a Christian over the years I had to agree with them. So now I guess I’m asking – why is it this way ? And what could be done to change it ?

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I've read somewhere that Chinese Christian migrants can take to "Born Again" Christianity like duck to water. It apparently has a lot to do with the appeal of the prosperity Gospel that is so attractive.

Kris_J said:

I've read somewhere that Chinese Christian migrants can take to "Born Again" Christianity like duck to water. It apparently has a lot to do with the appeal of the prosperity Gospel that is so attractive.

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Yeah i've gotten out of the prosperity stuff now.

lol actually once i nearly turned into a mormon not long ago.

Lucky my cuz got me out of it before i got into it hehe

Man, why do these threads have to turn into this? Bev, although on first glances your words would appear harsh (and I did read what prompted them) I do agree with you. *sighs* If only we could speak the truth in love and not try and ram our opinions down other people's throats...

My apologies to members who saw the post. Afraid I lost it there. And that doesn't happen too often.
However - we are here to edify one another and to love one another. And, as we are all children of The King, let us behave as young Prince and Princesses.

Sharky said:

Yeah i've gotten out of the prosperity stuff now.

lol actually once i nearly turned into a mormon not long ago.

Lucky my cuz got me out of it before i got into it hehe

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You kid me! You a mormon!
I can just hear them all saying "Yes Brother Sharky - No Brother Sharky"

Sharky said:

Yeah i've gotten out of the prosperity stuff now.

lol actually once i nearly turned into a mormon not long ago.

Lucky my cuz got me out of it before i got into it hehe

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All the mormons I've met so far I haven't heard anything like prosperity gospels from them *shrug*. Of course, there is their... quirky... beliefs.

I'm glad you're done with pro$perity teachings - what really strikes me as wrong are pro$perity preachers who promote tithing by direct debit...

Oh the mormon's like to get their tithes though Kris! I was a mormon once...
Because they were so adamant I put a lock and chain on my purse.

Bevlina said:

Oh the mormon's like to get their tithes though Kris! I was a mormon once...
Because they were so adamant I put a lock and chain on my purse.

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How do they get their hands on it though? Do they threaten you with God's Frown or something? I don't recall going to a mormon service so I don't know if they have a prosperity gospel teaching...but the mormons I've met seem very generous with giving their goods to the needy.

Bevlina said:

My apologies to members who saw the post. Afraid I lost it there. And that doesn't happen too often.
However - we are here to edify one another and to love one another. And, as we are all children of The King, let us behave as young Prince and Princesses.

Click to expand...

all cool