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I don't think I can carry on at my church with integrity

hopeforhappiness

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Just as an update.... there is a loving reformed church quite near that my wife and I really like. But we can easily be swallowed up there, but maybe some pew-filling for a time would be good.
But who is going to bear a witness in our little methodist chapel? I don't know whether any of the congregation or even many of the preachers accept or understand or have even heard that Christ died for our sins. That wonderful news.
I have been writing to visiting preachers, and especially those that say they welcome some feedback. Only one replied and he's an outlier in personality and location. They really seem threatened by anyone who has really investigated the faith.
 
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hopeforhappiness

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And some people believe the reverse - that we must preach sin, salvation, and the Kingdom of God (which would should), but we should do as Jesus did as well - embracing the castaways of society. Social justice, if you will.
Only in America do you have to pick one or the other. Sad.
Yes, I worked for many years in Fair Trade. In so far as they had an underpinning biblical theology, it was Shalom, mental, spiritual and physical wholeness. But when I hear a preacher in effect encouraging law-breaking by saying we should welcome and even facilitate illegal migrant boat crossings (you know, those that don't want to be identified, having thrown away their passports, so not refugees), then a bridge has been crossed.
 
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jas3

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But who is going to bear a witness in our little methodist chapel? I don't know whether any of the congregation or even many of the preachers accept or understand or have even heard that Christ died for our sins. That wonderful news.
I've heard this argument made for staying in liberal mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, but I'm of the opinion that it's not healthy or sustainable to feel like you have to evangelize your own church.
 
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hopeforhappiness

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It's a good point. Good preacher this morning, talked about resolutions and covenant. But again avoided the open goal of Jesus's atonement. I pointed out that we had just sung "Blessed Assurance....washed in the Blood". He said he believed in all that, but could not give an explanation why neither he nor any other preacher could touch it.
 
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