Six Anti-Church Evangelical Trends

As I mentioned a few weeks back, this is a great book: Set Apart by R. Kent Hughes (and it’s less than $10!).  I liked his section where he gave six anti-church trends among American evangelicals (found in chapter 10).  Here they are.

1) Hitchhiker Christians:  These peole say, “You go to the meetings and serve on the boards and committees, you grapple with the issues and do the work of the church and pay the bills – and I’ll come along for the ride.  But if things do not suit me, I’ll criticize and complain and probably bail out.  My thumb is always out for a better ride.”

2) Consumer Christians:  These are “ecclesiastical shoppers [that] attend one church for the preaching, send their children to a second church for its youth program, and go to a third church’s small group.  Their motto is to ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’”  The consumer mentality “encouraged those who have been influenced by it to think naturally in terms of receiving rather than contributing.” Keep Reading>>>

Comfort While Waging War Against Sin

This book by Christopher Love on mortification (putting sin to death – Col. 3.5) has been a huge help to me personally and pastorally.  Here’s one emphasis of Love’s that I found especially helpful.  Often in the battle against sin in our lives, it is easy to despair when we realize how terribly dark and ugly our hearts are.  Sometimes, we even fall back into some sin we thought was long gone.  Christopher Love tells us not to despair in these things; he gives some comfort to weary sin-battling soldiers.

1) Mortification is for this life, glorification is for the life to come.  This is God’s way for the Christian.  “You must not expect the whole work of sanctification to be wrought in  a moment.”

2) God will never show you more of your sin than you can bear.  “You may be sure to have no more laid upon you than you have strength to grapple with.” Keep Reading>>>