A recent Time magazine article looks at just that. The author notes that these prosperity preachers have been telling people for years:

That God will “make a way” for poor people to enjoy the better things in life — had developed an additional, dangerous expression during the subprime-lending boom. Walton says that this encouraged congregants who got dicey mortgages to believe “God caused the bank to ignore my credit score and blessed me with my first house.” The results, he says, “were disastrous, because they pretty much turned parishioners into prey for greedy brokers.”

It also caused some people to ignore their current income and the obvious results of an ARM assuming that God would have doubled their income by now, but in most cases he hasn’t.

That branch of the church has been left with very little good financial sense, people are just as in debt as the rest of the world. I myself and struggling with the hangover of a little of this easy credit drug, I do not feel able to give what I would like to because of my current financial situation, and believe me, I am not as bad off as some people I know. Or lack of biblical sense and financial sense along with the financial situation of the time has left us washed up on the beach after being pounded against the sand.

It seems that we have gotten into a place as a people where we don’t want to know about God through old fashioned ideas like doctrine; we simply want to know God through what ever means that could be. We are super humans who can ignore common sense and the rules of the universe and human nature. You can not know someone if you know nothing about them; human or divine.

I am becoming more and more convinced that it will be this group of “Christians” that will be part of the great falling away because they have no root of doctrine to hold to but are like that double minded man James talked about; thrown about by every wave of doctrine. Orthodoxy (correct thinking) leads to orthopraxy (right living).

Popularity: 14%

Extreme Christianity III

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.

– Rom 12:1

I have read this passage many times, in fact it is one that I have memorized but the context has alluded me to a great degree.  Most commentators divide the book with this verse as the beginning of the second part of the letter, which may be true but the word therefore means that the beginning of the book predicated this verse.  Why would we present ourselves as living sacrifices? Because of all the reasons listed by the apostle in the first 11 chapters.  What it is in those chapters?  The greatest dissertation about on justification by faith in Christ.

Just go and read it out loud to your self it is wonderful…

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe….we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…

It is this that drives the therefore of 12:1.  Can any of us say we have presented our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord?  I doubt it.  What would it be like if we would strive in every area of our life to bring Glory to the Lord and his Gospel?  If we lived this life not as our own but purely as God’s what could we accomplish.

I have heard it said that the Christian life is one of moderation but I am starting do doubt that.  I believe it may be intended to be an extreme one, one of extreme love and sacrifice.  I just don’t like what that looks like and how to do it.

Popularity: 16%

Ok, I am trying really hard not to be so critical but on our way to King’s Island this past weekend my wife was flipping through some radio stations and stopped on some music that isn’t really my style but I started listening because it seemed pretty good.  Half way through I had to ask, “Is this a Christian song or a pop love song?”  My wife laughed out loud and responded with “That is why I love you, you are straight forward about that stuff.  It is a Christian song”

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 18%

Last week Heather and I took a dinner train excursion for our anniversary and we were seated at a table with a lovely older couple.  It is because of this trip I decided that I need to get a book on the art of conversation.  We were able to maintain a slight level of conversation but when it comes down to it I am good at talking about three things and they are all forbidden in pleasant company.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 21%

Extreme Christianity

No I am not talking about the 90’s in general when everything was ‘extreme’.  I really want to know if Christianity is meant to be extreme.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

— 1 John 3:16-18

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 26%

John Piper had some great things to say today.  He was quoting Lee Grady who has been slowly earning my respect.

Test Revival with Doctrine :: Desiring God

Coming from a Charismatic background myself, I have seen what results from a lack of any kind of biblical knowledge of truth.  Simply “feeling” for God without any discernment.  It is my one of my fears about the home church movement but I suppose it is better to have this kind of thing take place in a church of 10 than in one of thousands.

Popularity: 23%

That guy in every church…

I was riding my bike last night (Man that is much easier when I am not hauling my daughter behind me) and I passed a guy on the trail that reminded me of a guy I used to know, and another.  It seems to me that there are certain types of guys that are in every church/youth group see if you recognize any of them.  TO BE CLEAR THIS IS MEANT IN GOOD HUMOR!!!!

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 34%