The president of a major Christian denomination (The Southern Baptist Convention) was quoted as saying, "...it is impossible for all Christian parents to be able to afford private and Christian education. That is a fact and we must not make them feel like second rate citizens or bad Christian parents."
Perhaps there is something to this. Let's apply it to some other issues.
Taking this into consideration the church probably shouldn't address the issue of divorce. Particularly in light of the fact that parishioners in some dominations divorce more frequently than the general public. We must not make them feel like second rate citizens.
The church probably shouldn't address the issue of tithing. After all, only a small percentage of the church tithes, and many say they really can't afford it. We must not make them feel like second rate citizens.
The church probably shouldn't address the issue of sex. After all many in our church participate in sex outside of marriage, what we like to call peccadillo's. We must not make them feel like second rate citizens.
The church definitely shouldn't address the issue of sin. After all we're all sinners, and we must not make them feel like second rate citizens.
The church probably shouldn't address the issue of salvation. If we point out that salvation involves repentance and a change in life style, some may wonder if they are really saved. Since that isn't evident in many, we must not make them feel like second rate citizens.
The church probably shouldn't address the issues of adultery, homosexuality, abortion, evangelism, welfare, voting or the Cultural Mandate, Bible study, drinking, drugs, cursing, or smoking. These issues are all controversial, and we must not make anyone feel like second rate citizens.
I guess the church probably shouldn't address the issue of education although it seriously troubles me not to do so, since according to studies 88% of children attending public schools leave the church. However, I guess the president of a 16 million (member) Christian denomination knows best. We had probably not point out that Christian Children Need A Christian Education. We must not make them feel like second rate citizens. After all, even educators have begun to take the lead from the church. They are considering banning the word "fail" from use in classrooms and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid making students feel bad.
The church needs to remember to be loving, and not be so critical. If we take the lead from social groups and country clubs, and make everyone comfortable, I'm sure we will see an increase in church growth.
Perhaps we should make "Lets Not Offend" the 11th Commandment!
(This article is by Dr. Bob Dreyfus, who works with Exodus Mandate in Florida, and who spoke to the S.B.C. Resolution on Education this June at the S.B.C. Convention in Nashville, TN. In the article, Dr. Dreyfus challenges the most recent mantra of those in leadership in the S.B.C. as to why they cannot support a Christian education for Christian children.)
2 comments:
Good stuff!
I liked what I read and I think that we should get back to our nations roots as a Christian Nation and if we followed God's laws and not Man's we would be in better position.
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