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Political Gaps Strain Churches, Pulpits vs Pews, Mainlines vs Evangelicals
Institute on Religion & Democracy and American Spectator ^ | 24 Feb 2010 | Alan Wisdom of the IRD

Posted on 02/25/2010 8:08:38 AM PST by mbarker12474

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1 posted on 02/25/2010 8:08:39 AM PST by mbarker12474
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To: mbarker12474

Funny, this is a problem as old as Christianity itself. When Jesus dealt with it, He simply told the laity to do it His way.


2 posted on 02/25/2010 8:11:29 AM PST by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: mbarker12474
Perhaps it is no coincidence that the United Methodists and the American Baptists are the two oldline denominations that seem most likely to hold firm in traditional Christian doctrines.

If my church or Pastor did not, I'd find another church.

3 posted on 02/25/2010 8:16:53 AM PST by Graybeard58 ("0bama's not just stupid; He’s Jimmy Carter stupid”. - Don Imus)
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To: aberaussie; Aeronaut; aliquando; AlternateViewpoint; AnalogReigns; Archie Bunker on steroids; ...
Although not Lutheran-specific, this article serves to expose one of the symptoms of the fragmentation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.



Lutheran (EL C S*A) Ping!

* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.

Keep a Good Lent!

4 posted on 02/25/2010 8:20:47 AM PST by lightman (Adjutorium nostrum (+) in nomine Domini)
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To: mbarker12474

What is the distinction between a “mainline” Protestant or Baptist and an evangelical Protestant or Baptist? Is there a doctrinal distinction that I am unaware of?

SnakeDoc


5 posted on 02/25/2010 8:21:31 AM PST by SnakeDoctor (Do you know if the hotel is pager friendly? [...] I'm not getting a sig on my beeper.)
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To: mbarker12474
Republicans outnumber Democrats by an astounding 66-4 percent among Southern Baptist pastors.

I am not astounded by that. What astounds me is that there are any Bible believing, professing Christians that are liberal and support candidates who are pro abortion, no matter if Catholic, Protestant or what ever, claiming Christ.

These so called "Christians" will be wishing for a mill stone around their necks instead of what they are destined to receive.

6 posted on 02/25/2010 8:22:35 AM PST by Graybeard58 ("0bama's not just stupid; He’s Jimmy Carter stupid”. - Don Imus)
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To: Graybeard58

Love how the author chides at the end.


7 posted on 02/25/2010 8:22:58 AM PST by 2Jedismom
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To: mbarker12474
Church unity there, as in the oldline churches, will have to come through the teachings and work of Jesus Christ.

Phooey. Everyone knows that American churches are country clubs. A half-hour of watered-down "I'm okay, you're okay," a bunch of shallow love songs about Jesus, the same prayer Baldy the Car Salesman has been praying for twelve years, and then pass the plate and get the club dues.

There are no polarizing politics, or any other polarizing behavior. It's all designed to make people feel like sitting in a pew for an hour a week is "Christian," keep their money coming in, with zero demand for work or learning.

8 posted on 02/25/2010 8:24:39 AM PST by Anti-Utopian ("Come, let's away to prison; We two alone will sing like birds I' th' cage." -King Lear [V,iii,6-8])
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To: Graybeard58

>> Perhaps it is no coincidence that the United Methodists >> and the American Baptists are the two oldline
>> denominations that seem most likely to hold
>> firm in traditional Christian doctrines.

> If my church or Pastor did not, I’d find another church.

In the UMC, the difference between pulpit and pew in the UMC may be small, but the difference between pew and conference staff, conference committees (Board of Church & Society, Board of Global Ministry, United Methodist Women) is large. Likewise, the difference between pew and General church leadership and General board/agency membership is huge. The UMC is a progressive political organization, with the explicit mission to “transform the world.” Pay attention to your tithe.


9 posted on 02/25/2010 8:30:44 AM PST by mbarker12474 (If thine enemy offend thee, give his childe a drum.)
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To: Graybeard58

James 4:4

paraphrased - there are no “liberal Christians”


10 posted on 02/25/2010 8:32:08 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: Anti-Utopian
Phooey. Everyone knows that American churches are country clubs. A half-hour of watered-down "I'm okay, you're okay," a bunch of shallow love songs about Jesus, the same prayer Baldy the Car Salesman has been praying for twelve years, and then pass the plate and get the club dues.

There are no polarizing politics, or any other polarizing behavior. It's all designed to make people feel like sitting in a pew for an hour a week is "Christian," keep their money coming in, with zero demand for work or learning.

A bit of a broad brush, don't you think?

11 posted on 02/25/2010 8:35:20 AM PST by xjcsa (Ridiculing the ridiculous since the day I was born.)
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To: lightman; Cletus.D.Yokel; bcsco; PJ-Comix
Among . . . Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) clergy, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3:1. . . .

Republicans outnumber Democrats by an astounding . . . percent among . . . pastors [i]n the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the margin is 64-4.

I am an LCMS pastor, and I can attest to the fact that most all my peers are politically conservative. Even fellow LCMS pastors I disagree with theologically--they're liberal in terms of their Lutheran doctrine and practice (e.g., worship practice)--I would guess are conservative socio-politically (e.g., on abortion, homosexuality).

Among Lutherans, the LCMS, like the WELS and ELS, is overwhelmingly conservative, both clergy and lay, in social-political matters. Only the ELCA is Looney Left, and that, more so in their clergy hierarchy.

12 posted on 02/25/2010 8:37:26 AM PST by Charles Henrickson (Lutheran pastor, LCMS)
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To: pnh102
Funny, this is a problem as old as Christianity itself. When Jesus dealt with it, He simply told the laity to do it His way.

Leftist thrologues play Jesus, insisting that they are the perfect expression of Jesus. Evangelicals insist that they do things Biblically, according to the teachings of Jesus. The former point to themselves . The latter point to scripture. Methidism is broken down more by Conference than denomination. The Baltimore annual Conference is essentially Marxist with Homosexuals filling pulpits and abortion taught with no regard for God's Will. Conservative, Evangelical and Charismatic pastors are routinely expelled from their ranks. Witch hunts are the norm in this as well as in northern and western conferences. Southern conferences in the UMC are more attuned to biblicism and evangelicalism.

13 posted on 02/25/2010 8:37:51 AM PST by Louis Foxwell (He is the son of soulless slavers, not the son of soulful slaves.)
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To: Charles Henrickson
Only the ELCA is Looney Left, and that, more so in their clergy hierarchy.

Not our local congregation. They voted in favor of same-sex partnerships. Only 12 voted against the issue. Sheesh!

14 posted on 02/25/2010 8:39:57 AM PST by bcsco (Obama is the navel of his own universe.)
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To: xjcsa
Alright, I'll make you a deal. Pick any one of these "evangelical" churches and do a survey. Go to each of the members after the sermon, and ask them:
  1. What was last week's sermon about?
  2. What was this week's sermon about?
  3. How many times did you study the Bible this week?
  4. How many people did you evangelize this week?

I'm confident I already know the pitiful answers to those questions. I'm confident you know too.

15 posted on 02/25/2010 8:41:47 AM PST by Anti-Utopian ("Come, let's away to prison; We two alone will sing like birds I' th' cage." -King Lear [V,iii,6-8])
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To: lightman; Cletus.D.Yokel; bcsco; PJ-Comix

I should add, I do find some LCMS laypeople, mostly older, who still vote Democrat—not because they are truly leftist in their thinking, but because they are “old union guys” who were raised to think that the Dems are “on the side of the little guy,” or they are ladies who “like” the smooth-talking candidate on an emotional level because he says nice stuff. But they don’t analyze the issues in any depth. They’re brainwashed by the pop culture.


16 posted on 02/25/2010 8:46:06 AM PST by Charles Henrickson (Lutheran pastor, LCMS)
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To: Graybeard58
The power mad left begin to worm their way into the pulpits back in the 1960's and even before. Beacuse the mainline denominations were what dominated church attendance at the time, this is where their efforts have concentrate.

The fruit of those efforts is that their membership has left in droves-- some to evangelical conservative denominations, some to quit attending church at all.

The later category is, unfortunately, the end objective of the socialists in the pulpit. Most fully realize they are destroying once great denominations by driving people away, but they do it anyway because government power has become their false God.

Look for the same clique of termites to infest the evangelical denominations now that that's where most of the church attendance is moving. Christians need to be willing to do whatever is necessary to keep these termites out of their pulpits and, failing that, be willing to leave for a denomination not thus infested.

17 posted on 02/25/2010 8:54:20 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: mbarker12474

Fortunately, out here in the hinterland, the system pretty much lets us ignore the stupid so-called leaders higher up in the Conference. We just go on with the time honored traditional worship. Don’t know how long they will leave us alone, but if they interfere too much, we just pull out of the conference and go independent Bible Church. There are several around here who did that when the EUB and the Meth. merged in 68.


18 posted on 02/25/2010 8:55:35 AM PST by WVNan (I hate the liberal news corpse..)
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To: mbarker12474
Why do we expect Christians to agree on politics, they never have before.
Instead I see the new "splits" as a sign that people are getting involved. That's a good thing.

19 posted on 02/25/2010 9:04:08 AM PST by BitWielder1 (Corporate Profits are better than Government Waste)
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To: mbarker12474
But they would do well to remember that perhaps a third of those in the pews hold a different partisan loyalty

I doubt it. It would be interested to take a deeper look at actual church attendance and involvement. I bet the democrats reported in these church bodies actually bother to show up for worship at a much lower rate than their numbers would suggest. Ditto for actual involvement in lay ministries. (After all, why volunteer when it's redundant - the government nanny is already supposed to be meeting everyone's needs.)

20 posted on 02/25/2010 9:09:09 AM PST by Liberty1970 (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lydiablievernicht)
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