Posted on 07/12/2014 10:29:45 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Must Evangelical churches change or downplay their position on homosexuality to attract millennials?
Millennials, generally defined as those ages 18 to mid-30s, are the most supportive of redefining marriage to include same-sex couples, many polls show. A recent Public Religion Research Institute poll had their support at 69 percent, the highest of any age group.
Even among self-described Evangelicals, the millennials showed the highest level of support at 43 percent (though the poll only included white Evangelicals), compared to 33 percent for generation X, 22 percent for Baby Boomers and 19 percent for those 68 and older. The poll also found that 70 percent of millennials "believe that religious groups are alienating young adults by being too judgmental about gay and lesbian issues."
Some Evangelicals have pointed to this and similar studies to argue that Evangelical churches need to end their opposition to same-sex marriage or they will die off.
The church's "obsessions with opposing gay marriage," Evangelical author Rachel Held Evans wrote in March for CNN as she pointed out the PRRI report, is one of the reasons "evangelicalism is losing a generation to the culture wars."
Other media outlets appear eager to report that Evangelicals will end their opposition to same-sex marriage and stop teaching that homosexuality is a sin. "Evangelicals Are Changing Their Minds on Gay Marriage: And the Bible isn't getting in their way," religion reporter Jim Hinch wrote Monday for Politico.
For evidence that Evangelicals are changing their minds on gay marriage, Hinch points to Pew Research polling showing that support for same-sex marriage among white Evangelical Protestants jumped 10 percentage points, from 13 to 23 percent, from 2001 to 2014.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
The question itself presupposes that churches are no more than entertainment businesses that have to tailor their “basic tenets” to whatever draws the most customers.
I came across a show about religion this morning. The speaker said that churches decided politics was dirty and they had no business getting involved. This was in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He said many things happened to get laws passed that were not good for Christians. We were silent far too long. It is way past time for mainline churches to make our views known. Everything he said made sense.
obviously not, but based on the millennials I’ve talked to, they nearly unanimously think being gay is just fine and dandy, so that’s why the churches are doing it. And some of the national denominations are being told to do it by their hierarchy. That’s why for example, many UMC churches have the fag flag flying.
it is not up to a church to “accept gay marriage” (sic!)
a Christian church cannot accept ‘gay marriage” (sic) and remain a Christian church
see Bible.
(some good Christian church needs to file a lawsuit or trademark complaint case ... against any formerly Christian church which “adopts gay marriage” for any reason — let’s at least have these outfits adopt honest labels, names for themselves and STOP trying to masquarade as Christian churches anymore.... they can call themselves Homosexual Recreation Centers, Male Pleasure Palaces, or even “Gay” GloryHoles..... whatever they want .... as long as they stop calling themselves Churches!)
Better question: Should millenials change their support of sodomy to avoid offending a holy God?
If they want to die like the PCUSA
Guess those churches won’t condemn any sin then...don’t want to alienate the sinners. So then pastors can commit adultery with a member of the church, divorce his wife, shack up with that pig then marry in big church wedding. An offense to God welcomed by apostates.
and yet it grew in spite of that.
I agree....preach the full Word and God will honor His Word.
The purpose of the church is not to “attract” anyone. It is to worship and serve The Lord Jesus Christ faithfully and obediently. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw (”attract”) lost sinners to repentance.
We are warned that the 'man of lawlessness' (2 Thessalonians 2) will not appear until the Apostasy (1 Timothy 4) comes first.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!(Isaiah 5:20).
I would not want to be the pastor of one of these apostasy churches who will have to stand before The Lord and give an accounting of his actions.
Fixed it.
Ask the Episcopal Church USA, Presbyterians Church USA, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, etc., how their membership rolls have been since they "embraced same sex marriage". Any "millennials" beating down the door to join those "churches"
They shouldn’t be concerned about attracting men, they should be concerned about living by God’s Word.
Some of the wisest words I ever heard about evangelism were - you have to catch the fish before you clean them.
Change the heart (spirit) first, and a lot of these sinful desires fade away. Religion has been fighting in the flesh. We win war in the spirit. Preach the Word, love the people, and let the Holy Spirit do its work to change the folks.
Depends on what you're looking for.
If you want to build YOUR church, probably.
If you want to build the body of Christ, not a chance.
You cannot compromise on sin. It is doing no one any favors.
This going along to get along routine is getting old. The Bible clearly states that as believers we are to get off our duffs and spread the Good News. . .not just invite them into a building! I heard a sermon yesterday that explicitly stated that we are to be like Paul and run the race to the end. . .not sit on a false sense of security. Notice verse 20 Jesus said commanded you NOT suggested to you.
Matthew 28:16-20King James Version (KJV)
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Exactly. If embracing homosexuality is the ticket to church growth, then the PCUSA and other liberal denominations should be bursting with growth. Instead they’re dying out.
Perhaps the question should be asked:
why would someone who embraces homosexuality want to worship someone who taught this:
‘And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”’(words of Christ from Matthew 19:4-6.)
Exactly. The millenials are not conceived by the Holy Ghost, they are not born of a virgin and didn’t suffer under Pontius Pilate and weren’t crucified, dead, and buried and never rose from the dead and never ascended into heaven and never sat at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and never will come to judge the living and the dead.
Therefore, they do not meet the qualifications for head of the Christian church.
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