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How To Shrink Your Church In One Easy Step
The Aquila Report ^ | 24Aug14 | Alexander Griswold

Posted on 08/24/2014 12:21:56 PM PDT by ReformationFan

By now, we’ve all heard the refrain that U.S. churches need liberalize their teachings on sexuality and homosexuality or rapidly decline. The logic behind the argument is simple: more and more Americans are embracing homosexuality and same-sex marriage, including growing numbers of religious Millennials. So long as churches remain the face of opposition to gay marriage, those churches will shrink into irrelevancy when gay marriage (inevitably, we are told) becomes a settled political issue.

These arguments often see church acceptance of homosexuality as a carrot as well as a stick. It isn’t so much that denouncing homosexuality will drive people away from church, but that embracing it will also lead people into church. LGBT individuals and their supporters, many of whom hold a dim view of religion after a decades-long culture war, will reconsider church if denominations remove their restrictions on gay marriage and ordination.

But a number of Christian denominations have already taken significant steps towards liberalizing their stances on homosexuality and marriage, and the evidence so far seems to indicate that affirming homosexuality is hardly a cure for membership woes. On the contrary, every major American church that has taken steps towards liberalization of sexual issues has seen a steep decline in membership.

(Excerpt) Read more at theaquilareport.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Evangelical Christian; Mainline Protestant; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: alexandergriswold; ecusa; elca; griswold; homosexualagenda; moralabsolutes; pcusa; ucc
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Good refutation of the liberal argument that rejection of Biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality will cause the church to "grow."
1 posted on 08/24/2014 12:21:56 PM PDT by ReformationFan
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To: ReformationFan

I would rather go to church with 2 others than compromise my beliefs.


2 posted on 08/24/2014 12:27:42 PM PDT by dila813
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To: ReformationFan

Already posted:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3195807/posts


3 posted on 08/24/2014 12:28:16 PM PDT by humblegunner
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To: ReformationFan

Consider that homosexuals are only 1.5% of the US and UK respective populations why would they promote the way they walk in life?


4 posted on 08/24/2014 12:32:13 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: ReformationFan
My wife and I decided last week to leave the church we have been attending for about 5 years...

Not so much because of the sexuality and homosexuality issues...

The pastor never preached against these issues...or for them...probably concerned he would offend some members...

We left because of the milquetoast preaching...

5 posted on 08/24/2014 12:36:12 PM PDT by Popman (Jesus Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: ReformationFan

“churches need liberalize their teachings on sexuality ...”

No way... Yahweh....


6 posted on 08/24/2014 12:38:00 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: ReformationFan

Refuse to obey.


7 posted on 08/24/2014 12:40:28 PM PDT by jsanders2001
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To: ReformationFan

Apparently, we can get people to follow the Bible by rejecting the teachings of the Bible! Liberal logic 101!

I think a lot of people would start going to church again if churches stopped with the shallow platitudes of Cafeteria Christianity. Even the “conservative” churches are far too accommodating to the Sodomites. Churches need to start heeding the words of Scripture (as well as the position of our Founding Fathers) and start advocating for our legal system to begin administering capital punishment against Sodomites.


8 posted on 08/24/2014 12:42:51 PM PDT by Objective Scrutator (All liberals are criminals, and all criminals are liberals)
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To: ReformationFan

I cannot understand why anybody would give up their Sunday morning and a bit of their money to attend a church that really doesn’t believe in much of anything. May as well relax, get some work done or whatever.


9 posted on 08/24/2014 12:43:13 PM PDT by all the best
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To: ReformationFan

God doesn’t reject homosexuals but the sin of it. To teach homosexuality as an accepted Biblical doctrine is pure heresy with a steep penalty to pay.


10 posted on 08/24/2014 12:44:07 PM PDT by tflabo (Truth or tyranny)
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To: all the best

Exactly. If they want liberalism on a Sunday morning all they have to do is stay home and watch television. It’s cheaper and requires less effort.


11 posted on 08/24/2014 12:45:14 PM PDT by ReformationFan
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To: Popman

I hope you two find a church with good strong Biblically orthodox preaching.


12 posted on 08/24/2014 12:46:44 PM PDT by ReformationFan
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To: Popman

I had a family member leave a Presbyterian USA congregation because they never bothered to actually talk about the Bible. The last straw for her was when the minister decided to read a poem a lady wrote about her dead cat in front the congregation, all while relying less on God’s written Word and more on feelings.

Any congregation which uses its hymnbook more than its Bible shall surely be cast into the Lake of Fire.


13 posted on 08/24/2014 12:47:11 PM PDT by Objective Scrutator (All liberals are criminals, and all criminals are liberals)
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To: ReformationFan
(from the article):"..The logic behind the argument is simple: more and more Americans are embracing homosexuality and same-sex marriage,
including growing numbers of religious Millennials."

While the gay/lesbian population is 02.5% of the U.S. population, they press their agenda on traditonal conservative institutions, including Churches.
Just because the gay / lesbian agenda has been legitimized by this administration , doesn't make it right; remember, Prohibition was legally reversed.
Also ,but most importantly, religious Christians believe that God's Word is eternal, and does not bend to the whimsey of curent 'popular' agenda.

14 posted on 08/24/2014 12:52:11 PM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (FUBO; Obungler = The didler CIC)
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To: ReformationFan

Does a significant number of the population even still go to a church? I stopped going years ago for personal reasons, and it was also rather monotonous/boring anyway. It would be great if one could go and just listen to a message for an hour, but there’s all of the socializing, handshaking, and singing that I don’t care for.

Churches would probably do themselves some good by streaming their sermons online. Offerings can be done via paypal, ect. Unfortunately, in today’s world of stagnant wages and people working around the clock, Sunday is no longer a ‘day of rest’ for many people. If churches are going to survive, they’re gonna have to adapt.


15 posted on 08/24/2014 12:56:07 PM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: ReformationFan
I hope you two find a church with good strong Biblically orthodox preaching.

We have...we had been going to Calvary Chapels for over 25 years until our last move...12 years ago..

When we moved we looked for the closet CC and the pastor there was a former youth minister and I understand a really good one, except he seemed to be stuck in that youth minister mold when he took over the pulpit...took only a few weeks of that, to drive me away..

Just found out he left a few years ago and a asst. pastor from another CC I know personally took over...

16 posted on 08/24/2014 12:58:59 PM PDT by Popman (Jesus Christ Alone: My Cornerstone...)
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To: ReformationFan

Jeremiah, Elijah and others found sound preaching does not always result in growth. Likewise heretical teaching does not always mean shrinkage.

All we can do is tell others what we know to be true.


17 posted on 08/24/2014 1:03:29 PM PDT by HarleyD ("... letters are weighty, but his .. presence is weak, and his speech of no account.")
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To: dila813

Amen!


18 posted on 08/24/2014 1:04:11 PM PDT by MNDude
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To: Jack Hydrazine
Consider that homosexuals are only 1.5% of the US and UK respective populations why would they promote the way they walk in life?

A considerably larger percentage is compromised by, or in bondage to, pornography, which clouds and crosses natural sexual boundaries. Contemporary culture is ripe for judgement lest Sodom and Gommorah have their verdicts overturned on appeal as unscriptural.

19 posted on 08/24/2014 1:06:54 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began)
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To: Objective Scrutator
Churches need to start heeding the words of Scripture (as well as the position of our Founding Fathers) and start advocating for our legal system to begin administering capital punishment against Sodomites.

Hmmm, sounds a lot like Sharia law; no thanks; I don't trust churches or governments to legislate the Scriptures in righteousness.

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

20 posted on 08/24/2014 1:18:46 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began)
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