Posted on 02/08/2015 5:22:25 AM PST by fwdude
With the appalling apostasy, both overt and subtle, engulfing many evangelical churches in these last days, I have found myself in search of a truly Bible-believing church body that is serious about the Truth taught by God through Jesus Christ.
To be specific, these are the things I am trying to avoid:
- The cultish "mega-church" mentality (though size doesn't not necessarily disqualify an otherwise orthodox church culture)
- Any sympathy, working agreement, or tacit acknowledgement of any Christian legitimacy with Rome.
- The hyper "grace only" heresy of the need just to "believe on Jesus Christ," nothing else matters (i.e. repentance, therefore renouncing sin, optional.)
- An above-all social component to church life, using Christ as the pretext to party and have a good time.
- The "contemporary worship" scene, where the great traditional hymns of devout saints are jettisoned in favor of the shallow, repetitive pap of me-centered guitar and percussion powered emotionalism.
- Teaching that completely avoids, or gives apologetic ground to, the deadly evil in today's society, especially the stridently militant homosexuality that is engulfing even many churches behind the scenes (even the SBC).
- The unlimited "welcoming" banner that is put out by many heretical bodies, i.e., no questions asked and no requirements for participate in the life of the church.
With these in mind, here is what I am seeking:
- A praying church where prayer is not just and afterthought or a mandatory formality.
- A church that holds its fellowshipping members accountable and expects real spiritual growth in them.
- A church that believes in the spiritual gifts as the Scriptures lay them out, without the emotionally caricatured ones. (I wouldn't even object to the gift of tongues if it were genuine and conducted biblically (a real existing language not learned by the practicer), and not like most maniacally charismatic church's wantonly display in disarray.)
- A church that meets regularly, and doesn't dismiss services for Superbowl Sunday.
These are obviously not exhaustive lists, but my point is that I am through wasting time in congregations that ignore the spiritual reality of the world, and focus on the empty wood, hay and stubble of the world, neglecting the members of the Body, and subjecting them to eternal danger.
At the risk of attracting caustic criticism, I'll also throw in that I've valued the teachings of Gordon C. Olson as biblically sound, so any recommendations for church bodies that adhere closely to the theology that he taught would be much appreciated.
Any American church that accepts tax free status has agreed to not speak out against government evil.
I agree with you.
Hulen Street Church (on south Hulen.
Baptist, but not overtly so.
If you want less Baptist, MacKinney Bible or Christ Chapel, although both of those a fairly large.
Its not a case of accepting it by the church, its a case of the gov not being allowed.
Sorry, I missed the contemporary music notation.
Try Worth Baptist Church. No guitars, very Bible based, but not filled with just old folks (my adult kids are members there).
Try the Catholic Church - you know they believe in it since it wrote the table of contents.
I left Christ Chapel for many of the reasons I’ve posted. McKinney is similarly situated. Both are the epitome of marketing-driven mega-churches.
What does “not overtly baptist” mean?
No thanks. I’m not interested in idolatrous cults.
Check out the Wisconsin Synod. www.wels.net and go to the “WELS locator” at the top right hand side. There are two or three congregations in Fort Worth and looks like one in Arlington.
Is Worth Baptist on the South Freeway? I’ll look into it.
My son and family attend Hope Church http://hopechurch.com/
Fort Worth - Lakeland Baptist Church 3551 Cindy Dr. Fort Worth, Texas 76111 817-838-8830 Karl R. Ogdie/Pastor
I was going to post David Cloud’s directory too!
“No thanks. I’m not interested in idolatrous cults.”
Wow. So you get to decide who is or is not a Christian.
That attitude sounds almost.....Muslim.
;^)
We, too, have been trying to find a “perfect” church, but I have come to the realization that there is no perfect church here on Earth, until Christ returns and establishes the perfect church, once and forever.
Praying that God will reveal where He wants you to fellowship.
As a side note, fill me in on the SBC - homosexual reference. I need that information for my own information. I’ve been thinking they were one of the last holdouts, from an organizational level. Not perfect, at all. I just thought they were more grounded. Ugg....
So, Christianity is a make-it-up-yourself endeavor?
Heretic.
In all fairness, there are a bunch of different Bibles, all of which have different levels of clarity. So while embracing a Bible is good, embracing Biblical scholarship is better, because it focuses less on the words than the meaning of the words.
The most satisfying of churches embraces the spirit, the emotions, the intellect, and the physicality of life. To dwell too much on just one of these aspects, which is easy to do, leaves congregants wanting.
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