A Sweeping Trend In The Modern Church

This is going to be a very long and heavy post (I warned ya'll that I am in a reflective mood!) It is one that has been weighing on my heart for too long. It is a touchy subject, I know, and very controversial amongst even those I have personal friendships with. I sincerely do not say these words to offend or rebuke any particular person or family. I say them because I feel compelled to, and I cannot remain silent about this. I do not ask that anyone reading these words agree with me. There are just times in life when you have to stand up and be accounted for.


There is a trend coming up in evangelical Bible churches that up until recently has been reserved for churches of the liberal and pentecostal persuasion. This trend, being driven by the feminist movement and fueled by societal pressures, is for churches to no longer have a distinction between male and female roles within the church. Once reserved for men, women are now rising up into the roles of pastors and elders. The main justification for this change is that women's gifts are not being used to their full potential. That by not allowing women equal footing within the church, we are denying them access to full use of the spiritual gifts given to them at conversion. In addressing this issue, the church staff is siting particular texts and reinterpreting them to read that the role of women in the church was once a cultural thing and is no longer relevant. I have a friend who has been attending one of the churches in our community that is now moving towards this trend, and after 9 years there, she and her husband made the decision to leave. She said she spoke with the senior pastor and asked him where he personally stood on women's roles in the church and also within the context of the home and he sited their 26 page document "explaining" their choice instead of giving her his personal viewpoints. Billy and I sat up one night and read this online and were shocked by the number of times Scripture was being reinterpreted and realigned to fit their points. Books written by secular authors were sited as justification for this shift. The church that Billy and I grew up in our faith did a 3 part series over this past summer on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood that explains how the Bible stands on this heated debate.


To me this is part of a bigger problem, the secularizing of church. We have been attending a refreshingly traditional church since May. Our pastor did a series on Rebirthing the Church and he spoke about how off the mark churches have become. How it is much more about attracting people to come to your church through programs and side shows, instead of Bible study. Exposition has been replaced by Entertainment. Hymns have been replaced by praise songs that build upon an emotional high as the same lines are repeated over and over. He said that being in a church where the Bible is inherent, without changing it to fit the times, is what you need when the bottom falls out of your life. Colored lights and funny movie clips will not help you when your spouse dies. They will not help you when you receive a terminal diagnosis. Amusing and exaggerated stories will not comfort you when you experience a miscarriage. You need substance to handle the blows of life.


We know this to be true in our own life. When the rug is pulled out from under you and you go to church and the pastor is making jokes about his recent vacation with lines like, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." This does not help you pick up the pieces of your broken heart. Billy and I have visited several churches over the past years and sadly we came across this more and more. Often times it has the opposite affect, instead of leaving entertained and refreshed-we have found ourselves bored and further from God then when we entered. And even more sad, very very alone. It is lonely to be one of the few of your friends that still holds to "traditional and old-fashioned" Christianity. But we know when we go to the church where we are and when we listen to our old pastor online, that we are not alone. When we read John Calvin, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, and John Piper-we know we are not alone. We also know that we are no better than any other follower of Christ, no more advanced in our thinking, or in any way holier- the Lord knows that! Just personally convicted about this, that's all.


My heart is heavy for those I know that have succumbed to the modern ways of thinking. I believe it to be a cancer that is slowly invading our churches. We attended a church for awhile that has young 20-30 year-olds as elders...ELDERS! I don't know about you but I cannot trust that a 27 year old has withstood the test of time that it takes to prove yourself capable of that type of service to the church, capable of that amount of wisdom and guidance. How is a 25 year old single guy going to counsel a 64 year old man who has lost his house in a fire? It is this kind of decision making that will have long lasting effects upon the people there. I asked the husband of my friend who is leaving their church why they think more are not following and he said because the complacency has happened so slowly over time that many have not noticed. We agreed that the average family in combination with the social network and ministry opportunities that they are involved with, means they will quietly overlook this and ignore that twinge in their guts that maybe something isn't right doctrinally. That twinge of the holy spirit saying STOP, THINK! Don't just go along with it because everyone else is. Don't allow the world to convince you this is right. IF the Bible has to be reinterpreted to make your new concepts workable something is wrong with that picture!!


And I have to say that if ever in your life you were blessed to attend a solid church where Biblical Exposition was the agenda every Sunday, then you really ought to know better. You once ate of gourmet and are now eating fast food-quick, easy, convenient. And it will eventually make you sick. I do not propose that you do what it is often typical of our generation and "date the church"- meaning trying every other church on to see what will be a permanent fit. But I do say that now is the time to go, if you need to go. Don't use having children as an excuse to not finding another church, or leading a ministry team for why you have to stay. There are ministries to be led elsewhere. Go because your conscience is telling you that you must. This is the perfect time of year for new beginnings.