The "Age of Apostasy" for American Evangelicals is the 21st Century

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/09/christian-nationalism-and-extreme.html

The Apostle Matthew wrote a comprehensive narrative, called "The Sermon on the Mount," quoting Jesus' preaching and teaching, which scholars believe probably represents several settings where Jesus taught in front of groups of people. There's a longer, more comprehensive listing and description of moral virtues and characteristics theoretically demonstrating what Christian living should look like, starting with things like "Blessed are the poor in spirit," and those who mourn, and those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and those who are merciful, who are pure in heart, and who are peacemakers. That is the very core essence of Christianity, that's what Jesus said it should look like.

So does it?

A political intrusion, to which many Evangelicals have become susceptible because they cannot get past the turning of abortion rights and human sexuality into political agenda issues, has removed the practice of the Christian gospel from many churches through misguided leadership. Instead of having a worldview based on the Christian gospel, they have a distorted worldview based on a political agenda, with Trumpism as the primary influence. So it is that a man whose lifestyle exemplifies a worldliness that is diametrically opposite the values of Jesus and the Christian gospel has deceived many Evangelical Christians into exchanging their loyalty to Christ for loyalty to him. He can't tolerate the other.

[The Magistrate]

1. The Old Church Had It Right, Sir

At almost any cost, the Scriptures must be kept out of the hands of the laity....

[FakeNoose]

2. Apostasy is sort of an old-fashioned word

Here are a few dictionary synonyms for "apostasy":
Heresy
Faithlessness
Defection
Recantation
Abandonment

Are we all on the same page now?

[bullimiami]

3. I'd argue, just another in a long history of descents into apostasy.

Men run the churches. They sometimes have the same values as Jesus, sometimes not.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Somebody should tell them to leave their churches when Trumpism replaces the gospel

Churches would all be bankrupt.

[lees1975]

5. A lot of people are leaving.

Membership in churches that self-identify as Evangelical has dropped 16 million in the 8 years since 2016. And that's not because of COVID.

[hatrack]

7. A solid start . . . but not nearly enough . . .

.

[3Hotdogs]

6. Sermon on the mount --- that's the one where he says,

Blessed are the cheese makers?

[hatrack]

8. "It's not meant to be taken literally . . . "