The “Spiritual Community” Formerly Known as Church

By: American Decency Staff

By:  Chris Johnson On the back page of Monday's Muskegon Chronicle newspaper's "Local/Region" section, this headline draws the eye: Spring Lake 'spiritual community' C3Exchange in financial trouble. That headline prompts the question, "what is a C3Exchange and out of all the businesses going south, why is it news that this one is trouble?" The answer is because it's not a business.  It's the spiritual community formerly known as Christ Community Church and it's news now because it was news a year ago when they removed the cross from their steeple and changed their name to become "more inclusive." Back then, Ian Lawton, the church's pastor, explained it like this: "Our community has been a really open-minded community for some years now.  We've had a number of Muslim people, Jewish people, Buddhists, atheists… We're catching up to ourselves." In addition to removing the traditional, universally recognized symbol of Christianity from its roof top, the newly branded C3Exchange "dechurched" the inside of their building. Lawton described their reasoning.  "We want to make the whole experience from the moment people walk in the church… to match our inclusive identity.  We're not trying to change anyone, because we say, 'come as you are.'" Fast forward to Monday's paper which features the lead: "Pastor: Returning to traditional church service not on the table." This is not an isolated incident says the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Pastor Albert Mohler, "Liberal churches and denominations are suffering massive membership losses and the evacuation of active church members from congregational life. While some observers are interested only in the levels of church attendance and membership, others note that active participation in the life and ministry of the church is directly linked to long-term involvement and attendance." "C3Exchange" has dropped from about 1,000 members to 250, according to a township supervisor who used to usher there. Mohler continues with an explanation of why the vivacity of liberal churches was doomed from the beginning. "These 'lay liberals' have only a weak grasp of a diluted Gospel, and tend to see doctrine as a matter of little or no consequence.  For them, Christianity is reduced to a vaguely positive way of life that often comes down to little more than being kind to others. (Sociologist Nancy) Ammerman and her team have identified this as 'Golden Rule' religion, and it goes hand in hand with low levels of lay involvement." Or, as he explains more succinctly in a separate article, "At the end of the day, a secular society feels no need to attend or support secularized churches with a secularized theology." This liberal theology is exactly what emptied the churches of Europe.  If there's nothing special about Christianity, why would you go to church? Yet this is precisely the direction so many American churches race towards today. We don't want to offend people, or they won't come.  We can't preach about Hell, or it will scare people away.  Choirs are lame and old fashioned, so those are out.  Ditto hymns.  We don't want to waste people's weekends, so we'll drop our evening service.  Oh, and women are liberated now and can do anything that men can do, so we should let them preach.  Who are we to judge homosexuals?  Can't they be with the one they love?  Creation in 6 days?  That's not what the secular atheist scientists say.  (They couldn't be biased, could they?)  It goes on and on and on and on. As Moehler and others have noted, liberal theology doesn't have a destructive motive in changing its portrayal of Christianity. "Theological liberals do not intend to destroy Christianity, but to save it.  As a matter of fact, theological liberalism is motivated by what might be described as an apologetic motivation.  The pattern of theological liberalism is all too clear.  Theological liberals are absolutely certain that Christianity must be saved…from itself." But, as the Europe's empty churches and "C3Exchange" prove its clearly not working. In fact, rather than save the church, it leads its honest followers down the path that liberal-theologian-turned-atheist Gerd Ludemann traveled. “I don’t think Christians know what they mean when they proclaim Jesus as Lord of the world. That is a massive claim.  If you took that seriously, you would probably have to be a fundamentalist.  If you can’t be a fundamentalist, then you should give up Christianity for the sake of honesty.â€Â ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

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