Fear and loathing at patriotic church services

I have had a number of serious, highly committed lay Christians tell me that they either have or have considered just skipping the old standby patriotic worship services at church.

Why?

A recent experience provided me with some possible reasons.

• A church service devoid of the Gospel, where the life-changing Good News is not found in any recognizable form.
• A worship service where some of our revered historical figures of highly questionable Christian character and commitment are used to tout the faith of our founders. Jefferson and Franklin are secure in their deservedly high standing in regards to our national origins but are hardly good examples of faith and morality.
• A church service where historical quotations about God, civil religion at its best, are provided in quantity but where the Word of God is barely heard, not read, not preached upon, and not used in worship.
• A church service with virtually every known cliche about America returning to God, every tired complaint about the moral state of our nation, and all that without the one thing that can help our country - individual redemption by the blood of Christ.
• A service where Jesus makes only a cameo appearance.
• A church service where an invitation is extended to be saved but with the jaw-dropping phrase added that listeners may become like our Founding Fathers.

Our nation has some challenges but they will not be met by sacrificing our Christian birthright for a mess of civil religious pottage.

...I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God                that brings salvation to everyone who believes...

Ding dong, praying on planes, Jefferson's 'Holey' Bible, 'Ham' handed nonsense...

Better be careful about praying on airplanes, especially if you pray out loud to be seen by other men, particularly if they are other passengers and flight crew. Seems some Orthodox Jews did just that and triggered an emergency landing and a free session with the FBI and Customs and Border Protection.

“Jesus is bigger than any one religion,” says the emerging church rock star with the pair of monosyllabic names: Rob Bell. He will surely find a warm reception among classic protestant liberals and some former Southern Baptist moderates. His views are “nothing more than a slickly packaged, well scripted rehash of Protestant liberalism." Says an SBC seminary prof. Reading Rob Bell on the blood should make every Bible-believing SBCer's blood boil. The guy’s a rank liberal with his shirttail hanging out. Ding dong, sayonara Rob Bell.

Some Baptist theocrats among us like to decry the separation of church and state will actually try to rehabilitate Thomas Jefferson into a flaming evangelical. Before you swallow this bit of nonsense, check Jefferson's “Holey” Bible out…

Need a workout? Don’t lift a finger. Just watch this.

Stray Baptist quote of the week: “If you vote for Al Smith [Roman Catholic presidential candidate in 1928] you're voting against Christ and you will all be damned.” Who would preach such a thing in a prestigious Baptist pulpit? Why, Mordecai Ham, of course at the First Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, September 1928. Ham’s preaching later saw Billy Graham converted.

Biggest SBC news of the week: Tom Elliff unanimously elected president of the International Mission Board. Says the 67-year old Elliff: “I’m not coming as an interim. I’m coming with a vision, and I will serve as long as God gives me grace and energy.” Fair enough. No one likes to begin serving in an important position while everyone around you is wondering when you’re going to retire. Let’s see the vision.

Weather's nice this afternoon...have a nice early weekend.