5 Signs Your Church is Going Progressive

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,176
113
#21
Do you think its a generation thing though with stuff like that, I mean not the huge doctrinal issues but more of the 'seeker sensistive' and church magazines that call themselves RELEVANT. To reach the younger generation, its only because there was a rebellious generation (the 60s? When it seemed everyone was getting into drugs) before them that are completely lost so they didnt pass on faith to the next generation., those subsequent parents werent reaching or even bothering to teach their children...everyone was living for themselves.

I mean there is a thing with being stuck with useless tradtions though at the other extreme.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,228
6,526
113
#22
Our Father does not change, neither do His children,.
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
16,601
3,528
113
#23
Do you think its a generation thing though with stuff like that, I mean not the huge doctrinal issues but more of the 'seeker sensistive' and church magazines that call themselves RELEVANT. To reach the younger generation, its only because there was a rebellious generation (the 60s? When it seemed everyone was getting into drugs) before them that are completely lost so they didnt pass on faith to the next generation., those subsequent parents werent reaching or even bothering to teach their children...everyone was living for themselves.

I mean there is a thing with being stuck with useless tradtions though at the other extreme.
Would you mind stating some of these "useless" traditions? Thanks.
 

crossnote

Senior Member
Nov 24, 2012
30,706
3,650
113
#24
I knew there was an issue when they changed the words " For such a worm as I" to "such a One as I". I still sing it the correct way.
Worse, they are now changing the words in Scripture, let alone denying the teachings already found there in the Bible.
 

NayborBear

Banned Serpent Seed Heresy
#25
Joel 1
4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.
7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

Joel 2
21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.
25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
 
K

kaylagrl

Guest
#26
Do you think its a generation thing though with stuff like that, I mean not the huge doctrinal issues but more of the 'seeker sensistive' and church magazines that call themselves RELEVANT. To reach the younger generation, its only because there was a rebellious generation (the 60s? When it seemed everyone was getting into drugs) before them that are completely lost so they didnt pass on faith to the next generation., those subsequent parents werent reaching or even bothering to teach their children...everyone was living for themselves.

I mean there is a thing with being stuck with useless tradtions though at the other extreme.
I'd agree,depends on what traditions you mean...
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
#28
First thing to do is have a talk with the pasture. If that don't work, discuss with the board, or elders, or second, or presbytery, how ever your church is set up. Then if that don't work ... Go elsewhere.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,228
6,526
113
#31
A sober note on the image, the Children of Israel were never lost, they were led by the Father until their time to enter into the Promised land, much as we are in the darkness of this present age.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,228
6,526
113
#32
If you did not understand fully about our being led in the darkness, instead of Moses we are blessed to have our Savior leading us a to the Promised Land, and there is no possibility of getting lost with Him as our blessed Leader, amen.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,176
113
#33
I'd agree,depends on what traditions you mean...
I dont know, cos I havent really been in a church long enough to know what they all are, but maybe stuff like standing up and sitting down when one person says to. Or praying the exact same prayer word for word every single week. Or...having free coffee. Or only ever speaking in one language that many others dont understand with no interpreter. Man made traditions that have kept the church stale. Some people always sit in the same seats every single week like they own that pew and maybe they dont ever bother talking with anyone new. Cos they just always traditonally sit there.

And drum cages, I dont know whats with that. But thats like a weird tradtion that big churches have to have a huge praise band with a drummer sitting in a cage with headphones on. Some people claimed this was to stop their sticks from hitting people in the pews, but I thought it was something to do with how noisy it all was. Why some churches have bands that sound like angsty grunge music back in the 90s I have no idea. Tradition? Do believers really want to look and sound like they having a down and dirty worshipping golden calf party instead joiing all their voices in the a the soul soaring heights heavenly angelic choir?
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,176
113
#34
I think its too much coffee. If I could pinpoint it.
No living water, or even watered down gospel, salvation has been replaced with coffee.
 

Lanolin

Well-known member
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,176
113
#35
There are some orthodox jews that only wear clothing from the 18th century or something like that. Also the amish deliberatley stay in the past and shun technology. Or is it the mennonites. Or both. Those would be extreme examples I can think of. Like they are afraid of anything new. But God does make things new.
 
Apr 15, 2017
2,867
653
113
#36
I think you could also add this to the list of signs that a church has gone progressive, perhaps under the banner of your point #3 above:

a. Referring to God as both Father and Mother (or simply as Mother)​
b. Referring to the Holy Spirit as feminine and/or as Mother​
c. The ordination of those claiming to be practicing homosexuals as pastors and priests​
d. Homosexual marriage​
e. Premarital (and sometimes even extra-marital) heterosexual sex is not considered to be sinful​
f. Female pastors & elders​
g. Biblical church discipline is no longer practiced​
h. Outside of murder, rape and/or theft, the only thing that is truly considered sinful is a lack of tolerance for all of the other sins/sinful lifestyles that the Bible condemns and declares to be sinful​

~Deut
Scientology, Christian Science, Unitarian, World Mission Society Church of God, and those like them are all leading to the new age movement, which is the future for this sinful world, and will pave the way to the beast kingdom in Revelation 13 where they will rebel against God.

These Churches incorporate nature in to the spiritual.

When the nations come together and say Peace and safety, it will be international law that a man and woman cannot marry for population reduction, which is why they want to get the ball rolling on it, and to be a vegetarian for they reverence nature.

So their morals will not be in line with the Bible for they are very fleshy with their natural look saying it is spiritual.

The Bible warns us of the new age movement and their false interpretation of the Bible, which they interpret all religions, the occult, evolution, and people can still evolve to be spiritual provided by the New Age Christ, the man of sin, the little horn, the beast.

Joh 7:32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.

Joh 7:45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
Joh 7:46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.

Jesus spoke with such boldness that it caused doubt in the mind of the officers, and they thought we had better leave this man alone for if He is telling the truth we do not want to be going against God.

And so it is with the world concerning the Bible that many doubt, but are afraid to get rid of it, for it might be true.

The Bible is very believed in the world, with other religions believing it holds truth though they may not agree with all of it, including Islam, which believes the Quran is the last book of the Bible, and many that do not necessarily believe in Jesus as Savior, and not all of the Bible, but still believes it holds some truth.

But like the officers the world is scared of the Bible for it might be true, for if it is true there is a God to fear, a God to obey, and a God to offend, and they do not want to take the chance at getting rid of it.

What to to, what to do.

And then comes along an interpretation based on the occult, and evolution, and gets worse as time goes on, and develops in to the new age movement where Jesus is not Lord and Savior, and the God of forces, or the power of nature, evolution.

Now the doubt is removed among many people, and will grow until it is a unified religious system, and then the beast kingdom which then they get rid of the unified religious system for they have no need for her anymore, for the New Age Christ harnessed the power of nature, and will cause them to evolve, and be spiritual, where they could not do it entirely by their religious practices.

Now there is no more God to fear, no more God to obey, no more God to offend, and the doubt is removed, as they get rid of the Bible belief that there is a God, and Jesus is Lord and Savior, without fear for doing so.

And all the serious flaws of some Churches, and incorporating nature in to the spiritual with the more serious flawed Churches saying father god, mother god, will all lead to that point.

And the children is the future of the world, and will be influenced more and more with it, and evolution as believed by many people, and influenced by card games, and games of the occult, and super hero movies, and will sound logical, and reality, that they can still evolve to be greater, and spiritual, with superpowers, godlike, no other being above them, and all that jazz.

The new age movement is the beginning of the end, so it has to be coming out more and more as time goes on, for they will want to affect the Church to go by what they believe, until it is standard Christianity in the world, which the Bible says the time will come that they will not want to endure sound doctrine, but want to hear it according to their own lusts, power through nature, evolving to be greater, and will turn their ears from the truth.

It is inevitable that it happens, which the Bible says the falling away first, and then the man of sin, and some people think that this applies to the fundamental Church the falling away, but it does not, for Jesus said the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church, and hypocrites do not belong to the Church, so the Church can never stumble, and never fall.

But it is the condition of the world in response to the Gospel, which when the nations come together it is international law that a person cannot preach anything contrary to the new age movement, unified religious system, and a hate crime punishable in the international criminal court system.

Which is what sparked the way between Islam and the world, for the Arab governments will come together with all the governments, but the people will rebel against the world saying it is an insult to Allah, and will feel they have no choice but to fight for their religion.

And after that war that is terrible the world will turn to the New Age Christ as the solution to have peace on earth, and indicated that the deadly wound was healed.

For the 7 heads are the 7 kingdoms that have been on earth, and the one that was wounded was the ten horn kingdom, the world split in to ten sections with a leader in each section, the 7th head, but they failed at obtaining peace for the world, and the world lost hope, and was in despair, but the New Age Christ gave them hope, and the deadly wound was healed as they believed he could provide peace on earth, and the ten horns hand their power over to him and that is how he gets control of the world.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,228
6,526
113
#37
I am not certain which is worse, looking for the sins of others or working to excuse living in sin...…..

If you truly seek a sign of an assembly's being progressive, note if the assembly rejects that we are all become sons of Abraham, as our Lord, Jesus, Yeshua, teaches.
 
Dec 22, 2018
59
19
8
#38
This question seems to link being progressive, a political term, to a sense of a 'lax' Christianity.
A similar question might be, has Christianity be co-opted by republicans?

Personally, the ethos of helping the poor and keeping all possessions in common has a left leaning feel to it.
 

JaumeJ

Senior Member
Jul 2, 2011
21,228
6,526
113
#39
This question seems to link being progressive, a political term, to a sense of a 'lax' Christianity.
A similar question might be, has Christianity be co-opted by republicans?

Personally, the ethos of helping the poor and keeping all possessions in common has a left leaning feel to it.
Hypocrites are very quick to make a peron's understanding of th Word, Jesus, political. The truth is if any listne to Jesus they could easily come up with His having leanings to the left and leanings to the right.

The United States enjoyed the best economhy of all time when it practiced what economists called Guided Capialism. This type of economy followed budiness proceedings coupled with humanitarian action. We had the office of Health, Education, and Wlfare, HEW.

People were simply not allowed to be homeless, without care and never without education.

Today this is not so........man has turned his back on those principles and in so doing has turned his back on Jesus.
 
Dec 22, 2018
59
19
8
#40
Hypocrites are very quick to make a peron's understanding of th Word, Jesus, political. The truth is if any listne to Jesus they could easily come up with His having leanings to the left and leanings to the right.

The United States enjoyed the best economhy of all time when it practiced what economists called Guided Capialism. This type of economy followed budiness proceedings coupled with humanitarian action. We had the office of Health, Education, and Wlfare, HEW.

People were simply not allowed to be homeless, without care and never without education.

Today this is not so........man has turned his back on those principles and in so doing has turned his back on Jesus.
Ah the golden years of Capitalism and Christianity in the USA.
The golden years of genocide and slavery!