Why Are Churches Celebrating Sin?

Chris

Administrator
Staff member
Why Are Churches Celebrating Sin?
Affirming sin is not the same as forgiving it.
By Scott Hogenson

There’s a lot to celebrate in Christian worship services. Singing hymns, prayers, and the learning of God’s Word are all part of corporate worship, and I happily participate in that. I also participate in confession.

The Protestant tradition involves both a public and silent confession of sins. It’s an acknowledgement that we are sinful by nature, and have sinned by thought, word and deed. Through this confession and our earnest repentance, we seek and receive forgiveness through God’s grace.

I sin every single day. I don’t like that I sin but as a member of the human race, it is an inescapable truth with which we’re stuck. As the apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Rome, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That includes me.

Rational people can agree that sin is bad, and I do not embrace my sin; I confess it and seek forgiveness. Jesus Christ said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him,” so I reject any celebration of my sin.

But not all sins are treated equally. Increasingly, Protestant churches are celebrating sin through the installation of ministers whose behavior promotes LGBTQ ideology.

Consider this February 15th report whose headline heralds the “First openly transgender pastor called to guide Lutheran church in North Dakota.”

The pastor’s installation was unanimously approved by the congregation of the church, which has reportedly hosted town hall meetings to discuss, among other things, whether people should be forced to deny reality by calling women men, and vice versa; and whether children should be protected from genital mutilation. One can only speculate as to how those discussions will be steered.

The article goes on to quote the new pastor saying “Historically the church hasn’t been kind to transgender people. A lot of churches still aren’t kind to transgender people.” I do not know how the pastor defines what is kind or unkind but I do know that historically, the church has believed in the word of God as written in the Bible. A lot of churches still believe what is written in the Bible.

The behavior that defines LGBTQ ideology is sinful. That’s not my assessment, that’s what Christ said. He laid it out in the Gospel of Mark when He said, “Out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Affirming and celebrating the behavior of LGBTQ adherents raises a question for Christians: If we’re going to celebrate this sin, what other sins are we prepared to celebrate? That’s a scary proposition and it’s already happening.

The sin of murder is celebrated through the increase of euthanasia. The sin of theft is celebrated through prosecutors who have decriminalized it through their failure to prosecute. The sins of coveting, envy and deceit are celebrated through Critical Race Theory. The sin of slander is celebrated hourly on cable news channels.

Components of Critical Race Theory are even creeping into conservative parishes today. Whether this portends churches celebrating the sins of CRT’s advocacy for race hatred or its alignment with Marxist ideology remains to be seen.

We all sin, and through confession, repentance and grace, God forgives us. We are also called to forgive those who sin against us. Whether these are sins of sexual immorality, envy, theft or anything else, our duty is to forgive others as God forgives us.

But forgiving sin is not the same as affirming it.

The Bible instructs us to love one another but it also tells us to abhor that which is evil. None of my sins should be celebrated; they should be abhorred. If any pastor in the pulpit affirmed or celebrated my sins, I would walk out in the middle of that sermon and find a better church. But more churches are celebrating more sins, and it’s a colossal moral and civic hazard.

If the North Dakota pastor has been harassed, threatened, assaulted or otherwise treated unkindly, that is flat out wrong. Likewise, the pastor is entitled to the full enjoyment of and participation in American civic life, and I would demand that any effort to prevent the free exercise of these rights be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

But it is not unkind to believe what the Bible says. It is not unkind to call a sin a sin. It is not unkind to notice reality and natural law. These are normal behaviors. Just as I reject any affirmation of my sin, I reject any attempt to deny that which is normal and in accordance with Scripture.

In many cultures across time and space, the church has provided the moral bedrock of society. When churches celebrate sin, that bedrock crumbles and over time, so do the societies built upon it.

https://www.raptureforums.com/defending-the-faith/why-are-churches-celebrating-sin/
 

RobinMc

Well-Known Member
And everyone in the church voted for it. I wonder if the vote was conducted after the nays had decided to move elsewhere? I would have to ask the pastor some questions, referring to specific verses, but I would probably just be called a troublemaker and asked to leave. What does God think when He sees and hears these things? I know He knew from the beginning what was going to happen.
 

Dengar

Member
That is why immorality is spreading like wildfire. Too many cowering down to the Sodomites. We are to be separate, unequally yoked. Rebuke and reprove ; not condone and associate.
If we do what we are supposed to most will not like us and probably hate us. Jesus said they would. However, there'd be some that would be reached and repent and be born again. The going along with them and telling them God accepts them as they are(Asbury example) is leading them straight to Hell. They are to turn to the Lord in Repentance.
 

ItIsFinished!

Blood bought child of the King of kings.
It sounds like a lot of people are going along to get along. We are to be God pleasers not people pleasers. We need to stand up for Gods truths not compromise.
Look at the SBC ever since they started to compromise on God's Word.
They will never be the same.
Compromise always starts somewhere , and in almost every case it is The Word of God that gets compromised.
 

lightofmylife

Blessed Hope-Prepare To Fly!
Look at the SBC ever since they started to compromise on God's Word.
They will never be the same.
Compromise always starts somewhere , and in almost every case it is The Word of God that gets compromised.
Charles Stanley in Atlanta, Georgia was once the leader/President of the SBC. I bet he isn't going along with this apostasy, but I do know that his son Andy is a false preacher.
 
Last edited:

lismore

Well-Known Member
What does God think when He sees and hears these things? I know He knew from the beginning what was going to happen.
Hello Robin. I think this scripture is relevant: 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. What does God think? He thinks they've turned away from the true faith to follow demons. God Bless You :)
 

Hsmommy

Active Member
We are a congregation of about 50. In the last 3 years we have had couple #1 living together prior to marriage. Couple #1 “mentors” couple #2, also living together. Couple #2 breaks up. Couple #1 marries. Guy from couple #2 gets new girlfriend & becomes couple #3. They are now living together. Wedding is scheduled for June. All had or have ministries in the church. All the while we had a board member committing adultery (couple #4, I guess). Board member was allowed to resign from the board as opposed to being tossed. Couple #4 is now divorced. He is still with his affair partner who is married to someone else. He has now returned to the church. Pastor has dealt with none of this.

Such a mess.

Sigh.
 

Dan the Elder

Well-Known Member
Excellent article. Just today I read an article by Jan Markell in Harbinger Daily; "What has happened to our church?"
This has been going on for decades now. Satan slips things in incrementally and unnoticed, then builds on them. He knows there is apathy in many churches; just "going along" to "get along". Then one day you wake up and say "What happened?" Just like some evil prosecutors today use laws to protect evil, satan uses love, acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness, against the church. Most people should not be forbidden to come into a church service (immediately satan would say "Well, how about a drag queen, or a streaker, or escaped convict with a machete?). However allowing attendance is a long way from affirming a sinful "lifestyle".

The church I attend is currently going through a transition. Our "shepherd" of 25 years retired and moved away. We have four younger ministers and four laymen that make up our "Leadership team". They decided to ask the "convention" the steps they should take. First Step: "Take a survey of the church attenders and community to see what direction the church should go?" My response was: "Wait, don't you think we should seek a new shepherd and let him be involved in that decision instead of asking the sheep?" Nope, on with the survey - and I think we may be headed for the cliff.

In the last 25 years there has been a lot of change in this church. I know the same type of thing is taking place all across our Nation. It breaks my heart, but I understand what Jesus meant when He said; "Persevere to the end." Last Sunday, I asked another retired pastor if he thought we were near the rapture. The first words out of his mouth were "Well, we don't need to Worry about that", I said, "No Pastor, I believe we're very near, and it doesn't worry me, it excites me!'
"Even so come, Lord Jesus!"

God bless, Dan
 

lightofmylife

Blessed Hope-Prepare To Fly!
Excellent article. Just today I read an article by Jan Markell in Harbinger Daily; "What has happened to our church?"
This has been going on for decades now. Satan slips things in incrementally and unnoticed, then builds on them. He knows there is apathy in many churches; just "going along" to "get along". Then one day you wake up and say "What happened?" Just like some evil prosecutors today use laws to protect evil, satan uses love, acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness, against the church. Most people should not be forbidden to come into a church service (immediately satan would say "Well, how about a drag queen, or a streaker, or escaped convict with a machete?). However allowing attendance is a long way from affirming a sinful "lifestyle".

The church I attend is currently going through a transition. Our "shepherd" of 25 years retired and moved away. We have four younger ministers and four laymen that make up our "Leadership team". They decided to ask the "convention" the steps they should take. First Step: "Take a survey of the church attenders and community to see what direction the church should go?" My response was: "Wait, don't you think we should seek a new shepherd and let him be involved in that decision instead of asking the sheep?" Nope, on with the survey - and I think we may be headed for the cliff.

In the last 25 years there has been a lot of change in this church. I know the same type of thing is taking place all across our Nation. It breaks my heart, but I understand what Jesus meant when He said; "Persevere to the end." Last Sunday, I asked another retired pastor if he thought we were near the rapture. The first words out of his mouth were "Well, we don't need to Worry about that", I said, "No Pastor, I believe we're very near, and it doesn't worry me, it excites me!'
"Even so come, Lord Jesus!"

God bless, Dan
I :pray your situation in this church gets straightened out. It is :cry to see the churches going into apostasy. :fish said to follow me not man, but the :bibledoes say some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of :diablos.
 

Wally

Choose Your Words Carefully...
Willful ignorance
Apathy
Rejection of God's truth
Substitution

Root cause? De-throning of Christ. He is Savior, and everyone has the wounded lamb picture.

But flip the icon and you have King of Kings with an Iron Scepter.

He speaks The Truth because He IS the Truth.

But men would rather argue and trade the Truth for lies.


Such is the greater portion of what we call the church in these days.
 
Back
Top