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Earlier this month, the Western Journal reported that the “American Church Has Fallen: Shocking Poll Shows ‘Fake Christianity’ Has Supplanted the Biblical Worldview.”
Writing for the Journal, Rachel Bratton said this: “American Christianity has fallen. Thanks to cultural corrosion and a lack of biblical literacy, a new ‘fake Christianity’ is now being preached within the American church.”
“This counterfeit religion is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” stated Ms. Bratton, “a worldview that has quickly gained prominence and given many Americans a theology that looks nothing like historical Christianity, despite what they may claim.” She then goes on to cite the recent work of George Barna, whose February survey showed that Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD), or — watered-down, feel-good, fake Christianity — is the most popular worldview in the United States today...
To read more visit The Washington Times.
Christianity after Christ took many different forms, broadly labeled gnostic or heretical by the Pauline Church. The Paulinists eventually secured the blessing of the Roman Empire, and through persuasion and coercion managed to eliminate all of the competititors and their holy writings. But the Roman Catholic Church, as it came to be known, had very little in common with the Nazarene movement founded by Jesus and led by his brother, James. The New Testament is not an authentic documentation of either the life of Christ or of his teachings: it has been shown to be a heavily edited and rewritten compilation (see Misquoting Jesus).
For the writers of the above article to clutch their rosaries over the way some American Christian churches understand Christianity is narrow-minded. I have spent a lot of time trying to understand recently discovered gnostic scriptures and the Hebrew Bible in an attempt to understand what Jesus may have really said and taught, and it's an inspiring journey. Does that make me a fake Christian? No, it makes me a person who puts my salvation above pleasing others, in particular when those others are trying to define "true" Christianity based on one tradition.
Or maybe for you to think you know better than the Holy Bible is just the height of arrogance and blasphemy. Just sayin. You made the article's point for it.
Christianity took one form. Jesus asked that we all be one in the one Church that He established.
People who pretend to be smarter than God, seek to do it their own way.
At this point, you shoukd be looking in the mirror, asking why you reject Jesus’ way for you own.
The Church that Jesus created wrote the New Testament, based on oral teachings Jesus gave to them.
The Bible comes from the Church.
Any “church” coming after the NT. was written, is not from Christ,
Thank the Mother of harlots and abominations on the earth for this:
Remember this key fact: Prior to the government approved and organized Roman Catholic "church" following our Lord Jesus Christ was illegal from the governmental perspective. True followers of our Lord were persecuted, hunted, imprisoned and murdered for their true testimony of Jesus Christ. The Roman counterfeit "church" legalized "christianity" according to the governments of the world. Apostatizing the true Gospel and the Scriptural Jesus, distorting the True Words of God into false religions of men. This was Satan's goal with His Mother of harlots and she has performed exceptionally well for him. This is the exact opposite of what our Lord said would happen to His true followers. He has said to us repeatedly that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. He said of His True church that the governments of the world would hate them just as they hated HIM.
So any organized, legal denomination afterwards would be built on sand and lies and would be lead by and primarily made up of false believers or what our Lord refers to repeatedly as "tares".
Consider for a moment that it was the governments of the world which arrested, tortured and murdered our Lord. Why on earth would anyone imagine that government protected "religions" of the world since then would be True New Testament churches?
https://www.jesussaidwhat.com/copy-of-revelation-17-18-man-s-chu
Great commentary Diane,
You are right on!! Ignore those arrogant replies that attacked you, they are fools. ( or as Christ said "swine", do not cast your pearls to swine, they will turn and rend you" - as those fools have done)
I got much from the writings of Rudolf Steiner, Peter Duveno, Omarm M Aivanov. They are all christian scholars that shed light on the truth. They are a great read but Steiner takes about a year of studying all his writings to understand his nomenclature. I also just love to find original scripture and writings from the early centuries, "before the modern official church and bible came to distort the truth".
We are living in times that are very hard for Christians, especially the christians that have the courage to look for truth. Fear not these are the test times, your actions will define you and as Christ said: "you will be judged by your works."
Peace be with you,
In other words, let's make our own Christianity...I smell a globalist trying to destroy Christianity...
Gnostism and Christianity are two entirely different religions. And ahh yes..."the bible was written by man...man is fallible...therefore the bible is fallible" so throw your bibles in the trash, make up a religion of your own and call it Christianity. Sorry, doesn't work that way. "Narrow is the gate..."
The Church is the Body, the arms and legs, of Christ. Through the Church, we fellowship with other believers and do God’s work.
There are many deceivers; you must discern and develop your personal relationship with your savior.
Beware of false prophets.
The feel good churches like the, Unitarian church, and lately others are selling comfort rather than guidance.
As a rule of thumb if the world and/or governments are ok with it---- it ain't no good.
Also if a person is attracted to it--- it is probably not Biblical.
See.... Gnostic beliefs.
Orthodox Christian here. My path to Christianity took nearly sixty years. As an engineer and skeptic I set up several hurdles that Christianity had to leap over to convince me that the Resurrection happened. By studying other skeptics that became Christians, including C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ) my cynical, skeptical, analytical mind finally succumbed to logic and reason...the vast preponderance of written and physical evidence proves that the Resurrection...the most difficult thing to believe about Christianity, indeed occurred and was witnessed and documented by many during Christ's 40 days before Ascension.
The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn't non-denominational - it is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe the Bible is God's word, revealed for the salvation of humanity. Their doctrine holds that God inspired the writing of the Bible in its original languages, but that translations, by their very nature, are not inspired. For Orthodox Christians, then, the focus of the Bible is the incarnation of Christ and the salvation of humanity above all else. The church doesn't take a stand on the issue of Biblical inerrancy that has caused divisions in Protestantism since the late 19th century.
Finally, we seek theosis...we seek to be saints ourselves and to constantly repent, confess and to follow the Commandments and Christ's gospels, especially Matthew Chapter 5, in our behaviors and interactions with our fellow man and all of God's earth.
Liturgy frequently leaves me in tears, and it moves me deeply every single Sunday. In words too poor to relate the experience accurately, all I can say is when the Holy Spirit washes over you, the profound sense of humility and divine love breaks through and softens the soul of the most hardened skeptic...of whom I was the most ardent.