This post is excellent, and timely, as my husband and I have been discussing how the church is now so meshed with the world that you can no longer tell a difference between the two. I completely agree that the “seemingly small incidents” are taking a tremendous toll on the body of Christ. So much filth and sin surrounds us daily that we become dull to what it is…filth and sin! We reason and explain away scripture so that it becaomes meaningless and make excuses for everything from nudity and filthy language to debt and divorce, saying that times have changed so it’s ok. Times may have changed but God’s Word hasn’t, and neither has wrong and right.

Thank you for this post, and may God bless you for not being silent.

And I expect you to qualify–a quality I tend to lean to myself. And yes, thinking about that, is was too much a generalization; I agree, we were not founded specifically as a Christian nation but because many of our founding fathers were Christians, much of the political policies mirrored their faith and the principles were “good for all”.

I appreciate the clarification

I know how things tend to spin off-topic around here and certainly don’t want to detract from your main point.

I just have this “honesty” thing that forces me to not say “I totally agree” if I’m not sure that I do.

But oh, I am totally with you on our frighteningly precarious position of having “no fear of the Lord”.

I wonder how many of us are “Isaiah 29 Christians”

“And Jehovah said, Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men;
therefore, behold, I will go on doing among this people, a wonder, even a wonder. For the wisdom of their wise ones shall perish, and the understanding of their intelligent ones shall be hidden.
Woe to those who go deep to hide their purpose from Jehovah! And their works are in the dark, and they say, Who sees us? And who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:13-15)

I’m not simply pointing fingers, here, as I’ve seen myself in that passage as well. We go through the external motions, thinking we are serving God, but really, we need a thorough, deep down disinfection. Our only hope is in repenting on our knees, rending our hearts rather than our garments, and begging the Lord to be merciful and heal us.

Need to ponder the “Christian nation” thing for a minute

THIS:

“I grieve for the picture of God we have painted to this generation of children. How can we teach His love without teaching His justice? What kind of Father forgoes discipline? According to the very words of our Savior, only an illegitimate son gets that kind of treatment.”

…strikes at the heart of what the Lord has graciously shown me is wrong with most of us Christians today. We want the best of both worlds (eternal life while still being allowed to be our own gods). That is exactly what God said in the garden could never be allowed.

This last year, I had the most vicious battle with anxiety and depression I have ever experienced. I came to the point of questioning whether I had EVER been truly saved.

And my Father was so merciful to bring to mind

“”And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked by Him;
for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives.”
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons, for what son is he whom the father does not chasten?
But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons. “”Hebrews 12:5-8

Instant illumination!!!! I was so sick of trying to be in charge and so frightened at the frailty of my own being. I was truly brought to the end of myself and was wholeheartedly crying out “Daddy–discipline me! I NEED to know I am yours and can’t go on wondering if I’m just pridefully faking the Christian experience. I’m ready to learn! Teach me your ways so that I man walk in your paths.”

And He has been faithful to answer. None of the circumstances I was worried about have changed, but He has come and is continually changing me.

Never, ever disregard the essential aspect of Godly discipline. We all need it and our humble acceptance of it proves that we belong to Him.