Apr. 29, 2008 - A Creation Conference ....
...and Apathy
I am a southern. I live in the BIBLE belt. The conservative of all conservative places, right? I don't think so, no, not anymore. The BIBLE belt is becoming apathetic and lazy. Let me give you an example.
This weekend there was a Creation Conference in our county, this weekend. The conference was set up by a public high school senior as his senior project. He has a desire to go into the ministry. His advisor suggested he do something dealing with his desire. He chose Creation vs. Evolution. He asked a member of our congregation, who is very knowlegable in this area, to be his mentor. This member was also a speaker at the conference. They invited a professor, Dr. Charles Jackson, from Liberty Unversity to come speak, too. Dr. J. , as he likes to be called, has participated in several debates against evos. He uses the evos research to prove their very own theory isn't valid. You could tell he is a very intelligent person. He spoke in very intellectual terms, but then put those in terms we lay people clould understand. The turn out was better than expected. There was 300 to 350 people there.
I'm getting to my point, hold on. We live in a small rural county, that has around 200 churches in it. Do you know how many out of the 300 people that attend were pastors? 50, no. 25, no. 10, no. There were 5 pastors there, FIVE. FIVE, out of the 300 people. FIVE, out of 200 churches. I know pastors lead a very busy life, but come on. Are they not concerned about the lies our children are being taught? Are they not concerned that our kids are being taught a theology disguised as a scientific fact? I know several churches had events planned for the weekend. One had a spring fling celebration. One had its annual fundraising BBQ a week early. Both are in important in their own way, but are they as important as the struggle for our childrens' minds? Apathy.
Why has apathy invaded the BIBLE belt? I think there are several reasons that have diverged at the same time. One is the decline of the denominational churches. The long time bastions of southern churches, the Southern Baptist and the United Methodist, are succumbing the influence of the world. I know some of you Southern Baptist would disagree with me. Your paticular church may have not, but there are those that have and it won't be long before it creeps into more and more churches. My DH overheard Dr. Jackson tell a pastor at the conference that he was fired from a Southern Baptist college for refusing to teach evolution at the college. That sounds like wordly influence to me. On the other hand, I know several churches in our area have broke fellowship with the Southern Baptist over the Southern Baptist conservative beliefs. So there is a strange dynamic going on there, a struggle for power. Then, there is the United Methodist. Oh, how John Wesley must be shaking his head at the denomination he founded and their liberal hiearchy. They no longer stand on the word of God but on the Book of Discipline. The world has taken foot and is sitting in the front pew. There are several other small churches; independent baptists, church of God, etc. They are more concerned with their people being at church every time the church doors are open, even if they have to sacrifice family time to do it. The story of Eli and his sons obivously have no meaning for them. People in the south are disillusioned. The BIBLE is no longer being focused on. Very few churches are left that preach and teach the whole BIBLE, the whole truth of God's word, his love and his wrath. People are hurting. They need hope, help, and love. Churches are doing no one any favors by ignoring their members sin. We all sin. We all fall short. The CHURCH, the body of Christ's function is to love and hold each othe accountable. The accountablity isn't there. The love is to some extent, but if we fail to loving hold a person accountable for their sin are we really loving them. I have been in one of these lukewarm churches. I know how hard it was for us to leave a place where generations of my family worshiped. However when the word of God was no longer preached, we had no choice but to leave. It is not my intention to offend anyone. I am making some sweeping generalizations. This is my opinion of what I am seeing in our county. There has been so much turmoil going on in so many churches in our county. I believe it is a direct result of the word of God not being the focus.
Another reason is the influx of people from other areas moving into the south. They are bringing with them their values, beliefs, and ideas. We have seen an influx of people with very liberal viewpoints. They are influencing our schools, churches, and our communities. One apple spoils the whole bushel is a popular saying that is holding true here in the south. The influx of these ideas are slowly eating away at the souths' BIBLE beliefs and ideals. We are to ever vigilant against the influence of the world. We southerns as a whole have dropped the ball. Our culture is slowly being eaten alive by the world and its influence. Our churches are suffering the most. Apathy has taken control.
There are those of us that aren't apathetic. We are working hard at trying to raise up of kids in the ways of the Lord. We are working hard to get our priorities in order; God, family, others, self. We are trying to live a life that lets the light of the Lord shine through. We are trying to take a stand. We are trying to let others know of the insidiousness of the worldly influence. We are trying to warn them that the pretty package the world presents is rotten to the core. We are trying to be vigilant.
The turmoil we are seeing in our county with the churches, I believe, is God separating the wheat from the tares. I thinking He is trying to separate the real followers of Christ from the self-proclaimed so-called Christians. He is sorting out His body from the body of the world. Hopefully the south will rise again to be a great proclaimer of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, we once were.
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