Last week, I tweeted this: Jesus loves us too much to let us stay wallowing in our sins. His love is exacting, challenging, perfecting.

I feel like I need to talk about something that is completely out of my depth. I feel inept, small and not at all able. But it's been burning in my heart and soul so I feel like I need to try. I got so angry last week and I wasn't really sure why. Time has brought a bit of clarity and I feel like trying to tackle it here.

If you spend any amount of time on the internet (and I do) it is very soon that you'll see a large group of people who call themselves 'Progressive Christians'. These are mainly young people who have left mainstream evangelicalism and although they still bear the name of Christ, they are changing their views on lots of things that they were raised to believe. Things like h.om.ose.xual.ity, gender roles in the church, heaven/hell, the Rapture, the Lord's supper, etc. These young people are leaving mainstream Christianity in droves for reasons that I believe are the direct fault of the way our churches have become. (I'm saying 'our'  - meaning North America - because I believe that although the States is much bigger than Canada, especially in regards to Christianity, the trend encompasses both countries.)

I think some of their reasons for leaving have merit: For example, one person I read about had left because he was so disillusioned by the worship services and how they were less like worship and more like concerts. (So, so telling.) Also, a lot of these young people have experienced spiritual abuse, physical abuse and more. They have not seen Christ's love played out in their homes, they haven't seen Him in their churches. So I honestly do believe that the failure of the church at large is at fault for why so many young people are leaving. We've gotten away from what the Bible really teaches. We've forgotten how to speak the truth in love. We no longer know what it means to sift doctrine, and rightly divide the word of truth. Basically, we've moved away from God. It is disheartening at best, horrifying at worst.

But regardless of their reasons for leaving, instead of truth-seeking and turning to God's word, they are building a new religion. I feel like it should be called the Religion of the Apostates. They call themselves Christians but they believe in the opposite of what Christ taught. He taught love, and they claim that is what they are teaching too. "We only need His love," they say. "MY Jesus never condemned anyone but Pharisees!" one said. Like they have the edge on Jesus or something. Like they aren't breathing their very breath only by His ever-lasting grace. They're right that He never condemned anyone but Pharisees, but what they're forgetting is that He also never let anyone wallow in their sins. He told people to 'go and sin no more'. He expected them to move away from their sins into the goodness of His grace.

They're explaining away basic truth, like women having a spoken role in church. They're scoffing at the Rapture. They believe in evolution. They believe that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, should be accepted. (I'm not speaking here of loving all people. I believe that each human being is loved by God and deserving of respect and love from all of us. I'm speaking here of people who call themselves Christians but practice alternative lifestyles at the same time.) They explain away all verses on immorality to fit their needs. They align themselves with the world-view of our culture: Anything goes, whatever makes you feel good, it's who you are. They're becoming something so far from Christ-like, but still paying lip service to Him, that I don't wonder if they are the whore of Babylon.

This is not Christianity. This is not what Jesus taught, nor Paul, but they don't really believe much that Paul said. Jesus taught us to love, yes. He also teaches us to walk away from sin, to make different choices, to act differently than the world. He was a radical in His day, but I don't see Christians being radicals. I see people being too afraid to speak up with the truth. I see a placating of sinners and making them look better. I see 'loving' people so much that they're being told it's okay to stay wallowing in the muck of their sin. I see making the word of God into a lie, and bending the truth to fit whatever whim and fancy. I see churches and pastors not willing to do much other than tickle people's ears.

It is really scary to me. And angering. And baffling. But one thing I do know, is that all this is not a surprise to God. All of this is happening according to His purposes of coming back and reigning in judgement. The world is on it's way to hell in a hand-basket, but I now believe that apostate Christians are the ones holding the handle and tossing it there.

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:17, 18 

Also worth reading:
Romans 16:17-19
1 Timothy 6:3-5
2 Timothy 4:3-4