by

When the church has lost its way.

Seriously folks, we can’t make this stuff up. Below you will see a picture of a couple SUVs at the alter of a Detroit church. Why are they there and what in the world is going on? I won’t even begin to attempt to explain. You can find out for yourself at Reuters or FoxNews.

praying-for-cars

9 thoughts on “When the church has lost its way.”

  2. One year my church decided to hold a fund raiser for some much needed repairs to our fellowship hall. We were able to strike a deal with a local auto dealer to be able to raffle off two vehicles, tickets selling $100 each.

    At first everything seemed nice. Folks were getting tickets often and it seemed like we would get our much needed repairs. However, some people were upset because one cars was a Hummer.

    It was not long before people got upset. Or churches methodists( our church is a federation of UCC and Methodists) complained that the event was gambling and against their faith. This suddenly brought the much celebrated Christmas quilt raffle into question as well.

    Needless to say, it turned into a sorted affair. We had the best of intentions but sometimes you just don’t see all the perspectives… even the ones you should see first. I think we all learned form the experience and are better for it in the end.

    Like

  3. This is simply worshipping money. Everyone is obsessed with the economy. It is the idolatry of money and prosperity. I am amazed at the American church as it continues to fall away.

    Think about it, this church is basically relaying a message that our trust and hope is in the economy. If they pray fervently over three cars in hopes that the “bailout” will help the economy then all is well. This is ludicrous. Where are the sermons that proclaim the sovereignty of God, the call of God to proclaim the gospel and to realize that He is in control and how these times will be used to transform His elect more into the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

    America is obsessed with one thing: fortune.

    Like

  4. I really do believe that if the 12 apostles were to come back today & take a look at many of the mainstream American churches of the 21st century as a whole, they would have a hard time recognizing it. Here we are, instead of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, preaching a “social gospel” totally devoid of any mention of sin, repentance, judgement, suffering for the sake of Christ, the dangers of worldliness, Christ being the ONLY way to Salvation, & hell. Instead, here we have “pastors” preaching on how to live “your best life now.” I seriously wonder if these “pastors” have even stopped to think about those early Christians suffering persecution under the Romans & our brothers & sisters-in-Christ suffering in countries like North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia & other countries. Were the early Christians living “their best life now?” Are those imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel today living “their best life now?” No!!! But, I’m sure that persecuted Christians then & now have looked forward to or still look forward to the day when they hear Jesus say to them “well done, good & faithful servant.” I believe that this story really shows were the heart of many American professing Christians are: loving money instead of God. If anything, I think that the church would do better to be praying for those who are effected by the economic crisis than praying for the economy itself.

    However, I will add that I do feel that Jay’s comment was a little unfair & broad-brushed concerning those concerned about the economy, as I know some who are geniunely concerned about supporting their family, paying for college, etc. In fact, there’s a friend of mine from the dorm at my college who is unable to return next semester because the downturn of the economy has resulted in a loss of money & business for his family & he’s unable to pay for school. Sorry if I’m putting words in your mouth, Jay.

    Like

  5. “However, I will add that I do feel that Jay’s comment was a little unfair & broad-brushed concerning those concerned about the economy, as I know some who are geniunely concerned about supporting their family, paying for college, etc. In fact, there’s a friend of mine from the dorm at my college who is unable to return next semester because the downturn of the economy has resulted in a loss of money & business for his family & he’s unable to pay for school. Sorry if I’m putting words in your mouth, Jay”

    This downward spiral, {which will not let up btw,} is truly a time of testing for believers. Sacrifices might have to be made, such as college, letting go of an extra vehicle, cutting back on unnecessary spending, etc. We must remember, we brought NOTHING into the world and it is for certain, we can take nothing out. Our focus seems to be on ‘self’, getting that degree so a comfortable income can be attained, living in a home that may be too much house for us, etc. It is unfortunate that some will not be able to continue in an education, but when we compare American Christianity to that of our brothers and sisters in Christ in other countries, we fail miserably. They rip pages out of their Bibles to take and memorize, they risk being jailed and killed for their faith in Jesus Christ, and we whine because our bank accounts are dwindling! Our ‘way of life’ is being interrupted, and with good reason. It is time to ‘let go’ of all worldliness, and re-focus on Christ and Christ alone…nothing else. When God removes all our ‘comforts’, will we still praise Him? I pray so.
    I have no job, and as a middle aged woman with no college degree, the chances of me obtaining a decent paying job are slim to none. I am currently drawing unemployment, and face the likelihood of losing my home down the road. Guess what? I praise my God that through all this, He has re-directed my focus, and also strengthened and deepened my trust in Him. No matter what happens, I am looking unto Jesus, for He is my Rock, He is my God, He will NEVER leave nor forsake me. Hallelujah! I praise His Holy Name!

    Like

  6. The pastor at my home church spends much of his sermon talking about himself. The last several weeks have been spent talking about how he is doing on the Stock Market. He brags about being debt-free (he doesn’t mention that he married into money!) Too many pastor’s feel you must talk about money in order for people to come to Christ. They say that you will have life and have it to the full. Talk about being blind to the Truth!

    Like

  7. The Pilgrim,

    You should have added a poll for people to decide what this was about.

    1. Is this a T.D. Jakes wannabe giving the weekly name-it-and-claim-it sermon complete with visuals?

    Then a disclaimer. Nope, can’t be 1 because the cars at the altar are not BMW’s or Hummers!!

    2. Is this a modern day reenactment of Elijah calling down fire against the greedy prophets of Baal?

    etc, etc, etc.

    Seriously, this stuff is so pathetic. It is not there is an issue or concern over people’s jobs, but the sheer greed to which the majority of this country has arrived. The manufacturers are greedy, the politicians are greedy (not to mention duplicitous and hypocritical), and many Americans are greedy because they don’t (and can’t) get enough of what they think it takes to make them happy.

    The Desert Pastor

    Like

Tell us what you think:

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.