Is Truth Dead?
On April 8, 1966, on its cover, Time Magazine asked, “Is God Dead? The original cover story was “about the state of the church and the deity of God.” These were the days when “97% of Americans told pollsters they believed in God.”
But, where are we now?
To determine if truth is dead, we must define the word, truth. The Oxford Dictionary defines “truth” as “following a fact or reality.” So, to state it plainly, truth corresponds with that which is real or certain.
Meaning that a statement is true if, it correlates to, or agrees with factual reality.
The last four decades have witnessed the challenge and rejection that truth is objective in nature.
At one time, spirituality and doctrine were deemed reliable in our nation.
It was considered trustworthy. Not now.
Some may never accept the truth, but there will always be truth, because God will always be God.
And that is an absolute truth.
An excerpt taken from Why Truth is not Dead.
Did we learn anything from Blockbuster?
The American church must find creative ways to stay relevant.
The relevant church is equipped to add value and to make a difference in the lives of the American people. Most churches keep doing the same thing and remain in an old paradigm.
This is simply unacceptable.
Churches in America have failed to learn the lessons from marketplace companies such as Kodak and Blockbuster — change with the times or die.
There are countless other names of many of the world’s (previously) top companies that have floundered, shrunk, or grown totally obsolete.
Every day in America one church (on average) closes its doors. It is an increasingly embarrassing truth.
As believers and leaders in the Christian faith, we must begin to pay attention to our failures and take intense action to become more productive and even more relevant to the coming generations.
That said, being relevant and making an impact requires more than being cool. We have learned and have done “cool church.”
Obviously, “cool” is not enough. We are losing the battle.
Being relevant is not simply sexy lights and dope haze machines creating a fog over our worship services. It is also not just great music with accomplished lead guitar solos.
New tools/New risk
Christian churches must preserve what is necessary and set aside what is obsolete. Seeking new methods is paramount and maintaining the genuine relevance of the message.
We must discover practical tools and take new risks in worshiping God in authentic ways.
Originally published at https://www.foxnews.com on May 24, 2019.
Is the Church Obsolete?
The organized church is experiencing a mass exodus of regular attenders.
Are people losing faith or just dumping the church?
We aren’t sure. We won’t see that. The church will forever be an absolute for the world.
Can we skip attending church services and still love Jesus? Yes. However, the scripture commands us to gather in His name.
So what now?
Church expert Carey Nieuwhof says: “I have to remind myself that, mostly, my desire to skip, pull away, and do my own thing on my schedule isn’t solitude; it’s isolation. And while solitude is a gift from God, isolation is a tool of the enemy. And there’s no faster way to render a community ineffective than to isolate its members.”
Does McDonald’s, Best Buy, or Amazon love you?
I don’t think so. If they love you, it’s because they want your cash.
Do you see churches with billboards offering big sale items? I don’t think so.
Amazon, McDonalds, and Facebook are all trying to sell you something, right?
Do we get mad at them? No.
Most churches are selling nothing. Fact is, churches are giving away stuff — things like free counseling, free courses, free training, and sometimes even money.
Despite the cynics, the church is not going away.
Jesus built the church on His Word. His Word remains forever.
The church is an absolute, and it will never be obsolete.
An excerpt from The Church, Obsolete or Absolute.
I also post at Koinonia, InterFaith Now, and Publishous.
See you next time.
