by Pastor Don Elmore

Have you noticed what the names of the new churches that have sprung up in our midst in the last 20 years?  Vineyard, Cornerstone, Crossroads, Crystal Cathedral, Community Church etc.  There is no mention of Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Puritan, Congregational, Church of Christ, or other Protestant churches.  What has happened?

The Protestant nation is over.  The new congregations are following the handbook of establishing churches (?) that have no affiliation with the old Protestant faith.  It used to be that when you were a Lutheran, that you believed the teachings of Martin Luther.  Martin taught the predestination of God.  But most Lutherans no longer teach this doctrine as well as others that they once believed.

The same is true with the Presbyterian Church, Baptist, and a whole host of other Protestant churches.  They no longer teach what their older churches taught.  They erred greatly when they bought into the lie of signing up for the 501c3.

  Then there was the question of gender leadership over men; then there was the question of membership; then the question of race; then the question of homosexuality; then the question on ???? 

On the front page of our local newspaper is an article about two female pastors who were voted in as the head of the local Christian Church.  And how many former Protestant churches have women pastors and assitant women pastors that used to be agains what their older church taught?  And it's going to continue.  The article stated that there is now more women than men in the seminaries. 

And what about the predestination of God?  The new churches don't mention it at all.  The new congregations are multicultural and free will.  The TULIP doctrine of the Presbyterians is long forgotten. 

And what about the question of race?  The new congregations are open to all races.  Each person of any race can choose Jesus to be their savior. 

What about the homosexual?  God's love for everyone would include the sodomite?  It doesn't matter to them what God said the He likes or doesn't like.  The churches are caving in to marrying same-sex partners.  The Christian church is about dead … “Contend for the faith of your fathers”