“rat rod” who attends a recovery group meeting during the week and sits in the back of the sanctuary during the early worship service on Sunday. We rightly can count that person as a participating member, however, often these people are generally not reflecting the family participation needed. The median age of the average congregation generally

matches the description of being “Classics Only”.

The pronounced presence of senior citizens without a significant number of accompanying young couples, teens, and children in attendance is problematic. This makes me wonder if our Christian population loss is demonically spurred. We are

vulnerable to such. As a pastor I find that we moderns have lost our biblical emphasis on family because of sin and ignorance. 

 The fault I think rests in our modern distortion of the Law as expressed in scripture to ancient Israel. Consider that the Ten Commandments were given to God’s chosen people for several reasons. This occurred as the Hebrews (a name derived from “hapiru” which means wanderers) were settling into the land of Israel. The Law dictated directly from God to them was initially intended for the proper growth and maintenance of that particular society, as well as advancing the planned reconciliation between God and men. A lesson should be learned in that Hebrew exile was to follow. They didn’t hear the mandates. I fear neither do we.

 At that time in history, however, notice that people had large families, including many wives and many, many children. Now, please do not see this as an endorsement of polygamy. However, it is a pastoral complaint of mine that we Christians in modern society have usually refrained from having many children in a family. Today, only those populations who are in so-called “Third World” nations with less access to modern birth contraception methods seem to maintain population growth. These gains, however, are often demonically blunted by open, violent persecutions coming from competing religious groups, local warlords or atheistic socialists.  Tragically, hidden powers behind the so-called “green earth” movements seem to applaud these decreases in population, even so abiding the emergence of violence as an acceptable control tool. 

 

Right Turn...

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Where have all the children gone? Will the continued acceptance of progressive societal norms grow the Christian church?

Congregations must ignore past habits of maintaining racial and ethnic boundaries! Imitate Jesus and be inviting.