Leaving Christianity for All the Wrong Reasons

C Michael Patton @ http://www.reclaimingthemind.org has an interesting post on theological reasons why people leave Christianity.

Theological Reasons: Casualties by Friendly-Fire

Thesis: We have the tendency, left without theological discipleship and accountability, to make God into who we think he ought to be. When that version of him fails, it is not as if the true version has failed, but only the version we created. Therefore, we have not really left God in a proper sense, but we have left the God we made. Sure, this God may be called “Jesus” and he may have died on a cross for our sins, but, for some people, these form secondary characteristics that are not foundational.

The lack of theological discipleship in the Church has created casualties by friendly-fire.

The “My will be done” type of God named “Jesus”

The personal promise maker God named “Jesus”

The “I am primarily concerned about your success and stability” God named “Jesus”

The “I am about your glory” God named “Jesus”

The “Jesus” who said the world was flat

"In summary, the church needs to look long and hard at its current Gospel discharge methods and see that the lack of intellectual viability presented and the bad theology allowed for form the bed that we have made. From a human perspecive, we may be suffering such loses due to friendly-fire. We need to make sure that if people are leaving Christianity, they are not doing so for all the wrong reasons".

A False Prophet in Hamilton

By Kirk M. Wellum @ http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com/

Earlier this week my oldest son Caleb drew my attention to a piece done by the CTV news program W5 on the Dominion Christian Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. Today I finally got a chance to read a summary of the investigation that was posted on the CTV website as well as view the accompanying videos. Needless to say the whole story is very sad. The s0-called "pastor" Peter Rigo is anything but a godly Christian man. He is a foul-mouthed miscreant who will one day have to stand before the Jesus he so arrogantly misrepresents and give an account for his pathetic bullying of weak and foolish people. He is an example of the kind of false prophet that Jesus and the apostles warned about time and time again in the New Testament.

As I read the report and watched the videos I wondered to myself how someone like Peter Rigo can get anyone to listen to him. What is it that makes seemingly rational people surrender their better judgment to an abusive control freak? His answer is that it is the will of God. But there is nothing about his conduct nor his words to suggest that he is in any position whatsoever to speak for God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned about false prophets, and by legitimate extension, false pastors. He described them as coming in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. And then we are told that by their fruit we will recognize them because a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (7:15-20). Rigo's fruit is as rotten as his tirades are infantile and he is therefore self-condemned.

People like Peter Rigo and "churches" like the Dominion Christian Centre reveal how vulnerable some people are and how susceptible they are to manipulation and a dominant personality. Sin enslaves people and affects them in different ways. Some try to sinfully dominate others while some allow themselves to be dominated. Jesus sets us free from the domination of sin and allows as to live as free individuals under his lordship. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and through the study of God's word we are able to discern those who would take away our liberty and bring us into bondage once again. Our freedom has been secured at great cost and it is something we should treasure and not allow anyone to take from us.

The greatest tragedy of a story like this one is the way that the name of Jesus is disgraced by those who misrepresent him. It reminds us of our need to pray everyday that God will "hallow his name" by furthering the spread and development of his kingdom and the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13). One day his name will be honored by all when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father! What a glorious day that will be!