By Jason Charles on 8/7/2019 (5 years 138 days ago)
Who would have guessed, big buildings, full offering-plates, fluffy sermons, stage smoke, lights, and loud rock-music are doing little to dispel the ugly deluge of secular arguments that have successfully caused many to stray from fundamentalism and Biblical faith.
In fact, highlighting this fact is this latest trend of megachurch pastors publicly renouncing their Christian faith. The most recent example being “former megachurch pastor” and popular author Joshua Harris who wrote this on his Instagram,
“Shortly after announcing via Instagram that he was kissing Christianity goodbye, former pastor and author Joshua Harris was recently seen marching in Vancouver's Pride Festival.
A photo was posted on Twitter of Harris and gay rock singer, Trey Pearson at the parade on August 4.
My heart is full of gratitude. I wish you could see all the messages people sent me after the announcement of my divorce. They are expressions of love though they are saddened or even strongly disapprove of the decision. I am learning that no group has the market cornered on grace. This week I’ve received grace from Christians, atheists, evangelicals, exvangelicals, straight people, LGBTQ people, and everyone in-between. Of course there have also been strong words of rebuke from religious people. While not always pleasant, I know they are seeking to love me. (There have also been spiteful, hateful comments that angered and hurt me.) The information that was left out of our announcement is that I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now. Martin Luther said that the entire life of believers should be repentance. There’s beauty in that sentiment regardless of your view of God. I have lived in repentance for the past several years—repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting to name a few. But I specifically want to add to this list now: to the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me. To my Christians friends, I am grateful for your prayers. Don’t take it personally if I don’t immediately return calls. I can’t join in your mourning. I don’t view this moment negatively. I feel very much alive, and awake, and surprisingly hopeful. I believe with my sister Julian that, “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
A post shared by Joshua Harris (@harrisjosh) on
” (CBN)
I want to focus in on this statement he made above in reference to his “faith in Jesus,” I feel it reveals much in terms of the root cause behind such apostacy,
I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”
That is just it, there really is nothing of substance taught in the megachurch environment that one might even deconstruct from; much less recant from. It truly is the shallowest of a faith to begin with; when walking away from American churchianity, you are not walking away from much, but you are walking away from everything when walking away from Jesus Himself. Anyone with any sense can see that the Jesus of the modern megachurch is not the Jesus of the Bible.
Also what's with the nod to the LGBTQ+ community, "+" what? Pedophilia, beastiality, really? The guy is without a doubt a closeted sodomite rushing to the wings of the pride community after making this statement.
The Great Falling Away
Judging by the above quoted sentiment, Joshua Harris, like many Americans are wrestling with secular condemnation from men like Hitchen’s and Dawkin’s against the Bible, Jesus and Christianity that have been hugely successful in destroying the faith of many believers. These attacks widely go unanswered by American pastors, it seems nobody has the stomach or Biblical knowledge to address these charges, and so the silence only serves to embolden the masses of agnostics and atheists which include the world elite that run the banks and happily use their money and power to oppose Christ.
In Josh's case this lack of understanding has destroyed his family, marriage, and faith in Christ, it has become that critical of an issue within our defunct culture.
What is sad is Joshua Harris understands what he is doing; he is rejecting both the historical Jesus and His divinity, and thus the very definition of Christianity. In describing this “journey” he even uses a statement mentioned by the Apostle Paul made in reference to an antichrist spirit in II Thessalonians decribing a “falling away.”
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." II Thessalonians 2:1-3
At least he is being honest as to what he is doing here, he has become shaken in mind, troubled, deceived, and as a reprobate sympathizer also a son of perdition. He is so confident in his new understanding that he is in a way flaunting God’s wrath and judgement by using this word.
Let’s face it, Josh Harris’ Christianity like most peoples Christianity is completely devoid of substance, principles, history, conviction, application, understanding, power and Truth. His upbringing, mentors, his schooling, and his own personal study of the Bible have failed him, he like many have tried to provide answers to these questions and have thus fallen into a state of total spiritual chaos.
If the church can’t provide refutations and counter arguments towards these charges, then the church has lost the culture war. The conclusion being there is no God, morality is relative, and no hope beyond the grave, so why not, Josh might as well pay the cost of reparations by apologizing to reprobate sodomites and march in a pride parade and punctuate his inability to resolve these issues in scripture that have brought him so much consternation.
Conlcusion
Knowing full well these issues are plaguing our churches I make it a point to write and expound on these secular arguments that are constantly being regurgitated against the character of God, the Bible and people of Faith.
Here is a list of some of my favorite articles I have provided through Wake the Church over the years, all provide excellent refutations to common atheist arguments that have proven to be so disruptive in society. Our slogan being “Giving Christians the tools to address the swiftly changing times” is something I have always had a passion for and would ask anyone having a similar crisis of faith to read through these articles, think on them and realize we can resolve any and every issue or charge the world may bring against the God of the Bible. But to do so we have to look at both the flaws in the current megachurch model, and holes in teaching especially in the way of Natural Law. A proper understanding of Natural Law, jurisdictional authority, and the proper roles of God ordained insitutions are critical in refuting and resolving all of the errors of our modern age.
Attacks Against the Character of God
The Merciful Destruction of Empires
Are Atheists Right in Attacking the Character of the Biblical God?
How Darwin’s Survival of the Fittest Perverted Natural Law Philosophy
The Sodomite Agenda
Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuals to Death?
Transgenderism: Baby Steps Towards Transhumanism
8 Points that Will Destroy the 'Homosexual' Agenda and Debate in America
Natural Law
The Greatest Achievement of Mankind is the Philosophy of Natural Law
The Greatest Institution
Red Flag Laws, a State of Nature and the Right to Shoot Back
The Great Work of the Gentile Believers
Contrary to Popular Belief Government is Not Inherently Evil
Abortion
Abortion Violates the Three Cornerstones of Natural Rights
Life, the Most Precious Thing in the Known Universe Ravaged by Humankind
The Institutionalized Modern Church
American Pastors Refuse to Preach Jesus in His Entirety
The Evils of the Institutionalized Church
Will God Send Good People to Hell?
The Political Jesus
Israel and their Wars of Aggression
World on Fire: Seven Decades with the State of Israel
Modern Israel and the Strong Delusion of the Christian Elect
Please visit Wake the Church for more articles along these lines.
Then let's not forget the Wake the Church film, Christ Alone which addresses everything modern preachers fail to teach on.
I want to point out also that the radical shift away from true Christianity is that of the megachurch model itself, seeing it finds no place in the example of Jesus. If Jesus is our perfect teacher then these seminary graduate hirelings, never took the class, they do exactly opposite in forming 501c3 government sanctioned organizations. Their failure is their misplaced faith in a corrupted system, not the Bible itself seeing it certainly does address these issues throughout. This one thought alone should produce so much anxiety among the typical megachurch clergy and employees, that they all do what Josh Harris did and abandoned these megachurches as a false mockery of the humble yet disruptive ministry of Jesus. But let's face it the money is just too good for most.
The plastic Jesus of the modern church bears no semblance to the modes of worship and teaching that we read about in the Gospels, Acts, or Epistles and therefore are need to be disolved as failed institutions.
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