@Courtney Parris: Looks, uh… interesting. I’ll give them a further read later on.

LOL, your pretty funny, I also live in NYC it might be cool to have friends like you. Here is a website that is pretty cool its probably the coolest church on the web, but thats just my opinion. Enjoy http://www.yhwh.com

I think I might have read the book you’re referring to a ways back. Reminds me of the saying that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

LOL! Point taken about Max Lucado — he’s spoken at Promise Keepers and other “weenie-esqe” gatherings. He also was on some New Age-y meditation DVD “Be Still”. In the early ’90’s, he published a Bible study on Christ that wasn’t half-bad, though. I still like the quote….I don’t know; he may have been quoting someone else.

Marie, what else is there to say but

I really wish you hadn’t quoted Max Lucado though. He can be such a weenie sometimes. I think his books are even scented with perfume too. Dude, who does that??

Okay. Where do I begin. Well, let’s see…I’m probably at least twice your age, and I can tell you this sort of “who are we to judge” sugar-coated nonsense was going on in the evangelical world even back when I was in college, which was before the age of chat rooms and message boards.

Glad to see someone mentioned 1 Cor. 5; saves me the trouble.

I’ve seen the same thing on “Christian” message boards, which is a big part of the reason I no longer post on them. (That and the proliferation of extreme charismatic, aberrational theology….everything I know about IHOP and the KCP is due to my involvement on a message board and subsequent research I did). But back to your point - you’re right. The term “Christian” has or is losing its meaning, at least here in the West. I fight against cynicism (towards the church) daily, but a lot of what I’m noticing is that by slapping a label “Christian” on something, you can market it successfully to a significant percentage of the population. Examples I’ve seen this week? “Christian” stunt-men/pro-wrestlers and a family “Christian” conference they were pushing at church (it features hot tubs, boating, tennis and luxe accommodations). Don’t forget the all-you-can-eat buffet meals - remember, our God is our stomach. Nothing wrong with a conference, if you want to spend your $$ on a vacation that way — but please tell me what any of that has to do with the Gospel?

The guy practicing “greasy grace” on the message board is the logical conclusion of the self-absorbed lifestyle many in the “Church” lead. Add to that the culture of extreme tolerance we live in, and naturally no-one’s conscience is being pricked. And if I sound like a headcovering-wearing holier-than-though IFB lady or whatever, I’m NOT. Not by a long shot. In my early 20’s, I drank waaay too much, shacked up and sinned with impunity - shortly AFTER claiming Christ as my personal Savior. And you know what? Although I repented of that life years ago, I still carry the scars on my soul. As Max Lucado put it, “there’s no creature on earth more miserable than a disobedient Christian”. It’s because if we truly ARE in Christ, the Holy Spirit is only going to let us get away with that “double life” for so long. If he sees nothing wrong with it and feels no shame, I doubt his conversion was sincere and may God call him to take a long, hard look and do some soul-searching.

A repentance free-gospel is no Gospel at all. Of course we’re not going to be perfect once we come to Christ, but there’s got to be some sincere desire to obey His most basic commands there.

Sorry for the long vent — this post really hit a raw nerve. You’ve touched on a real problem in our understanding of “Christianity”. It’s become more a commercial thing than a deep committment, I’m afraid.

Thanks ecclesia.

As a side note, I was wondering why your comments always seemed to get moderated. I had to check my list of filters and for some reason “spirit” was included, so that must have been it. Darned heathens.