Most institutional Christianity in America today is pseudo Christianity. It has the appearance of Christianity but it is just a religious facade led by wolves in sheep’s clothing and hirelings lording over a flock of mostly goats. The leaders of pseudo Christianity appear as shepherds but they speak with a forked tongue.
Pseudo Christianity is now the vast majority in America. That is why astute Christian people are saying that America is now a post Christian nation even though over 70 percent of American adults still claim to be Christian.
100 pointers that should help you understand, identify or avoid pseudo Christianity:
- Those that believe you become a Christian through a ritual of baptism as an infant or as an adult, probably are in pseudo Christianity.
- Congregations that believe a ruling clergy is biblical, probably are full of pseudo Christians.
- Only pseudo Christianity believes the Pope is the vicar of Christ.
- Those that believe the communion wafer magically becomes the flesh of Christ and the cup actually contains the blood of Christ, have a pseudo Christian vampire communion service.
- Those that believe The Message is a Bible, just have a really bad paraphrase that teaches pseudo Christians false interpretations of the Bible.
- “Christian bookstores” sell more pseudo Christian books than real Christian books.
- “Christian” TV networks have many pseudo Christian teachers that are teaching pseudo Christian doctrine to mostly pseudo Christian watchers.
- Those that pray to saints, have a pseudo Christian prayer practice.
- It is a pseudo Christian belief that the church is a building – The church service is held in the sanctuary – the front stage in their “sanctuary” is an altar.
- Teaching that Christians are required to tithe, is teaching pseudo Christian legalism.
- Those that put men or woman leaders on pedestals, practice pseudo Christian idolatry.
- Those teaching that the Holy Spirit does not come with conversion and that tongues is the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit, postulate pseudo Christian doctrine.
- Word of Faith Theology is pseudo Christian twisting of the scriptures.
- Those that believe that Catholic doctrine leads people to salvation, have pseudo Christian salvation theology.
- Those thinking people like Rick Joiner are prophets, and people like Benny Hinn are healers, have been deceived by pseudo Christian forked tongue hucksters. Followers of these counterfeits may even be pseudo Christians themselves.
- Those that believe that studying doctrine divides the Church teach pseudo Christianity.
- Pseudo Christianity believes ecumenism will unite the world religions for God.
- Pseudo Christianity believes that If your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds you will go to heaven.
- Those believing writers claims that they went to heaven or hell and came back to talk about it, are believing pseudo Christian fairy tales. (With the exception of Paul and John.)
- Those that believe their sins are paid for in Purgatory, are believing pseudo Christian heresy.
- Pseudo Christianity believes you can earn God’s grace.
- Those that believe Jesus was a prophet or just a good man but believe Jesus was not God, are pseudo Christians even if they claim to be Christian.
- Those that say there is no hell, have pseudo Christian hopes.
- Mystics are not holy people, but pseudo Christianity might think otherwise.
- Those using mystical practices to hear from God, only get a pseudo Christian deceptive experience.
- Pseudo Christianity will put experiences, feelings, new revelation, tradition and mystical experiences on the same level as God’s written word.
- Many in pseudo Christianity believe that everyone is a child of God. They think God is in demonic people.
- Pseudo Christians often believe that God is a force.
- Making images of angels to appear as females, is a pseudo Christian distortion of the truth.
- Where they claim God is female, you will be among pseudo Christians.
- Christianized twelve step programs can only be supported by pseudo Christian psychology.
- Psychology taught from the pulpits are pseudo Christian messages.
- Intellectuals of pseudo Christianity claim that the Bible is not the actual words of God.
- Pseudo Christianity believes there are other paths to salvation besides through Jesus.
- Christians that do not believe in the universal flood recorded in the Bible, have a pseudo Christian worldview.
- Christians that believe that man naturally evolved from a lower life form, have pseudo Christian denial of what God said about creation.
- Pseudo Christian spiritualists believe that man is spiritually evolving. They think man can evolve to become God.
- It is pseudo Christianity that believes that Mormons are Christian – Jehovah Witnesses are Christians – other damnable cults are Christian.
- Those that think they can work up their faith, by faith in their faith, only work up pseudo Christian faith.
- The Universalists of pseudo Christianity believe that all people will be saved.
- Legalistic teachers that want to put you back under the Jewish law are teaching pseudo Christianity.
- Naive Christians tend to believe that those coming out of Bible colleges or seminaries are properly trained to discern the scripture. That is why they hire pseudo Christian hirelings that were indoctrinated by pseudo Christian professors.
- In pseudo Christian practice a novice is often made an elder.
- Larger numbers does not means that God is in it. That is pseudo Christian thinking.
- Mega churches as the biblical model for the Church is nothing but pseudo Christianity hyperbole.
- Prosperity teaching is a pseudo Christian get rich quick scheme.
- Only pseudo Christianity would believe that Oneness Pentecostalism is not a divisive heretical doctrine.
- Pseudo Christianity probably would claim that Osteen, Warren, Jakes, Copeland, Meyer, and ilk are biblical teachers.
- Only those indoctrinated by pseudo Christian emotionalism would believe that goose bumps means the Holy Spirit is present.
- Those that think emotional frenzy can bring the Holy Spirit down in their church, like pseudo Christian worship.
- Those that believe that God is uniquely present in the front of the church, have pseudo Christian religiosity.
- Pseudo Christianity often thinks you earn brownie points with God.
- Pseudo Christians might not believe Jesus died for sin and rose again, but they think God will save them anyway because they are such nice “Christian” people.
- Giving money to get more money is practiced by those trusting in pseudo Christian witchcraft.
- Pseudo Christianity believes salvation comes through obedience to the law or that salvation comes through obedience to their church.
- Women teaching men biblical doctrine in the congregation is a pseudo Christian feminist take over attempt.
- Only pseudo Christianity puts active homosexuals and other flagrant sinners in church leadership positions.
- Pseudo Christians tend to go to Sunday entertainment services once in a while.
- Worship leaders (whether they know it or not) may use endless repeating of lyrics and rhythmic music to get all their pseudo Christian seekers into an altered state of hyper suggestion.
- Rote prayer is most often practiced by pseudo Christians brainwashed by religion.
- Pseudo Christianity believes doing penance for their own sins brings forgiveness.
- There is only one gospel of salvation and pseudo Christianity does not know it. People are not saved through a social gospel or another made-up gospel. They are accursed.
- The belief that the Church replaced Israel or superseded Israel is pseudo Christian myopia.
- Those mocking the physical second coming of Christ, have pseudo Christian denial of the facts.
- Pseudo Christianity that loves the world, claims that Bible prophecy is a diversion.
- Pseudo Christianity that loves the world system, have a pseudo Jesus.
- Human reason cannot determine those actually saved or not. Pseudo Christianity believes otherwise.
- Pseudo Christian leaders support other heretics like themselves and help give them a platform.
- Christian media has a pseudo Christian Mafia. If you’re not in their pseudo Christian syndicate, good luck getting your message out.
- Pseudo Christian pastors love to Lord over “their” congregation.
- Churches run like corporations have great faith in pseudo Christian economics.
- Pseudo Christian leaders hate biblical discernment ministries. Self-willed leaders will not be corrected.
- Hireling pastors fear offending anyone with what the Bible actually says, so they tell pseudo Christians feel good stories.
- Christian leaders teach pseudo Christian doctrine because they do not study to show themselves approved. They have bad hermeneutics and they proof text. (They search many translations and paraphrases and/or find something ripped out of context if it gives the illusion of supporting their pseudo Christian teaching.)
- Pseudo Christian teachers oppose solid Bible teachers that have sound doctrine.
- Goats that follow Pseudo Christian leaders have never really studied the word of God for themselves. They just eat whatever garbage is fed to them.
- Pseudo Christians often deny reality. They will claim things that they know are not true. (E.G. Obama is a Christian.) They go along to get along to appease fellow goats.
- Pseudo Christians do not have a Christian worldview. Anything but.
- Those often on the demonic side of social issues are Pseudo Christians.
- Pseudo Christians will often downplay Satan, but they are firmly under his control.
- Money, ambition and power are three things that drive pseudo Christian leaders.
- Leaders that say fundamental Bible believing Christians are a danger to our society are Pseudo Christians if they even claim to be Christians at all.
- Pseudo Christianity is working toward joining with the Harlot of Revelation 17 whether they understand how they are doing that or not.
- Pseudo Christian leaders will join with satanic religious systems on points of common pseudo Christianity.
- The government indoctrination system called public schools can only be supported by pseudo Christianity.
- Church run preschools are a pseudo Christian childish practice. Preschools were invented to replace Christian mothers.
- Many in pseudo Christianity conform to the culture of the satanic world entertainment system. They even like to call it a contemporary worship service.
- Pseudo Christian teachers do not even get basic Christian doctrine correct and they never get into the meat of God’s word. They are strict vegetarians.
- In pseudo Christian congregations, the wolves in sheep’s clothing are seldom held accountable. They are only fired if their deeds have been exposed by the world media.
- Pseudo Christian church leaders are not pastors to their flock, they are gurus to their goats.
- The cultural war in America was lost because America’s pseudo Christian leaders never showed up for the war.
- Only pseudo Christians would support abortion on demand.
- Some in pseudo Christianity teach Marxist Liberation Theology. They are covetous and they sow discord through racial and class division.
- Pseudo Christian pastors do not lead the flock to green pastures, they will send their goats toward the gates of hell.
- Those that are not servants of the congregation are not pastors. They are pseudo Christian pitchmen and dictators.
- Some pseudo Christians believe in Dominion Theology. They think the Church will persuade or make the world convert to their own form of pseudo Christianity.
- Pseudo Christian leaders think they get direct revelation from God outside of His word.
- Presumptuous Pseudo Christians claim all kinds of supernatural powers that cannot be proven and cannot be supported by anything said in the scriptures taken in proper context.
- Some pseudo Christian false teaching claims that America is a Christian nation and even has a covenant relationship with God just like Israel.
- Some churches believe their church is a place for unbelievers to meet and to be entertained. This is their pseudo Christian way to grow the church.
I am sure you can add your own list to my list. Knowing these things, you should see pseudo Christianity is now the rule in at least 90 percent of what is called Christianity in America. True Christianity is abiding in the doctrine of Christ. The post Christian culture in America still has the appearance of Christianity but for the most part it is a worldly religious counterfeit.
In one sense the institutional church has become just like her mother Israel. She is going into harlotry with the world just like Israel did. I guess the institutional church will not be in any position to point fingers at Israel when God gives unmerited grace to Israel and restores her.
Believers are not told to assemble each Sunday in a building full of pseudo Christians but that is increasingly becoming the new reality in America. Believers are told to go out to those that have not heard the good news and to make those that hear the gospel disciples of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul makes it clear that salvation is a result of God’s grace. It is given to those that believe in God’s righteousness to save those that place their trust in His righteousness and salvation. I hope you will believe and be saved because accepting or rejecting this free gift from God embodied in the God/man Jesus determines your eternal fate. Pseudo Christianity that is now so evident in America will not save anyone.
Having grown up In churches which teach many of the above things, I will state that it takes a lot of Bible study to discard the teachings which are not in accordance with the Bible. For example, it took me a number of years to understand that salvation is not conditional on how I acted today but is God’s grace freely given.
This is a good post and sadly way too accurate. Besides your own, have you any single website which you would refer others that may be in one of these organizations, where good doctrine is taught (I can think of two or three but on your blog the recommendation, if any, should be yours).
I can’t say any specific site would agree with all my points but there are many that would agree with most of them.
Many of the biblical discernment sites would agree.
For example, just off the top of my head, Brannon Howse, Mike Gendron, Roger Oakland, and Bob DeWaay and on YouType, Jacob Prash and Charley Garatt on Superior word.
Well, sad but true. All of it. But the Lord always has a remnant. When the Rapture does happen, I don’t believe it will have much impact on the world overall. And if it happens during a time of war, it will be even easier to explain away.
Maybe the only reason to go find a “church building” to visit on Sunday is to stand up in the middle of the service, and loudly call out the errors being espoused. But you would likely only get one, maybe two shots at it before being bounced.(sarcasm) but really, I’ve often thought of doing just that. You could even dress the part of a prophet of old. Now, that might be too entertaining, and the goats would applaud, thinking it was a cleverly conceived part of the service.
It’s just amazing at how fast things are going down hill, but, it started nearly a hundred years ago. There was some effort to reverse this, when the Baptist had the major upheaval and the Fundamentalists broke away. But even they have largely been corrupted into this move towards mysticism, new age, ecumenical movement at large. I was shocked a few years back when I wrote to the editor of Lighthouse Trails about two Fundamentalist Schools, and they wrote back with evidence they were moving into the same errors of mysticism, mind altering, prayer movement that all the other major schools had. And it has to do with accreditation. The world has infiltrated, and the takeover is nearly complete.
Nobody wants to rock the boat but the hull is so full of holes that it is going down anyway.
Jack Impe hits #34 on a daily basis lol.
That being said, I don’t attend church, and to be honest I don’t like to. I’m not a very outgoing talkative person. I don’t like the chit chat about mundane things that 95% of the world does. The message the pastor gives, while maybe biblically sound, never touches on hot topics like politics, hell, etc.. In fact it just gets me angry that the church as a whole is allowing this evil to spread across the nation. My in laws hound me for not going to church and think I must not be a true christian when that is obviously not true. I just see no reason to go.
One of the main reasons to fellowship with other Christians is so that your spiritual gift or gifts can be used in the service of other Christians. I am not saying you need to attend a Sunday church service to do that.
I think you covered it all Don. I pretty much gave up looking for a Church. I just read the Bible and sites like yours, Rapture Ready, & a few others. The whole lot of churches have been deceived or are afraid to offend anyone rather than preaching the word. I don’t want to hear stories of how a Pastors week went and spin that into a few bible verses. Most don’t even point out our sins and need for repentance.
You know Don, maybe you might start holding a get together for breakfast on Saturday morning. Invite someone you meet at one of the churches you visit. It might give you time to feel them out, or even persuade them to your way of thinking. Point being, that dear friend and Brother I mentioned who passed on not long ago, that’s what he did. And even one Saturday every other month invite the wives along. This became even more important after many in the church turned against him, because he dared to speak out,but he was founding member still attending, but gradually dropped off until he quit going. Those weekly breakfast get togethers were good for him.
For once, I don’t think I could add anything more to what has been said. This might be the best piece of yours I have ever read. Unfortunately, it is all true. I cannot see or believe how we can have much time left here, and I do believe things are going to continue to accelerate towards our departure. The Rubicon HAS been crossed.
Something like that becomes likely but I first will have to decide on which congregation I am going to visit regularly. People generally do not meet people to fellowship with by just attending a Sunday worship service. They have to take part in other church activities.
65.. I hear that one a lot!
How about the persons that party like nothing drink like fish but when a job or career move is in the balance they go to church so God will help them.
Actually it’s covered under the “love the world” one.
# 8 gets me, it’s a argument u can’t win w/ someone that grew up praying to saints & Marry. I said to some family that are Catholic that all true believers are saints & gave the scripture (I was ready) then I got “oh wow I didn’t know that”
Good article Don. Man I can’t wait until we are raptured! Hollywood is priming the public for the deception I can soo see that w/ all the programming tv shows. We are so close God personally told me 🙂 just kidding.
Jim said…
“Jack Impe hits #34 on a daily basis lol.”
While I don’t agree with all that Jack Van Impe says, nor his conjecture on many issues…JVI quotes Jesus as The Only Way To Salvation since I’ve been watching him for several years.
I don’t agree on that comment.
David,
My comment was intended to say that JVI preaches AGAINST the idea that all paths lead to heaven. I know he regularly attacks “chrislam” for the fraud it is.
Don,
What’s your opinion on Kent Hovind? I’ve been following him since he got out of prison. I love how he attacks evolution, but he also strongly believes the church will go through the tribulation (which all of us here disagree with).
My opinion is that I would listen to his teachings on creation but Bible prophecy is not Kent Hovind’s area of expertise.
“I’m going to church.” What is that??? It’s a ridiculous concept in our “sacred church building” era we live in. But as believers, it isn’t an option, it is a commandment in scripture that we fellowship together (Col 3:16, Heb 10:25, 2 Tim 4:2, Eph 4:12, acts 9:31-32, acts 2:42). Not doing so because it is annoying, uncomfortable, not edifying, not useful, etc. is a rejection of His Will.
The question is, how do we do obey? Are we, sheep as we are, to go into a building every week and trust and follow shepherds that may be leading the flock astray? And then comes the challenge to find meaningful fellowship among lost sheep. The shepherds are put in their place on divine authority (Thes 5:12) We know and recognize that they are human, with human weakness and sin, so we know they aren’t going to be perfect. So at what point, at what level of “failure” in the duties a leader has been appointed, does a sheep turn and go another way?
A pastor of a church I was attending recently invited a Myles Monroe disciple to teach in front of his congregation. Of course he was teaching pure crap. When I questioned the pastor why he would allow a false teacher among his flock, he advised that I must learn to chew the meat and spit out the bones. That I need to practice more grace with church leaders. However, my problem with this advice is that sheep, who are known for going astray and for being foolish, sheep who are not anointed as leaders, sheep who are called to follow, will be unable to discern meat from bones and choke. But certainly it is no small thing for a silly, foolish sheep to cry out saying that all the shepherds appear to be incompetent! It is like the sheep is rejecting authority, even God’s authority. But all around me seems to be compromise. Shepherds are so often turning from God’s Word and instead are turning to human thought, writings and processes, so many of them faulty, ecumenical, gnostic, or human-centric with only faint shadows and allusions to God’s truth. Pastors who access, affirm, and encourage teachings of CS Lewis, Blackaby, Ken Ham, Norman Vincent Peale (Guidepost), Billy Graham, Chuck Colson, etc., even the Roman Catholic church, ALL of whom, at times, have offered terrifying half truths and a tainted gospel message.
Furthermore, pastors seem to be much too busy with church business to spend time with a sheep who has questions, who is hungry and wanting so badly to be fed the meat of scripture.
I Cor 11:17 would suggest that our struggle is not a new development and that we must keep going, continue to fellowship, and to stay strong and courageous. Computerized fellowship is extremely valuable but I wonder if we can effectively minister to one another the way God intended. I often think of the young church of the New Testament and the great love they had for one another, sustaining each other both physically and spiritually.
Note taken on the good points in your comment. However, I think there is a fundamental problem with your belief that hireling pastors are put there by divine authority. The erroneous belief that institutional churches have pastors from God leading the congregation and that Christians should follow these hirelings and control freaks is why they are reigning in pseudo Christianity.
Paul in Thes 5:12 is saying that Christian should take note of those that teach Christians in the ways of the Lord. In general these hirelings are not doing that and they are not pastors. The history of the institutional churches proves many of their leaders were Satanic plants. It is no different today.
The Church model is a plurality of elders not a ruling pastor lording over the congregation. The pastor of true Christians is our Lord.
Christian fellowship should not only be on line. We don’t even know how much longer that type of fellowship will exist. We are in for a rude awaking if we think the near future will be anything like it has been over the last few decades.
Wow! This is great! I’m going to bookmark this page. Thank you for this. My mother in law watches word of faith preaching because it makes her feel good and Benny Hinn and I constantly warn her. I’m going to show her this.
Thanks for the input, Don. You’re right. As far back as I can remember, pastors and teachers were to me a vision of divine authority and wisdom. They were selected by the elders to teach the flock. They were trained and ordained and, because of that and their selection by prayerful elders, my understanding was that they possessed special insights into scripture. Of course if a “church” is to stay intact, the elders, pastors and teachers must agree so in my mind they’re lumped altogether in the same category of church leadership.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 states: “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.”
And Hebrews 13:17 KJV “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Judging from the audience and the overall context of these passages, I understood these as referring to elders, pastors and teachers. It commands me to obey them. They are over us, and they admonish us. This would of course indicate a certain amount of lordship or leadership over the flock. Maybe my hermeneutics are wrong?
Based on these verses (along with others that address general church government), I feel compelled to quietly obey the leadership. I worry constantly that I am just a renegade thinker, someone described in Titus 3:10-11. Because, I think to myself, how on earth can I possibly be the only one in this entire church that notices the problem with this thing that was just said, taught, etc? While 90% of what is said from the pulpit is great, 10% of the time I’m squirming in the pew, completely agitated because I can’t reconcile what was just said with what I know of scripture. And I know from experience that questioning the pastor or elders just gets me into big trouble. So most of the time, I just sit there quietly, my head swirling, feeling like I’m going insane (and gagging on the bones).
There is of course the mega-church model (Calvary Chapels). They may be better at teaching truth but there is still sometimes some question that might come up or something you need to discuss (especially about their view of salvation by our decision, our act of faith) but there is little or no meaningful discussion or interaction with the leadership. It feels more like a show you attend. After 15 years of attendance at our Calvary Chapel, I never even met the pastor or saw him up close and a couple of conversations with disinterested assistant pastors. I think this model is in danger of positioning the pastor(s) into movie star role instead of shepherd. Because of the size of the popularity of the leadership, the followers seem to take on a sense of worship of the leaders.
I will add to all of this that being a woman brings with it an added dimension of difficulty. I have wondered whether its proper for me to even participate (comment) on this blog or to just quietly listen in (1 Cor 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church).
So I go back to my original post about pastors and church leadership along with a couple of questions: Are there in fact shepherds/leaders who are positioned to tend to the flock? And, if so (this one a bit rhetorical) where are they? And why is it that this sheep feels so completely abandoned?
Julie,
If u think for yourself that doesn’t make u a renegade thinker & u should be able to ask anything to any so called leader of a church. Keep in mind that not all church leaders have your best interest at heart.
Just because a mouse is in a cookie jar doesn’t make that mouse a cookie. Just because someone either leads or assist in leading some church doesn’t make him a leader, could be a wolf in sheep clothing. bahhh
Those scriptures you quoted are not saying that you should obey wolves in sheep’s clothing and hirelings that care nothing about the sheep.
My article claims that about 90 percent of what is now called Christianity in America is really pseudo Christianity. If you are among the other ten percent you are mostly among true Christians and scripture about your elders would apply.
It could be that you are feeling abandoned because your elders are not following a biblical model. That does not mean they are pseudo Christians but it could mean that they are conforming more to the American pseudo Christian church model than the Biblical one.
Julie brought up some interesting points. A few I used to struggle with. I understand how she’s trying to be scriptural in an unscriptural world.
Leaders are sheep too but when they start believing they are rulers the trouble begins. What obedience do they ask the “sheep” to conform to? Things on Don’s above mentioned list?
The churches around here are so small they don’t even have elders. There’s usually a part time pastor who has a full time secular job, and maybe a paid music director and a youth director who gets paid for teaching a Sunday School class of three. Everyone wants to get paid. Seems like no one volunteers their service for the Lord anymore.
Women should be quiet in church. Apparently that doesn’t include teaching Sunday School?
I had a phone conversation with a pastor once and I asked him what his position was on replacement theology. He said, “What’s replacement theology?” So I explained it to him. Was that disobedience because of my gender? I didn’t think so.
Or take the pastor I knew who took it to an extreme. A small group of us from the church were sitting in his living room one afternoon having a conversation about nothing in particular when his wife innocently tried to enter the conversation. “Shut up, Cheryl,” he snapped.
The same thing happened on another day. I high-tailed it out of that church. I don’t care what he preaches I’m not following that jerk.
I like being single and am quite capable of understanding without having to ask a husband so I may be wrong but I think there is more to that passage than just ‘shut up, you’re a woman.’
I got off on something there but it’s about following and obedience; the line between scripture and pseudo scripture.
Don, As a long-retired staff writer and columnist for a major city daily, I can appreciate the research, time and effort you put into these timely articles…This one especially. Keep them coming Brother. Your’s in His service, Tom
Most pseudo Christian believe that there religion is what saves them. They have the religion of Cain, the works of their own hands, Instead of the righteousness that Christ gives freely by His blood sacrifice. Most are trusting in their own righteousness.
First John 1:8 says, If you say you have no sin, you are a liar and do not the truth. Rather than trust in Jesus and His righteousness, they are trusting in their own righteousness. They have to make themselves perfect, as they believe their righteousness will get them to heaven.
For pseudo Christians it is all about what they are doing for God, rather than what Jesus did for us.
They are trying to earn their salvation through good works instead of doing good works because of what Jesus has done for us. Most are still living under the law instead of a love relationship with Jesus because He first loved us. They go about trying to establish their own righteousness through obedience to laws, rituals of obedience, and rules of conduct.
They have no love for Jesus. Who needs Jesus when you are already perfect in your own eyes. They believe they have made themselves righteous not realizing they are sinners and can only be saved by trusting in Christ’s righteousness which comes by faith.
If we could have kept the law, then Jesus died in vain. Obeying the law just fills us with pride and self righteousness. Doing those things in the law because we love Jesus for giving us the free gift of salvation is true Christianity. Most love themselves more than God. Maybe they have just lost their first love. It is getting harder to tell the sheep from the goats.
If history repeats itself, the religious leaders of today are the Pharisees when Jesus came the first time.
A fake Christianity for a fake nation with a fake president for its mostly fake christians. How appropriate.
We don’t have a fake president & fake country anymore b/c the real Christian patriots came to the polls. This country was never fake by the way just idiots running it.
Thank you for reprinting this.
Can relate to the “Am I the crazy one here” re: sitting in a church and hearing “off” teachings start to take hold. One I attended fell under sway of desiring the Toronto Blessing. The pastor was sincere, but “a little leaven leavens the whole lump”. I left and have mostly been in the wilderness. Tangling with Church and all the associated issues of trust/hope/Heaven/Hell/ betrayal/loss can leave one with the effects of having touched a hot burner and (wisely?) saying “Never again!” Or a vague “Maybe again…”
I’m in God’s Word now daily, so many of the pseudo messages preached seem ridiculous to me now. I like Dispensational teachers in part because they major on Scripture (and diagrams/charts!). They don’t teach signs and wonders or adding works to the FINISHED work of Christ. They are solid on Security. They embrace the mystery hidden for ages (God created one new man out of the two). You could say I have “submitted” to more mature Christians as pastors without being told to.
We all need a brass tacks relationship with GOD through CHRIST JESUS all on our own, when there is no visible flesh to submit to, “in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth”, outside of “church” (Heb.11:38). Pseudo Christianity gets it all backwards and promotes the idea that “IT” all happens on Sunday in a building. There the eggheads and gurus explain it all for you and you’re set for the week!
Take all that with a bit of salt, please. Don’t always feel that way, having have been blessed by many other believers in the visible churches. Some of them would say that they were also blessed by me.
I’m eager to go HOME so we can all be with the LORD and see face to face and have true fellowship forever.
Greetings all,
Don, thanks for reposting this timely article.
For those like Julie, who question the usurpation of scripture by supposed leaders of the “institutional church”, I highly recommend this book: “Twisted Scriptures” by Mary Charnolog. It was extremely helpful to me many years ago. It can be found in several places, including some local libraries, which is where I discovered it. Also, can be read online too. Here is a search page to get started with.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=twisted+scriptures+mary+alice+chrnalogar&t=fpas&iax=products&ia=products
It’s easy to fall into a pseudo trap depending on where your weak spots are. I’m very guilty of thinking other’s are earning brownie points with God; everyone except me. That’s kind of egotistical isn’t it? To put myself out in the universe as the only Believer to not win favor with God. I correct my thinking but it always comes back again another day to try to pull me down.
Then there are the King James Version only people who say if you aren’t reading the KJV you aren’t reading the true Word of God. The NKJV doesn’t count either.
I have a family member who’s been blessed by Gloria Copeland’s teachings and one who’s been blessed by Joyce Meyer’s teachings. So they say. The fake and the real get all tangled up together and people are confused and don’t know it.
Back to my premise. All these people are doing better than I am so they must be earning brownie points and they think so too. Pseudo World.
Oh Caitlin, how I wish I could fellowship with you! There are no brownie points, there are rewards, for sure, but if you have peace, gentleness, etc, you are seeing some of the results/rewards. To me having a sane mind in the midst of madness is such a great gift,
I recently tangled with someone who said,,, if they are saving multitudes of souls, you are in error to confront them, um er,, if they “get saved’ to “get blessings”..they might be in error.
I love the King James but did not grow up with it. My daughter prefers ESV. is that right?some of these newest translations are abominable. no sense of the meanings I grew up with, Revised Standard OR King James.But without proof of alterations, I’m not chasing anyone down about this.
If we do not meet in this life, I know we will meet in the next Courage!
Hi Faith,
Thank you. Wouldn’t it be great to fellowship with some of the women who follow this blog, like Adriana, Tara and others? I think we all live in different states.
Until we meet in person I get encouragement just from reading the comments.
Caitlin,
I think it would be great as well. I think we would probably all be fast friends. Thank God for Don and his website. As Faith said, we will all meet one day.