Best and worst Christian fads/trends/popular ideas of the past 10 years

[swilson]

Has anyone else noticed, while marriages don't happen as often (i.e. "live in" situations), many people are getting married younger and are having more than 2.3 kids...this is where the take-over begins!

I completely disagree with this way of thinking:
1) This is not how the church is to grow...Jesus taught that those kids would rise up against father and mother and visa versa - he brings a sword and a man's own enemies will be members of his own family - sometimes their kids...there seems to be a thinking out there that kids are like notches on a belt, and that it is a competition or Christian duty - that the more kids you have, the more you are honoring God - this is not scriptural. If God blesses you with a child, or multiple children, raise them in the way of the Lord, and pray with your heart on the floor for mercy for your children...for few find the narrow way (this includes those among your children).
2) Paul was pretty clear that it is better to be single. I am growing very tired of the peer pressure in churches for people to get married and start having babies when Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told us that it is better to remain as he is - where is the peer pressure to remain single? Word of God does not teach that Christians should get married earlier and have a bunch of babies in order to grow the church - nor that the more children, the better.

If God calls you to marry - marry. If he gives you a child, raise it up in the ways of the Lord. If he gives you multiple children, raise them all up in the ways of the Lord...and PRAY they are given the gift of faith. But don't brag or get puffed up about the amount of children you have. Or make it a contest as if the one with the most kids wins... this is, frankly, carnal.

 

[Pergamum]

I agree somewhat with SWilson here.

The church should grow in more ways than just physical multiplication.

And even dogs can breed...


....so the praise should be on children raised up well rather than sheer numbers...or else some welfare mommas are very "Reformed."


Our churches need not become little cults of homeschooling and fertility.

 

[Pergamum]

P.S. Having said that, pray for us as we desire more....

 

[Barnpreacher]

Has anyone else noticed, while marriages don't happen as often (i.e. "live in" situations), many people are getting married younger and are having more than 2.3 kids...this is where the take-over begins!

I completely disagree with this way of thinking:
1) This is not how the church is to grow...Jesus taught that those kids would rise up against father and mother and visa versa - he brings a sword and a man's own enemies will be members of his own family - sometimes their kids...there seems to be a thinking out there that kids are like notches on a belt, and that it is a competition or Christian duty - that the more kids you have, the more you are honoring God - this is not scriptural. If God blesses you with a child, or multiple children, raise them in the way of the Lord, and pray with your heart on the floor for mercy for your children...for few find the narrow way (this includes those among your children).
2) Paul was pretty clear that it is better to be single. I am growing very tired of the peer pressure in churches for people to get married and start having babies when Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told us that it is better to remain as he is - where is the peer pressure to remain single? Word of God does not teach that Christians should get married earlier and have a bunch of babies in order to grow the church - nor that the more children, the better.

If God calls you to marry - marry. If he gives you a child, raise it up in the ways of the Lord. If he gives you multiple children, raise them all up in the ways of the Lord...and PRAY they are given the gift of faith. But don't brag or get puffed up about the amount of children you have. Or make it a contest as if the one with the most kids wins... this is, frankly, carnal.

Paul also made it pretty clear within the context of the passage that it was a gift to remain single, nor was he saying everyone should remain single. The Bible does teach that happy is the man that has his quiver full of children.

And if it's bragging from a fleshly standpoint then, yes, it's carnal. If a father or mother is talking about their children in the context of blessings and gifts from the Lord then God bless them for it.

I love to see large families. We live in a day and age where parents don't want to take upon the responsibilities of kids because they place jobs, entertainment, themselves etc. above the command from the Lord to be fruitful and multiply.

 

[JBaldwin]

I think the best and worst have already been exhausted, but I don't think I've seen anyone mention Christian music:

Worst: The increase of the use of shallow contemporary Christian music in worship

Best: The increase of the number of reformed composers/authors writing sound contemporary Christian music and putting entire Psalms in contemporary settings.

 

[Zenas]

Start bearing more kids folks.

We're about to have nine - you've got to step in and start doing your part, Andrew!

If I am blessed to do so I'd like to match your 9.

 

[danmpem]

I think the best and worst have already been exhausted, but I don't think I've seen anyone mention Christian music:

Worst: The increase of the use of shallow contemporary Christian music in worship

Best: The increase of the number of reformed composers/authors writing sound contemporary Christian music and putting entire Psalms in contemporary settings.

I thought someone already did, or else I would have mentioned it!


More Specifically,

Best: Derek Webb

 

[kvanlaan]

but they wanted me to be Joel Osteen.

I don't have the hair for it.

If you go the Osteen route, you can get the $bling$ that buys the hair to go with it...

The church should grow in more ways than just physical multiplication.

And even dogs can breed...

....so the praise should be on children raised up well rather than sheer numbers...or else some welfare mommas are very "Reformed."

Our churches need not become little cults of homeschooling and fertility.

OK Pergy, at it again are you? While I agree with you on the unnecessary focus on physical multiplication, throwing out "Even dogs can breed" is a bit much. It is a fallacy to say that the Lord opens and closes the wombs of dogs. However, he DOES open and close the wombs of every "welfare momma" who ever walked the earth. While we should not be racing to a dozen in each family to cut another notch on our belts, that we would employ means to halt these blessings is, I think, the material point when talking about this issue.

So as for this line of argument, I think the idea that we would be 'breeding' to the glory of God is a given on this board...

 

[kvanlaan]

We're about to have nine - you've got to step in and start doing your part, Andrew!

If I am blessed to do so I'd like to match your 9.

Yeah, but we 'cheat'. Only 3 are biological (so far), we've adopted the rest.

 

[Pergamum]

but they wanted me to be Joel Osteen.

I don't have the hair for it.

If you go the Osteen route, you can get the $bling$ that buys the hair to go with it...

The church should grow in more ways than just physical multiplication.

And even dogs can breed...

....so the praise should be on children raised up well rather than sheer numbers...or else some welfare mommas are very "Reformed."

Our churches need not become little cults of homeschooling and fertility.

OK Pergy, at it again are you? While I agree with you on the unnecessary focus on physical multiplication, throwing out "Even dogs can breed" is a bit much. It is a fallacy to say that the Lord opens and closes the wombs of dogs. However, he DOES open and close the wombs of every "welfare momma" who ever walked the earth. While we should not be racing to a dozen in each family, that we would employ means to halt these blessings is, I think, the material point when talking about this issue.

Agreed...the focus is on quality and not quantity, heh.

We should thank God for every blessing, of which kids are big ones. We thank God as they come, though I do not think we need to strive to "max out our childbearing potential" or try to have as many as possible.

Maybe I am reacting to several conversations I had where a Christian brother actually thought we SHOULD have as many children as possible and said I was advocating sin when I advocated "spacing" for a mother with physical complications from child-bearing. I advocated a "period of rest for her tired uterus" to restore her to health and more children and got called to repent by him and several of his friends (a Reformed Gang-up)!

.....Maybe I have had ants in my shorts ever since. Just maybe.....

 

[Pergamum]

P.S. I am tentatively looking into adoption this month, so pray for me.

 

[Kevin]

Best thing to happen in the last 10 years;
1)The internet
2) electronic media for christian litt.

Worst thing to happen in hte same time frame:
1) the internet
2) electronic media


What has been used for good, and as an aid to sound doctrine is being used even faster to spread error & heresy.

 

[Mushroom]

1) This is not how the church is to grow...

Your quote regarding the divisiveness the gospel can bring is in reference to unbelieving families, and does not support your point. This is the MAIN way that the Church has and will grow. God is the ultimate covenant-keeper. Yes, the pagan who converts upsets many in their family (like myself), but that is not so of believing families.

I have found that the more theologically sound a Church is, the more its pews are filled by multi-generational believers than pagan converts. I view that as a good thing, a sign of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. The converse is a seeker friendly, covenant-denying, usually semi-pelagian and dispensational glee-club style church full of here-today-gone-tomorrow professors. After five years there's few you'd recognize because many drift back to paganism or the elect move on to better theology. That ain't a church.

 

[Gloria]

"Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts *shudders*

 

[Pergamum]

1) This is not how the church is to grow...

Your quote regarding the divisiveness the gospel can bring is in reference to unbelieving families, and does not support your point. This is the MAIN way that the Church has and will grow. God is the ultimate covenant-keeper. Yes, the pagan who converts upsets many in their family (like myself), but that is not so of believing families.

I have found that the more theologically sound a Church is, the more its pews are filled by multi-generational believers than pagan converts. I view that as a good thing, a sign of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. The converse is a seeker friendly, covenant-denying, usually semi-pelagian and dispensational glee-club style church full of here-today-gone-tomorrow professors. After five years there's few you'd recognize because many drift back to paganism or the elect move on to better theology. That ain't a church.

Hmmm....

Those covenantal thinking churches (i.e. reformed) that would most support your hypothesis have the worst record of defecting entirely and turning liberal. i.e. whole families turnd away from the faith together... so it DOES happen to believing families. Father Abraham had an Ishmael and Easau was born from someone's loins right?

I am sure the PCUSA might support the importance of the covenant and the confession too, but it didn't save them and other liberal-turning reformed groups.


Family growth of churches is a good trait, as are the confessions, but are no magic bullets.

I would put forth the hypothesis that real conversion growth is the best indicator of a healthy and vital church.

 

[Jon Peters]

I would put forth the hypothesis that real conversion growth is the best indicator of a healthy and vital church.

As opposed to what, the conversions of covenant children?

A Godly covenant child that never knew a day that he or she did not know the Lord is every bit as precious as the pagan convert. I'm sure you would not say otherwise, but your words seem to imply such.

 

[Pergamum]

Jon: agreed totally.

 

[danmpem]

Agreed...the focus is on quality and not quantity, heh.

We should thank God for every blessing, of which kids are big ones. We thank God as they come, though I do not think we need to strive to "max out our childbearing potential" or try to have as many as possible.

Maybe I am reacting to several conversations I had where a Christian brother actually thought we SHOULD have as many children as possible and said I was advocating sin when I advocated "spacing" for a mother with physical complications from child-bearing. I advocated a "period of rest for her tired uterus" to restore her to health and more children and got called to repent by him and several of his friends (a Reformed Gang-up)!

.....Maybe I have had ants in my shorts ever since. Just maybe.....

While this is easy for me to say now, being that I have no immediate plans of marrying; but, I would like to have kids. LOTS of kids. If there comes a time, even if sooner than later, that my wife does not want to have any more, that's just fine. We'll adopt till the cows come home.

A couple of years ago, I was donating blood, and the phlebotomist asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up (I was 19 or 20 at the time). Without even thinking, I blurted out, "a father". Now, I'm not in any hurry or anything, it's just something I would really, really like to live to see happen.

 

[Pergamum]

Dan wrote:

"A couple of years ago, I was donating blood, and the phlebotomist asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up (I was 19 or 20 at the time). Without even thinking, I blurted out, "a father". "



Ha! Prasie God for that! May your tribe increase!

 

[toddpedlar]

Several years ago I saw one of those typical "Jesus Junk" bookstores selling Christian toe rings. I still have nightmares.

There are worse kinds of "Christian" rings... and they sell them, too.

 

[Zenas]

"Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts *shudders*

Ya. "Jonathan Edwards is my Homeboy" t-shirts are better.

 

[BradyC]

Worst:
1. Purpose Driven Life & churches buying into Saddlebackism
2. Emergent Church (esp. the likes of McLaren, Bell and Pagitt)

Best:
1. Growing love for Christ-centered expository preaching
2. Growing love for Christ-centered Reformed theology

In Christ,
Brady

 

[Craig]

I completely disagree with this way of thinking:
1) This is not how the church is to grow...Jesus taught that those kids would rise up against father and mother and visa versa - he brings a sword and a man's own enemies will be members of his own family - sometimes their kids...there seems to be a thinking out there that kids are like notches on a belt, and that it is a competition or Christian duty - that the more kids you have, the more you are honoring God - this is not scriptural. If God blesses you with a child, or multiple children, raise them in the way of the Lord, and pray with your heart on the floor for mercy for your children...for few find the narrow way (this includes those among your children).
2) Paul was pretty clear that it is better to be single. I am growing very tired of the peer pressure in churches for people to get married and start having babies when Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit told us that it is better to remain as he is - where is the peer pressure to remain single? Word of God does not teach that Christians should get married earlier and have a bunch of babies in order to grow the church - nor that the more children, the better.

If God calls you to marry - marry. If he gives you a child, raise it up in the ways of the Lord. If he gives you multiple children, raise them all up in the ways of the Lord...and PRAY they are given the gift of faith. But don't brag or get puffed up about the amount of children you have. Or make it a contest as if the one with the most kids wins... this is, frankly, carnal.

Well...I am not sure if you could have interpreted my comment in any worse light than that...the intent of my comment had to do with cultural influence and not church growth. I by no means limited church growth to Christians having more children (though we need to take our faith to the bedroom).

I'm all for evangelism and seeking the conversion of pagans...it's not like I'm Dutch Reformed

 

[Virginia Marine]

Worst:
-TBN
-Prayer of Jabez (and ALL of the spin-off's)
-Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and the rest of their ilk...
Best:
-aomin.org
-Renewing Your Mind (podcast), The Dividing Line (podcast) -- (I actually look forward to my commute home with all of the great Reformed programs available)

 

[bookslover]

The worst: at a Christian bookstore that is now defunct, I once saw a miniature live cactus plant which had, on it's base, the phrase: "I'm stuck on Jesus." As I said, that store went under.

The best: probably Robert Reymond's systematic theology. Rigorous Reformed theology that reads like a devotional book in many places.

And, of course, the PB!

 

[ReformedWretch]

Worst: The Purpose Driven Life

Best: Resurgence of Calvinism as "cool"

 

[Pergamum]

Best trend for me: MP3s and the proliferation of good audio materials!



Worst trends (my personal pet peeve this week):

The "Spiritual Warfare" Movement that, while perhaps correcting some Enlightenment thinking, is very touched by Charismatic influence.

 

[KMK]

Best: The increase of the number of reformed composers/authors writing sound contemporary Christian music and putting entire Psalms in contemporary settings.

Where can these be found???

 

[KMK]

P.S. I am tentatively looking into adoption this month, so pray for me.

Here is something interesting...

The baby that we are in the process of adopting was conceived on the same day that my wife and I committed ourselves to adoption! Is that wierd or what?