What is the greatest challenge in the church today?

[scottmaciver]

How would you answer the question, "What is the greatest challenge in the church today?"

 

[arapahoepark]

How would you answer the question, "What is the greatest challenge in the church today?"

I would say the issues that spring forth from a faulty or wrong view of the Old Testament in relation to the New.
The children of such a view tend to be:
Liberalism (chopping it up into pieces or the idea well that never happened, or did not happen in that way),
Dispensationalism as distant cousin
Arminianism, including the those who want to be Christians but not judged or have no need of repentance.

 

[greenbaggins]

Scott, I don't think the question can be answered universally for the church in the whole world, since, in many ways, the things that challenge the Chinese house churches, for instance, are almost the opposite of the things that challenge the Western churches. Nevertheless, answering in regard to the Western church is fairly easy: the greatest challenge is buckling under the pressure of culture to the point of changing the message of the Bible, and changing our own morals to accommodate the culture. Of course, this can be summarized as "fear of man." Closely connected with this nexus of ideas is the fact that the Western church has lost its fear of God (man-fear and God-fear are on a teeter-totter, most definitely a zero-sum game), and no longer regards God as Holy, Holy, Holy.

 

[TheOldCourse]

Worldliness. It comes in many guises and cultural trappings (even "Christian" ones), but it besieges every church. If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?

 

[scottmaciver]

Scott, I don't think the question can be answered universally for the church in the whole world, since, in many ways, the things that challenge the Chinese house churches, for instance, are almost the opposite of the things that challenge the Western churches. Nevertheless, answering in regard to the Western church is fairly easy: the greatest challenge is buckling under the pressure of culture to the point of changing the message of the Bible, and changing our own morals to accommodate the culture. Of course, this can be summarized as "fear of man." Closely connected with this nexus of ideas is the fact that the Western church has lost its fear of God (man-fear and God-fear are on a teeter-totter, most definitely a zero-sum game), and no longer regards God as Holy, Holy, Holy.

Thanks Lane, that's an important disinction to make.

The reason I'm asking, is that I put the question to a few friends. Initial responses included faithfulness, "Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth." (Psalm 12:1) I suppose that would relate to the accommodation to the culture you mentioned.

The other point that was made was the need for faithful preaching from the pulpit & all the implications attached to that.

Lane, what is the remedy to the problems you have mentioned?

 

[scottmaciver]

Worldliness. It comes in many guises and cultural trappings (even "Christian" ones), but it beseiges every church. If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?

Yes, I think that's definitely true. The church is definitely becoming more & more like the world.

 

[Dachaser]

How would you answer the question, "What is the greatest challenge in the church today?"

Teaching a false Gospel/of a False Jesus, that does not save lost sinners.
letting into the pulpit prosperity/health Gospel, Social Gospel, alternative lifestyles Gospel, that replace the real one.

 

[Jack K]

The question is difficult because the leading answers seldom occur on their own, making it hard to tell which is the true top villain that spawns the others. Is worldliness the cause of false teaching? Absolutely. But does false teaching also cause worldliness? Of course.

So I have a hard time giving just one answer. I prefer to be a troublemaker and insist on three: the three Jesus highlighted in his Parable of the Sower. There we find that a growing church will not merely hear the word but must hold it in the heart and bear fruit with patience (Luke 8:15). The three forces that challenge this are:

1. Callousness. The word is heard but the heart refuses to soften in response to it (seed on the path).
2. Faithlessness. The word is believed only superficially, so that the full promises of the gospel are not trusted when push comes to shove (seed in rocky soil).
3. Worldliness. The word is pushed aside by concern for the troubles and pleasures of this life (seed in the thorns).

This particular framework leaves out false teaching, which clearly is a major concern mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. But I like using this framework because it undercuts our tendency to suggest the chief challenges lie in those other churches that have wrong doctrine and bad teaching. Instead, it steers us to look at ourselves and how we respond to the gospel. Each of us, I think, can see some tendencies within ourselves to drift toward these errors.

 

[Dachaser]

The question is difficult because the leading answers seldom occur on their own, making it hard to tell which is the true top villain that spawns the others. Is worldliness the cause of false teaching? Absolutely. But does false teaching also cause worldliness? Of course.

So I have a hard time giving just one answer. I prefer to be a troublemaker and insist on three: the three Jesus highlighted in his Parable of the Sower. There we find that a growing church will not merely hear the word but must hold it in the heart and bear fruit with patience (Luke 8:15). The three forces that challenge this are:

1. Callousness. The word is heard but the heart refuses to soften in response to it (seed on the path).
2. Faithlessness. The word is believed only superficially, so that the full promises of the gospel are not trusted when push comes to shove (seed in rocky soil).
3. Worldliness. The word is pushed aside by concern for the troubles and pleasures of this life (seed in the thorns).

This particular framework leaves out false teaching, which clearly is a major concern mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. But I like using this framework because it undercuts our tendency to suggest the chief challenges lie in those other churches that have wrong doctrine and bad teaching. Instead, it steers us to look at ourselves and how we respond to the gospel. Each of us, I think, can see some tendencies within ourselves to drift toward these errors.

Good points, as assuming that the church is still teaching sound doctrine, the big problems would be adopting the standards and morality of the culture, and to seek to be accommodating to lost sinners, instead of living and teaching pure.
its when we get to the point where no longer concerned with what can we do for God, but just what he can do for us.

 

[Von]

I think DIVISION:
Christ prayed specifically against it:
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
(John 17:22-23)

There were already divisions in the early church:
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
(1 Corinthians 1:10-11)

People are warned against it in the epistles:
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
(Romans 16:17-18)

The puritans thought it to be a church-problem deserving special attention:
"[Ministers]should take it as a principal part of their work to prevent and heal [divisions]. Day and night should they bend their studies to find out means to close such breaches"
(Richard Baxter - The Reformed Pastor)

I think the "us vs them"-root/seed comes directly from the first sin with it's aim to disrupt the unity and fellowship of our first parents. And it is more prevalent, pernicious and ultimately against Christ, than what we think.

 

[Username4000]

Ideas opposed to the gospel being identified as Christian. That covers Rome, Mormonism (which seems to be much squishier and less willing to distinguish itself from ‘apostate’ Christianity), worldliness (a church that expects 55 minutes of your time on Saturday night or Sunday, and that you don’t get caught fornicating), and liberal churches (that obey the world’s demand to call evil good and good evil).

 

[Dachaser]

I think DIVISION:
Christ prayed specifically against it:
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
(John 17:22-23)

There were already divisions in the early church:
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
(1 Corinthians 1:10-11)

People are warned against it in the epistles:
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
(Romans 16:17-18)

The puritans thought it to be a church-problem deserving special attention:
"[Ministers]should take it as a principal part of their work to prevent and heal [divisions]. Day and night should they bend their studies to find out means to close such breaches"
(Richard Baxter - The Reformed Pastor)

I think the "us vs them"-root/seed comes directly from the first sin with it's aim to disrupt the unity and fellowship of our first parents. And it is more prevalent, pernicious and ultimately against Christ, than what we think.

I have noticed that many Christians do tend to separate unto ourselves, as we are just hanging with reformed, baptist, Charismatics, etc, but Jesus prayed that we realise that all who have Him as their Savor are part of the same Body, the true church of Christ.