churches

I recently had a conversation with a friend who lives in California. He related that he was thrown out of his church where he has attended for 17 years. First, let me relate something about him. When he was picking me up after I did a presentation at a church, he noticed a flood of water under his pickup truck. Realizing he lost much of his coolant, he called a tow truck and had someone else chauffeur me to my hotel.

Methodism began in 18th-century Britain by Anglican priest John Wesley (1703–1791). A group of students, including John and Charles Wesley plus George Whitefield, met at Oxford University to methodically study the Bible and practice living a moral and holy life. To more effectively take the gospel to the common people, John Wesley adopted what were then unconventional practices, including open-air preaching. He also formed small classes in which his followers were inculcated with intensive moral accountability in their personal lives.

A few weeks ago, I preached at both the Sunday School and the Sunday worship service at Solid Rock Community Church in West Unity, Ohio. I was at the church about three years ago and noted one striking change: The attendance doubled from about 150 to 320. As I am very interested in church growth, I asked several people “What was your secret?” The answer they gave was the lead pastor, Robert Rodríguez, who I was told, goes well beyond the call of duty in his community outreach activities, working with local schools and other churches.

I was told this recently by the pastor. One of the elders at his church wanted me to do a creation sermon. To decide if this topic was appropriate, the elders and the pastor had a meeting. The pastor explained his view, which was as follows:

The fact is, the theory of evolution is not a theory, but a proven fact which is supported by the universal scientific consensus.  Except for a few ignorant creationists, every scientist on Earth accepts the fact of evolution, including the evolution of humans from our common ape ancestor.

One major  interest of mine is to understand why some churches are strong, growing, and, in other words, have a successful ministry. A few months ago, I taught Sunday school at the Christian Fellowship Church in Holland, Ohio. As my GPS directed me to the church on Pilliod Road, I was sure I put in the wrong address. I was in a residential part of the city with several large, stately houses when the GPS announced, “You have now arrived at your destination.”

If you attended public government schools like I did, you learned the Inquisition involved sadistic priests who brutally interrogated people accused of religious heresy. As the interrogation progressed, it was claimed, a ratchet mechanism was used to slowly increase the strain on the prisoner's shoulders, hips, knees, and elbows, causing excruciating pain. After victims were tortured, they were then burned at the stake for rejecting some minor doctrinal point.

One comment on the three columns I have done on large churches is “You are ignoring the many thriving small churches.” I agree. One good example is Fulton Union Christian Church on County Road HJ near Delta, Ohio. I have preached there on apologetics around twice a year for the past six years or so. This church was as welcoming as any large church that I have ever attended, if not more so. The around 80 members that attend the Sunday service have made me feel comfortable and more at home with each new visit.

Not really censored, but the scriptures almost universally ignored include I Corinthians 11:14-15 which reads,  “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him. But long hair is a woman’s glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. …. neither we nor the churches of God have any other practice.”

A common response to the creation issue is presentations on science is inappropriate in a church. Sermons must focus only the gospel, especially the words of Christ. Because only very few Bible verses mention creation, the feeling is it is clearly a unimportant and a very controversial side issue. The claim is, it does not matter if we evolved from some lower primate, or if God created the first humans as Genesis claims. Which method God used is unimportant. What is important is to preach Christ. Furthermore, they claim, Christianity is not anti-science as is Creationism, but pro-Christ.

I have now published over sixty columns in The Village Reporter. It seems everywhere I travel in town, people mention reading it. As expected, some columns are more popular than others. By far, the most popular column was the one on the Hammond, Indiana, First Baptist Church. The reason why, I was told by several readers, was because we hear so much negative about churches, that something very positive was welcomed.