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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is driven almost entirely by mainline Protestant churches — not evangelical or RCC churches.

My view is that this is primarily a cynical attempt by these churches to try to increase membership — look at us, we are gay friendly, you should join our church.  As you said, they aren’t putting flags or special advertisements for any other group of people.

And yet what has happened?  These churches continue to bleed members and are a shell of their former selves.   They are only going to continue to decrease in members, and eventually those old buildings will close too because they are expensive to maintain.   Moreover, if you go to most mainline Protestants, you hear VERY little about Jesus, the cross, justification by faith, etc.  You do hear a lot of progressive politics, etc.

But this hardly means Christianity is dead.  I go to a mega church in a comfortable modern building where 3,000-4,000 people attend every Sunday.  We are apolitical.   But we strongly preach the true Gospel — that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, died for our sins, and that we are saved solely through our faith in him.

The reality is that true Christianity has a certain perspective on LGBT relationships.   It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t treat people with love and respect regardless of this issue. My own church will not perform same-sex weddings but says that it is a matter of conscience whether you attend one outside of our church, and they have a “pro” and “con” argument on the website.    I personally have no issue attending a same-sex marriage ceremony myself.  I’m comfortable with that compromise.

But there is no doubt that when many mainline Protestant churches started to lose members, one key response was to reverse course on what had beeen church doctrine for thousands of years. I don’t think they did this for strong theological reasons because the theological justifications are flimsy when you read the New Testament and understand what marriage is in the Christian context.

Many serious Christians have left these pews as a result and now attend church elsewhere, like mine, where the churches are thriving.  People want a church that has real theology and something they can believe in — not just progressive politics that they can get anywhere else.

Mainline Protestants can make up their own minds as to whether this was a wise strategy.  [/quote]

Disagree.  People want a church where they can feel superior.   Don't you feel superior to those stupid liberal protestants?  and the stupid Roman Catholics?

Meanwhile, the  Catholics and liberal protestants feel superior to you.  Athiests feel superior without any religious affiliation at all - and they hate to think that Donald Trump might be an atheist.  They think of atheists as good people, like them, and don't think of Trump as a good person.   But the evangelicals love him!  Which is why he pretends to be religious.  It's his malignant narcissism at work.[/quote]

I actually feel superior to nobody.   I am a sinner saved purely by grace.    When you truly believe that, then you cannot feel superior to anyone else.     Liberal Protestants, RCC, atheists, me — everyone is flawed.   In fact, there is very little difference between a priest and a prostitute — the seeds were just watered a little differently in the latter case.

Because I am a sinner saved not by what I have done, but through what Jesus has done, I have no need to feel superior to anyone.   I do have a heart of gratitude for the one who gladly died for my sins and through whom I am now reconciled to God.  [/quote]

What exactly did he save you from? And how did that accomplish that? 
[/quote]

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