Our friends from the IndoctriNation Movie Bus Tour are blogging daily. Click here to read the latest news.

The United Methodist Church, the third largest denomination in the US is undergoing a remake as leaders try to find out what makes churches grow -in the midst of their dying denomination. They have gone to their own people to determine what works and does not. So... they are doing what many churches have done in order to fully secure their apostasy. Instead of going to scripture, they went to the people... assuming, surely they have the answers. The message is, don't bother with the Bible, statistics are enough! Here is a summary statement from one of the "successful" pastors with a church of "nearly 6200." He said,

"it has offered both traditional and contemporary worship services for years. At a contemporary service, congregants kick back with doughnuts and coffee, a live band plays music and clips from Hollywood movies are shown to illustrate Gospel messages. "Worship is like going to a mall," Millard said. "There are all kinds of stores. Some people like specialty shops. Some like department stores. When you have variety, people can go where they like.""

This is a very helpful analysis of an essay that appeared in the New York Times.

He makes this very insightful comment.

"The church would demonstrate the power of the gospel in a whole new way by assisting young people into the successful and faithful transition to adulthood, celebrating this transition as a matter of spiritual maturity to the glory of Christ. These young adults are desperately needed for the cause of Christ, and many are indeed making their way into authentic adulthood with faithfulness, energy, conviction, and excitement. Let’s pray that their example is infectious."

One way the church continues to dumb down and delay maturity is by continuing it's unbiblical practice of age segregation.

Here is another article , this time from CNN, on the demise of youth in the church today. The author begins, “If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning: Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.... She says this "impostor'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches."'

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One of the men in our church is producing a documentary film entitled "IndoctriNation: Public Schools and the Decline of Christianity in America." He will be hitting the road next week with the homeschool family of filmmaker Colin Gunn and a small film crew, traveling in a school bus from Texas to Massachusetts to document the tragedy of compulsory, statist education and its devastating effects on our faith, our families and our freedom.

A very generous donor has offered to match the next round of donations for the production of this film up to $10,000, effectively doubling every dollar donated. If you feel moved to donate to this important worldview and culture war project, this is the time to do it! To make a donation and to watch a trailer for the film, visit www.indoctrinationmovie.com.

We have observed that there is broad discussion in the mainstream church regarding age segregation. Pastors who now embrace at least some of the principles of the sufficiency of scripture are questioning the practice like never before. I believe that in the next decade, we will see thousands of established churches abandon age segregation. I don't believe that this Florida church has abandoned age segregation in it's normal programming or youth ministry, but have at least on one level, have addressed it in the main worship gathering of the church.

The church, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, "recognized that many churches in the U.S. are following the lead of the advertising world by targeting specific age groups and employing the separate contemporary and traditional worship services model."

"'That may be good business but it's bad worship; it's bad church,' he stated plainly."

Outlining what we believe is the most important problem of age segregation in the church, he spoke of the unity of the body of Christ,

"He listed some of the drawbacks of segregated worship. In a traditional worship service, the church inadvertently communicates that God was more active in the past that He is in the present, he said. In a contemporary service, the church communicates that God is more active in the present than He was in the past. But a church must communicate God's 'timeless activity,' he indicated."

It was interesting that he made an unusual connection with racial segregation,

"The megachurch pastor also said he doesn't view separate worship services by style or age as any different from racial segregation, except that it's more subtle."

William Cowper, friend of John Newton, the great hymn writer and poet was against age segregation and the rise of public schools. He wrote a VERY long poem in 1784 called, Tirocinium: A Review of Schools. Here he declares himself against public age segregated education. In the poem he identifies the foolishness of the kind of education that contradicts the Bible.

Here are some excerpts to give you a general feel for his message,

And, common sense diffusing real day,
The meteor of the gospel dies away. Such rhapsodies our shrewd discerning youth
Learn from expert inquirers after truth;
Whose only care, might truth presume to speak,
...

Voddie ends his piece with these words, "One day someone is going to write an accurate assessment of the FIC. They are going to visit actual churches, talk to actual members and leaders, listen to actual sermons, and interact with actual statements. Unfortunately, today is not that day."

Jonathan Edwards points out one of the wonderful effects of true awakening on people in the church - a sense of absolute dependence.

"The drift of the Spirit of God in his legal strivings with persons, has seemed most evidently to be, to make way for, and to bring to, a conviction of their absolute dependence on his sovereign power and grace, and universal necessity of a Mediator, by leading them more and more to a sense of their exceeding wickedness and guiltiness in his sight; the pollution and insufficiency of their own righteousness, that they can in no wise help themselves, and that God would be wholly just and righteous in rejecting them, and all that they do, and in casting them off forever: though there be a vast variety as to the manner and distinctness of persons convictions of these things." (Pg. 70, 71, The Jonathan Edwards Reader, Yale Nota Bene)

Jonathan Edwards who personally experienced unusual seasons of awakening shows two effects as a pattern for awakenings,

“These awakenings when they have first seized on persons have had two effects: one was, that they have brought them immediately to quit their sinful practices, and the looser sort have been brought to forsake and dreaded heir former vices and extravagancies. When once the Spirit of God began to be so wonderfully poured out in a general way through the town, people had soon done with their old quarrels,backbitings, and intermeddling with other men's matters; the tavern was soon left empty, and persons kept very much at home; none went abroad unless on necessary business, or on some religious account, and every day seemed in many respects like a Sabbath day. And the other effect was that it put them on earnest application to the means of salvation - reading, prayer meditation, the ordinances of God's house, and private conference, their cry was "What shall we do to be saved?" The place of resort was now altered it was no longer the tavern, but the minister's house, that was thronged far more than ever the tavern had been wont to be.” (Pg. 68, The Jonathan Edwards Reader, Yale Nota Bene) 

Tomorrow we start our marriage gathering and I am getting more excited by the hour. At this gathering we promote an intentional lifestyle that, prepares children for Gospel centered marriages. We begin the conference at the beginning - with the biblical doctrine of marriage, and how knowing and living it is the best marriage preparation you can give to your children. Once this is established, we answer dozens of practical questions regarding the marriages of our sons and daughters.

For example,

How do you make a marriage for the glory of God?

How do you equip children to be ready for marriage?

How do you help children identify potential spouses?

      ...

In a day of extreme individualism and neglect of family life principles, it often helps to hear voices from the past. J.C. Ryle, in his commentary on the gospel of Matthew, writes about the extreme importance of families.

"It is difficult to overrate the importance of these two subjects. The well-being of nations, and the happiness of society, are closely connected with right views upon them. Nations are nothing but a collection of families. The good order of families depends entirely on keeping up the highest standard of respect for the marriage tie, and on the right training of children. We ought to be thankful, that on both these points, the great Head of the Church has pronounced judgment so clearly." J.C. Ryle

Justin Taylor recently posted an excerpt from the new chapter on the family integrated church movement in Andraeus Kostenbergers latest revision of God, Marriage and Family.

"While we share a deep conviction as to the importance of the family, we are committed to the biblical foundation for marriage and the family, and this includes a sound grasp of the New Testament teaching regarding the church. It is our tentative assessment that the family-integrated approach as defined below has elevated the family to an unduly high status that is unwarranted in light of the biblical teaching on the subject and that its view of the church as a “family of families” is not sufficiently supported by Scripture."

Statements like this come from people who have not done their homework and who disregard the true positions of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches. Read the Comments thread in Justin Taylors blog for illumination.

The truth is, the family-integrated church movement is being led primarily by confessional baptists and Presbyterians who understand and preach the centrality of the gospel, the importance of the local church and who also who are attempting to honor the only explicitly biblical pattern of discipleship which is age-integrated.

Jonathan Edwards notes that no matter how wonderful and transforming awakenings are, there is still resident sins and the common human weaknesses that follow us, which may cause stimulate scorn among onlookers,

“We are not so pure, but that we have great cause to be humbled and ashamed that we are so impure; not so religious, but that those that watch out for halting may see things in us whence they may take occasion to reproach us and religion: but in the main, there has been a great and marvelous work of conversion and sanctification among the people here; and they have paid all due respects to those who have been blessed of God to be in instruments of it. Both old and young have shown a forwardness to hearken not only to my counsels, but even to my reproofs from the pulpit.” (Pg. 86, The Jonathan Edwards Reader, Yale Nota Bene)

We want nothing but to behold the glory of God and to see him exalted by all, and everywhere, to be happy. When I read the descriptions of the heavenly world, I see nothing so prominent as these two great truths: Man abased and God exalted….Behold! ‘what hath God wrought?’ – Gardiner Spring, quoted in Iain Murray, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858, p. 345

In September, Hope Baptist Church is traveling to study the history of this country around the time of the founding fathers by considering the life of George Washington. By putting people on a bus together, we have an opportunity to encourage and fellowship together as we examine God's providential hand in history. Because we still have some open seats, we are opening it up to other people who would like to join us. It is an opportunity to see places like Philadelphia, Trenton, Mount Vernon and much more. The trip is from September 6th to 11th. We leave early Monday morning from Wake Forest and return Saturday afternoon. The cost is $200 per adult and $175 per child. Lap children are free. This does not include the hotel which is approximately $65 per room per night, but it does include all transportation, entrance fees and all the meals except for three dinners. If it would be beneficial to you and your family, please come join us. You can view the schedule or a brochure and sign up here. The deadline for registering is August 30.

Tracking the downfall of modern youth ministry is regularly in the news today, and even mainstream news outlets seem to think that it is big enough news to report on it. Today, the Wall Street Journal helps to chronicle the unbiblical morass that characterizes much of modern youth ministry. Of course there is a reform movement in youth ministry that seeks to be God centered and so you can't lump all into one. But the WSJ piece entitled, "The Perils of 'Wannabe Cool' Christianity," reveals the philosophical center of much of youth ministry...
 

The collapse of modern youth ministry is reaching legendary proportions and people want to talk about how to fix it. Nearly everyone agrees it is severely broken, but not everyone has the same answer. USA Today reporters Cathy Lynn Grossman and Stephanie Steinberg have an article documenting one of the current challenges - shrinking youth groups and a shrinking youth summer camp industry.

They report, "Only about one in four teens now participate in church youth groups, considered the hallmark of involvement; numbers have been flat since 1999...

In a startling report, the Globe and Mail says that death by euthanasia has risen 13% during the last year and now makes up fully 2% of all deaths in the country. They are now considering "End of Life Clinics" or dedicated euthanasia hospitals.