Pastor Tom Hatley of Immanuel Baptist Church in Rogers invited me to speak to about 30 pastors who gathered at his church on Monday morning. I told them how concerned I have become about what I call the “winsome” church movement.
Without disrespecting or disregarding the true meaning of winsome, this new definition seems to apply to those evangelical protestant churches that won’t bring up controversial issues like homosexuality or abortion. They claim to believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, but shy away from preaching or teaching the full counsel of God on issues that might make anyone in the congregation uncomfortable.
I believe this is the primary reason some evangelical protestant churches refused to circulate petitions in support of the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act, or even the Arkansas Marriage Amendment. These issues were too controversial.
In 2008, many leaders of large evangelical churches simply sat on their hands while the lottery passed. For them, the lottery was too political and too controversial to be mentioned from the pulpit. In the end, their silence aided its passage.
Thankfully, the 30 pastors I met with on Monday weren’t that way. One told me, “We have to be both salt and light, and you can’t have one without the other.” Most of us find it easy to tell people about God’s forgiveness and love. We find it much harder to tell them about His attitude toward sins that carry Hollywood’s stamp of approval. Rather than being glad to proclaim God’s word on these issues, we almost act ashamed of what He has to say.
I wonder, isn’t being ashamed of what God has to say, pretty close to being ashamed of Him? For just a little while on Monday, it was refreshing to be in the presence of men of God who didn’t seem ashamed of God, His word, or their effort to proclaim it.
Chris Reimers
Admin
Chantel