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It used to be, if someone was concerned about a problem in the church, that the leaders or even the pastor would not hesitate to find out what was on a person’s heart.

They would want to know what the problem was. To discuss it and to make any changes in the church that might need to be made.

Way back when.

Over the years, I’ve had many personal meetings with pastors and church leaders about doctrine, church practice, etc. Because they were actually interested in my concerns. They were actually more focused on truth than they were about their own schedules or about the programs of their church.

But not so much anymore.

Today, most of the leadership in our churches simply want your “buy in”. They want your participation. Your hard work. And your money.

They’re not really interested in any doctrinal concerns you may have. Or anything that might be critical of the style of worship or content of their teaching. Or any concerns over the associations that the church has entered into to “minister to the community”. Or to fulfill the Great Commission. Or to advance some Christian, social-concern program – whether locally or nationally.

What this means then, for all practical purposes, is that they will just ignore what you have to say.

A Kind of Skill

They will ignore your warnings about any possible dangers to the church. And they will deny that there is any real issue at stake.

Although, outwardly, they have perfected their show of diplomatic “concern” for everyone. They have learned how to “blow you off” without actually being seen to be “blowing you off”.

This actually seems like a kind of skill. Or a special “gift”, in a manner of speaking. Maybe they even teach this in the seminaries these days. As a kind of strategy for leaders to advance a Progressive agenda in the church while avoiding ever having to deal with irritating Christians who raise warning flags about their agenda.

In this way, the fragile “reality” held by Christian leaders remains intact.

And their church initiatives, programs, and outward show of “unity” continues undisturbed.

And their illusion of being “loving” remains intact as well.

The Church Copying the Ways of the World

This is, of course, exactly what most of us have been experiencing from the current political powers, the popular culture, and the mainstream media.

They have perfected this exact same technique.

It’s called “gas-lighting”.

We see it all the time from the Leftist political class and the Leftist-leaning media. 

They deny that a problem exists. They ignore the problem. They refuse to report on the problem. 

And then they respond to those who would dare to mention the problem by treating those individuals as if they were “dangerous” people. Or as if they were spreading dangerous “misinformation”.

Or they will just characterize those individuals as divisive, extreme, crazy, obsessed, wacko, or even “dangerous”.  

And never really deal with the problem. 

And never really acknowledge that a problem even exists!

 Learning the Ways of the World

Modern Evangelical church leadership has learned this technique very well. They have become very proficient at it.

And they’ve used it to marginalize, ignore, and even preach against those who would mention the compromises and corruptions in their churches. 

To single out those who might mess up their plans to transform the church into a bigger contemporary mess than it has already become.  

VERSE: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

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