1.2 – Modern Conflicts

[ECO]

Testing.

[Amanda]

I see several conflicts, but I think the strongest conflicts within the church today are political conflicts, especially after the pandemic. Everything has become so highly politicized, and everyone, including church organizations, are expected to hold certain political beliefs or risk being ostracized – this goes both ways. I think it can be difficult for people to step outside of themselves and understand that it isn't realistic for everyone to share the same opinions, and that it is far more important for us to love and serve those around us than it is to fully agree with them. That being said, I also do believe that we should look to the Bible when considering our political stance, as we should with anything else, and hold true to that. Not everything in life or in the church needs to be political, but God's word is where our truth comes from. The way that we show others the truth isn't through coercion, it's through introducing them to the transformative power of Christ.

I've encountered several false teachings in the church, but my biggest point of contention is the emergence of new age teachings and the hybridization of these teachings within the church. Manifestation, divination, energy healing, etc, are being repackaged as Christian theology and it grieves me. It seems almost as if the folks falling into it aren't even aware that they're being deceived.

Also, I'm not sure if this is necessarily a false teaching or just me being a bit picky, but I struggle with seeing so many churches tend towards watering down the Gospel or only preaching the "feel good" parts of Christianity. Yes, there is a lot to celebrate and to feel good about, but when we only focus on these pieces of the Bible, we miss so much of the meat of the message.

[Lorna Anne]

The problem of our society now a days are people are selfish, it's all about "ME". People are sensitive but the book of James encourages us to put our trust in God. Reminded us to totally dependent on God.

[Ruth]

I feel like the church has incorporated a lot of humanism into it’s teaching making the “gospel” more about how “I am to fulfill my destiny” , how “God wants me to know who I am” , how important I am in God’s kingdom…It’s a very small part of the truth blown out of proportion. When in reality it’s all about Him. This is probably partially why, as someone else mentioned, the prosperity gospel is still flourishing only under different names. “God wants me to be happy , healthy and wealthy because I’m His child”… I see a focus on finding ourselves and knowing who we are “in Him” instead of on loosing ourselves and taking up our cross.