I remember in ab out 1979 (or was it 1980) when the pope visited Chicago — folks came to our church who had never come before. Since our neighborhood was about 90% Roman Catholic, the few protestants wanted to “register their religious fervency” as well. Most never came back, though we tried to visit them.

Of course this will also increase Catholic pride for a time.

When I saw the headline about one in 7 Americans thinking that divorce is not sin, I thought I would put up a SI poll. Like many pastors, I think it can be and often is a sin, but not necessarily so. I do think sin as always at the root, however.

What is your take? Please take the closest choice; choose “other” only if the choices avaialble are not close (or cover most bases).

Poll Results

Do you believe divorce is a sin?

We have heard it a zillion times, “There is nothing minor about the minor prophets. Minor refers to the size of their books, not their message, ministry, or impact.” But one thing is not stated that needs to be: It is a lot easier to preach through a minor prophetic book than it is a major one!

Church buildings are obviously extra-Scriptural. Still, with changing times, growth and decline, etc., it is interesting to try to determine the structural needs of the future. The place to begin is where we are and to learn practical points from one another.

Our church has had to invest ridiculous amounts of money to maintain our buildings. These are not frills.

So comments about your own church family’s facility or meeting place can help the many of us who are uncertain, especially given our changing times.

One common frustration I experience is not being able to communicate clearly because of changing terminology. I am among those who believe that terms need to be defined specifically — and definitions not switched midstream.

George Barna has been the pied piper for many churches, leading many to adopt his conclusions, for better or worse. A few years ago, Barna sold his organization and began advocating the House Church.

With the way Christians are being silenced in our culture and government encroachment (particularly involving the gay issue) and the new emphasis on “diversity,” will church buildings become obvious points for protests, vandalism, etc., and will the government attach qualifications toward tax-exemption that will force compromise upon compliant churches?

My theological viewpoints have frequently been mocked by other Bible-believing Christians. For example, being dispensational (of a sort), my viewpoint has been called unscholarly, mindless, etc., and those who hold my view as “sensationalist.” I am a young earth creationist, and other evangelicals have accused people with my viewpoint as mindless and naive, and essentially believing the world is flat.

Bruce Jenner has made the whole “sex change” concept “socially acceptable.” Of course we who are faithful to the Kingdom of God would take a different view.

People are born with either XX chromosomes or XY. That is their objective gender. Although some people may be born with both genital sets (extremely rare), the XX or XY pattern is one or the other.

Almost every pastor I know has run into a painful issue: the daughter of some important figure in the church (perhaps a board member) sets up an appointment with her husband-to-be and asks if the pastor will officiate. The young man, however, does not profess to be a committed believer in Jesus.

From there, paths diverge and all kinds of things can happen. Some churches/pastors have a written policy that at least protects those individual from feeling targeted, if nothing else.

I think we all should have close Christian friends, but not necessarily at our church (although it is nice, ideally, IMO),yet we should have people in our church with whom we are friendly and familiar, friends but not necessarily close ones. There are pros and cons to this, of course. And, by friend, we are not counting immediate families (okay, cousins and more distantly related people can count).

So let’s talk about what is and then you are free to comment on that or upon what you believe should be.

Poll Results