Have Christians Lost Their Credibility? TLA Stories of the Week

Today, while doing TLA Stories of the Week (below) I realized that we should talk more often about how us Christians (as a whole and as individuals) are perceived. Another words, let's talk credibility.Sure, it's not healthy to focus too much on what other people think of us, but like a football coach showing game films (video) of Sunday's game on Monday to his team, the practice of reviewing an analyzing can be very helpful.So, where do we start?Let's start by taking a look at an article recently published at TogetherLA: The Shocking Reasons Christians Have Lost Credibility in Today’s Culture.So, have we lost our credibility?Is it our job to change the culture? Is changing the culture part of the Great Commission? Why or why not?Will deepening our prayer life "do the trick?"Will showing up at church make a difference?How about reading the Bible? Will that help change culture?As stated in the article, LifeWay Research found that 40% of churchgoing Christians read the Bible “once a month, rarely or never.” That means when it comes to the primary book informing us about the God of the universe, His remarkable and unfolding plan for our lives, and our eternal destiny, Christians think so little of it that we read it only when it’s convenient. Maybe it’s time we rediscovered the power of God’s Word.How about politics? Can we change culture through our politics?The authors of The Way Back say we need to be careful with politics. "Vote, join a party, run for office. But keep the Church above the process. Think about it – the country is pretty evenly divided between parties, so when we drag the gospel into party politics, we’ve immediately alienated half of the country. How does that help the cause of Christ?"It is the cause of Christ we are talking about here.Perhaps we start by caring what Jesus Christ cares about.Let's have this conversation! Please leave comments below.

Pastors: Should You Promote a Political Opinion?

During the current political climate that has shockingly pitted Christian-against-Christian, at least in ideological beliefs, should pastors endorse candidates or express political opinions?Pastors should consider the spiritual ramifications of promoting a political candidate, “especially in this day and age,” said a pastor and church security expert recently from Orange County, California.Kevin Robertson, author of Church Security: Providing a Safe Worship Environment, made his Facebook post on election day last week and although the subject matter wasn’t about church security, it did address the divisive nature found within the country and churches today.“Here's a thought for my Pastor friends,” states Robertson, who conducts church security conferences throughout the United States. “As a nation as we go to the voting booths today (June 5, 2018), it's a right, a privilege and a responsibility for each citizen, for everyone of us. That being said, I don't [impose] my personal decisions on this onto other pastors. This is just something to think about, something to consider.“In 1 Corinthians 10:23, it says we are allowed to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. As a pastor, do I have the right to promote a political candidate? Sure. But I think about it this way — I have friends that are Conservative, Liberal, Republican, Democrat, Independent and one that says he's a Socialist. Many of these friends of mine are not Christians.”He coninued, “If as a pastor, if I were to openly promote a Democrat or a Republican, etc., candidate then I have just built a wall between myself and the person on the ‘other side.’ As a pastor, as Christians, our goal, our hope and efforts should be focused on The Great Commission, (Matthew 28:16-20), building a ‘bridge’ with someone so that Christ can ‘walk across.’“Do I have the right and the freedom to express my political beliefs, absolutely. However, I had to decide, for me personally, which is more important to me: my freedom to express my voting decision, or my desire to build a friendship, a relationship with any and everyone that doesn't have a personal relationship with Christ? Especially in this day and age, regardless of which side of the aisle one's on, politics can be an extremely divisive topic. Just something for my pastor friends to consider.”Editor’s Note: The above article is part of Together LA’s “How Would Jesus Vote?” series that was kicked off in May with the TLA exclusive: Do Religion and Politics Mix? Franklin Graham Answers On Decision America Tour