Israelites, Pharisees & Sadducees In The 21st Century Church

7. Substitutionary atonement or the belief God that sent his son Jesus to pay the price
for sin.
8. Homosexuality is abhorrent to God and, even if it is a genetic phenomenon, it must
be rejected or held in submission.
9. As the only way to God, Jesus is going to return to earth one day and condemn all
unbelievers to hell.
10. Hell is, therefore, the final destiny for anyone who does not believe in Jesus.
There are other “absolutes.” But these may be among the more familiar ones. It is many
of these “absolutes” that I see Millennials rejecting outright. In other words, if you want
to know why this generation has left the Church, look no further. You’ll find many of the
reasons in these antiquated beliefs.
I have listed below a few of the “absolutes” a new generation of believers are
embracing. These absolutes are among those the 21st Century Church of the future
must embrace with both enthusiasm and devotion, if viability is the desired outcome.
I am convinced, however, survival is not the interest of many church leaders. In fact,
there seems to be a kind of victimology disease from which many church leaders are
suffering today. When I was in seminary, we called this disease a “martyr complex.”
The Blind Leading the Blind
Many blind leaders today have actually duped themselves into thinking that the
widespread departures from their churches is somehow the fault of those leaving. It’s as
if those leaving are in the wrong. That their faith is faulty. That what they believe is
misguided.
It is, however, the same age-old blindness Jesus came up against repeatedly. As
Father Richard Rohr has correctly noted: “Jesus was never upset with sinners; he was
only ever only upset with people who thought they were not sinners.”
And, guess who thought they were not sinners?
Hint...hint.
It wasn’t those outside the Temple.
No, it was the religious leaders in Jesus’ day who were wrong.
And, yes, it is the religious leaders in our day who are wrong, too.
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