Pastor Issues 30-Day Challenge…About What?!

[billiefan2000]

Pastor Issues 30-Day Challenge…About What?!

The circus church train just keeps rolling down the track. The cleverly named Relevant Church

has a pastor who has issued a 30-day sex challenge to his congregation.

The mind boggles.


(see) http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/p...d=1.1.1&sflg=1


for info on this story

Have you ever wondered how reproduction ever took place before there were pastors like this?

What did the church ever do without evangelical ministers who would tell believers what to do in their private marital lives?

Imagine how 7,000 people a weekend would go through services at Spurgeon’s church in London and manage to have godly families and marriages without sex advice from the pulpit. It’s just a miracle, isn’t it?

What we have is laciviousness passing for “relavence” in Bible teaching. Look at the promotional ad the church is using because it says it all.

This generation of evangelicals knows more about sexuality than any other in history.

(That’s because they are immersed up to their neck in Hollywood.) These are the same evangelicals who can’t quote the Ten Commandments, name the 12 Apostles, recite the Lord’s prayer,

the 23rd Psalm or any other verse for that matter. So what do these cool pastors do?

Disciple them and teach them the Scriptures? No.

They turn church into a sex fest, create sexy posters with women dressed like harlots which no child should have to see at church,


and turn the Lord’s house into a tawdry theater for titillating talks, all in the name of Christian teaching.

We have a generation of Americans and evangelicals who have never gotten over their own genitalia.

Rather than focus on Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, these people are obsessed with sensuality.

They claim that it’s OK to have sermons like this because, after all, the church needs to talk about these things.


How about this for sex talk in church:

Husbands love your wives. Wives love your husbands.

God says, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

God says fornication is a sin in His sight.

Abstain from adultery and fornication.

Obey the Scriptures.

No news media needed, no sex-themed humor, no sensational approach, no offensive posters. Just God’s truth given with respect.

It can even be preached with children in the house. What do you know!

The truth is, millions of evangelicals are inured to lewdness and immodesty because of their entertainment habits.

They have frequented the movie theaters and watched the filth in Sodom for so long that nothing shocks them any longer.

Their calloused consciences long ago stopped telling them, “stop”.


So sleazy posters that cheapen sexuality get slapped up on church doors and hoisted as billboards

by these attention-seeking pastors and it doesn’t raise an eyebrow.

The coarsening of society is fully evident in these churches as well. Throw out all your inhibitions. You’ve been repressed by fundamentalism!

Nothing is taboo to address publicly any longer!

Nothing is too sacred to bray about in public!

Forget discretion.

Take the most sacred things and haul them out for public titillation in the name of Christian teaching!

Bring it on.

My advice to young believers is to run from pastors like this.


The sensuality in the church is accelerating.


While there is nothing wrong with counseling for married couples in privacy,

there is absolutely no excuse for turning sex into a circus by the pastor who is apparently eager for coverage on the local Fox (who else?) affiliate in town.

Preaching on purity is easily done from the pulpit without turning your church into a Jerry Springer-style freak show with the local news highlighting your sexy posters.

These pastors are pushing the envelope because increasingly that’s what it takes to keep jaded Christians coming.

When the show gets boring, these customers move on down the road to the next big tent.



http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=334

[billiefan2000]

http://www.alittleleaven.com/2008/02...-sex-chal.html

30 Day Sex Challenge?

Relevant Church in Tampa, Florida is 'bravely' confronting one of the most pernicious problems of our day. They are going to solve the problem of "people NOT having enough sex".

(This is not satire).

They've launched a 30 day sex challenge and here is what their website says:

more... http://www.alittleleaven.com/2008/02...-sex-chal.html

[Final Trumpet]

Single men and women can't have sex for 30 days, and married couples are urged to have it every day.

So, singles are to abstain for 30 days? Not that they shouldn't be having sex or anything since they are not married...

[Stonewall]

This whole challenge as a program and the reasons they do it are pretty silly.

But I do think it would be great for a pastor to dare those married in his congregation to have sex every day for a month.

Good, married, loving, God-honoring sex doesn't happen nearly enough, and it can both be the result of, and in some ways cause, a more loving relationship.

They have a small snippet of a right idea, but a skewed worldview and so can't put it into practice responsibly.

[billiefan2000]

BTW this church in Tampa area is connected with the Emergent Church movement


http://www.theooze.com/se/dir/Churches/

list as a church link and a "church" worth checking out


not to mention Relevant Magazine

http://relevantmagazine.com/churchdi...store_state=FL

has Relevant Church listed as a "good church"


not to mention on this church's youtube page

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

and:

Relevant Magazine

are listed as their favorite books

[seekingtruth1]

This whole challenge as a program and the reasons they do it are pretty silly.

But I do think it would be great for a pastor to dare those married in his congregation to have sex every day for a month.

Good, married, loving, God-honoring sex doesn't happen nearly enough, and it can both be the result of, and in some ways cause, a more loving relationship.

They have a small snippet of a right idea, but a skewed worldview and so can't put it into practice responsibly.

Are you speaking as a man or a woman? hehehe

[Theresa]

Are you speaking as a man or a woman? hehehe

I was thinking the same thing.

[Stonewall]

Are you speaking as a man or a woman? hehehe

As a man whose wife is, ummm, 'hungrier' in that department, though we both have healthy appetites.

I think it would be great for everyone, as long as there was not serious bad blood in the relationship that makes intimacy emotionally or spiritually painful (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.).

But most 'average' couples would benefit tremendously by it. God designed it to be both enjoyable and helpful to a marriage.

Personally, I find it very much like serving my wife, or praying for her - the more I do those, I can't help but love and cherish her more. When those things aren't there, the relationship grows cold. Lack of serving/praying for your spouse is not only a symptom of relationship problems, but also causes relationship problems.

Same goes for sex - lack of it can be a result of problems, but a lack of sex can also cause coldness and problems.

If you don't believe me, just give the test a shot

(hoping I kept the post PG enough....never sure where that line is....)

[Theresa]

As a man whose wife is, ummm, 'hungrier' in that department, though we both have healthy appetites.

I think it would be great for everyone, as long as there was not serious bad blood in the relationship that makes intimacy emotionally or spiritually painful (i.e. abuse, neglect, etc.).

But most 'average' couples would benefit tremendously by it. God designed it to be both enjoyable and helpful to a marriage.

Personally, I find it very much like serving my wife, or praying for her - the more I do those, I can't help but love and cherish her more. When those things aren't there, the relationship grows cold. Lack of serving/praying for your spouse is not only a symptom of relationship problems, but also causes relationship problems.

Same goes for sex - lack of it can be a result of problems, but a lack of sex can also cause coldness and problems.
If you don't believe me, just give the test a shot

(hoping I kept the post PG enough....never sure where that line is....)

We were just playing with you.

Although I don't think I would have wanted to partake of it *every* day, my ex- seldom wanted to (even pre-kids, when I sometimes drew whistles), so I understand what you are saying.

This kind of presentation, IMO, doesn't belong in church. They have taken a serious subject and turned it into a titillating show. Shame on them.

[proverbs31woman]

So, singles are to abstain for 30 days? Not that they shouldn't be having sex or anything since they are not married...

I think that's the point.

I think the pastor's trying to get them to develop a "habit" of abstinence. That's how I read it anyway.

[billiefan2000]

More on the 30 Day Sex Challenge

http://www.alittleleaven.com/2008/02...on-the-30.html

Pay close attention to what the news anchors say at the end of this story about the 30 Day Sex Challenge.

They say that Pastor Paul Wirth MARKETS his church by tackling unusual and controversial topics.

In other words, this is a marketing campaign that is using sex to sell his church.

They've replaced the scandal of the cross with the scandal of using sex to market their church.

Here is an interesting fact, This is NOT the first time Relevant Church has used the sex topic to market themselves.

They did a similar sermon series a little over a year ago in November of 2006.


They seem a bit obsessed with this topic.


http://www.alittleleaven.com/2008/02...on-the-30.html

[seekingtruth1]

I think that's the point.

I think the pastor's trying to get them to develop a "habit" of abstinence. That's how I read it anyway.

that makes it sound optional!

[billiefan2000]

http://christianresearchnetwork.com/?p=4501

Todd Friel of Way of the Master Radio weighs in on Relevant Church's 30 Day Sex Challenge

[proverbs31woman]

that makes it sound optional!

Technically, it is optional. I think it's definitely treated as optional more than some like to believe in the church as well. I remember being in youth group and being amazed at what some of the kids from some of the most "pious" families were getting away with.

Anyway, identifying the problem and approaching a solution from a direction that people can wrap their heads around isn't all that bad. But I think it should definitely be reinforced with Biblical truth behind it. Get them out of the habit and then into the Word!

[billiefan2000]

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=347

[billiefan2000]

Florida Pastor Issues 30-Day Sex Challenge for Congregation


http://truediscernment.wordpress.com...-congregation/



1 Peter 4:17


For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

[Chris]

Oh, and the flip side of the challenge? No rolling in the sheets for the unwed.

Church member Tim Jones and his fiancee agreed to take on the challenge, though he acknowledges it'll be a tough month.

I thought this part was a little ironic. It says no rolling around in the sheets for unweds, yet a church member and his FIANCEE are going to take the challenge. Uh hello!! If someone is your fiancee they are not your wife YET. Sounds like they are not practicing what they preach.

[billiefan2000]

http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/?p=360

It's Wont Be Long before...

[proverbs31woman]

I thought this part was a little ironic. It says no rolling around in the sheets for unweds, yet a church member and his FIANCEE are going to take the challenge. Uh hello!! If someone is your fiancee they are not your wife YET. Sounds like they are not practicing what they preach.

Again, I really think this is the point. I think they're trying to get the congregation to that place. Not a bad idea, IMHO.

[sandylion]

AS far as I can see this whole thing would actually have the OPPOSITE effect.

Anyone who has ever dieted can tell you that when you deny someone something, the desire for it actually increases dramatically. Singles who are told to deny themselves sex for any reason are far more likely to desire it more rather than less. The moment you are told you CAN'T have it is the moment you desire it more.

On the other hand, anyone with a child can tell you that when you tell him or her to "do" anything, the result is more than likely an emphatic NO! Trying to force women to have sex is the worst way to foster good relations between them and their husbands. Seriously, the day you are told you MUST do it is the day you begin to hate it!