"FEELIANITY"
or Feel-Good Christianity

In an attempt to feel better, both physically and emotionally, today's Christians are turning not only to eastern mysticism for feel-good results through yoga and mantra meditation, but also to people from other religions and beliefs for feel-good relationships in spite of the Bible's warning against offering "vain repetitions" for prayer and being "unequally yoked" to unbelievers. But in doing so, the 21st century church is being led into a religion where it doesn't matter as much what you believe as it does what you feel.

This is not Christianity - this is Feelianity.

The old 60's slogan, "If it feels good, do it," is now the measure of health and morality here in America and is spreading like a plague among professing Christians with little or no objection from church leaders who ought know better. "Christian Mysticism," often referred to as "contemplative spirituality," was introduced to Protestants in and through the Emergent Church and is now going mainstream thanks to the "Willowback Phenomenon" as Lifeway Research's Ed Stetzer calls it - referring to the overwhelming number of churches that embraced and adopted the teachings and practices of author and pastor, Rick Warren, from Saddleback Community Church.

In a recent Tennessean article titled, 'More churchgoers ditch their denominations', readers learn that churchgoers have by and large "ditched their denominations" for church networks, creating, in the view of this writer, a de facto denomination based, not on the absolute truth of God's Word, but on an "end-justifies-the-means evangelism" where results and relationships are everything.

But the church is not growing - at least not here in America, because Christians aren't taking up their cross for the Savior they claim - and they are, more often than not, surrounding themselves with ear-ticklers who tell them what they want to hear rather than what the Word of God says - believing that feeling good is good and feeling bad is bad.

You see, today's church is producing feelers for Jesus instead of followers of Christ. But does anyone believe for a minute that our Lord felt good up on that cross? Did the early church focus their efforts and attention on better health, a better life and making this world a better place? If they did, they failed miserably.

When tribulation finally comes to America, many of today's "Christians" will think God has turned His back on them or doesn't really exist at all having never learned that loneliness, loss, betrayal, pain, rejection, scorn, sacrifice and suffering are all part of a faithful Christian's walk. And when someone comes along offering an alternative, many will follow him as their new Christ because he will make them feel good.

Even so, I believe there will be others who will learn by the grace of God, if they live long enough to lose everything and everyone dear to them, that what they thought was contemporary Christianity was really only apostasy, and that one's love for Jesus is not measured by their acquiescence to and acceptance of this fallen world and its feel-good ways, but rather by their obedience to His Word and a willingness to lose it all for Him and His kingdom to come.

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" - Mark 8:36

PAUL PROCTOR

That's how you get people to the church which is not interested in much bible. In the church we went to we played baseball. The score was not kept. No seperation the whole family could play, women and children. it was just for play and fun and fellowship. As a seperatist I believe in play and fun, but competition is nothing more than pride where one makes themselves better than others. No humble and meek is why we must deal with it. the world actually calls it a competitive (spirit).

Now Christians have schools which compete in order for parents and students naturally select the winner. Who wants to be around a bunch of losers---get it?