{"id":620,"date":"2014-05-18T09:53:44","date_gmt":"2014-05-18T13:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/isittheendoftheworld\/?p=620"},"modified":"2014-05-18T09:53:44","modified_gmt":"2014-05-18T13:53:44","slug":"scratch-that-itch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/isittheendoftheworld\/2014\/05\/scratch-that-itch.html","title":{"rendered":"Scratch That Itch"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.<\/em> (2 Timothy 4:3)<\/p>\n

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, \u201cIn the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.\u201d These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.<\/em><\/p>\n

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God\u2019s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.<\/em> (Jude 17-21)<\/p>\n

I recently attended two conferences, which perfectly illustrate the widening gap between sound-doctrine churches and apostate congregations that are rapidly becoming the majority. At least among large, visible churches and ministries. There are still thousands of sound, small churches dotting the American landscape. Yet the glitzy, \u201ccelebrity pastor\u201d set has become the face of American Christianity.<\/p>\n

The teaching of Bible prophecy has fallen out of favor among highly visible ministries and churches. It is mocked routinely by a wide range of leaders; Brian McLaren and the magazine for Millennial evangelicals, \u201cRelevant,\u201d come to mind. Looking at the trail of mocking jabs \u201cRelevant\u201d has taken at the new \u201cLeft Behind\u201d movie makes one wonder what Nicholas Cage ever did to Cameron Strang.<\/p>\n

Although Strang, the publisher of \u201cRelevant,\u201d goes silent when people ask him to clarify or document his views on a variety of subjects, his dislike<\/a> of Dispensationalist, Israel-supporting Christians is dismaying.<\/p>\n

And he gets away with it.<\/p>\n

Likewise, leaders like McLaren are taking many Americans away from the historic faith. His diatribes against \u201cfundamentalists\u201d and Christian Zionists are chilling.<\/p>\n

And he gets away with it.<\/p>\n

In short, there is a massive, coordinated effort to take the American Evangelical community hard to the left. And plenty of other commentators<\/a> have noticed.<\/p>\n

At Catalyst Dallas a few weeks ago, I observed<\/a> contemplative prayer, self-absorbed speakers, and no shortage of pro Palestinian fervor.<\/p>\n

\"Materials<\/a>
Materials from Catalyst<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the Mid-America Prophecy Conference in Tulsa recently, I saw plenty of great Bible prophecy teachers and connected with long-time friends, all of who recognize that the Great Apostasy\u2014the Great Falling Away of the faith\u2014is well underway.<\/p>\n

Yet the antidote is there for us in Scripture: prayer and reading the Word.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 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