Luke 13:23-27

23 And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them,

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

25 “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’

26 “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’

27 “And He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU WORKERS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.’

All those pastors that preach a lukewarm and man-centred watered down gospel are guilty before God. Judgement day is coming. If you are in church like this, RUN.

I caught him cheating by texting many escorts, though he told me he never met with them. He was even asking for their pictures. There were probably more than 50 women he chatted with, and he knows the slang used in that community—like how “walk” means “sex.” Would this be considered sexting?

We have a one-year-old child and have been married for almost two years. We’ve been together since 2019. I’m finding it hard to forgive him, even though he apologized and said he can’t make it without us. Until I found out about this, he hadn’t been a good husband to me. Now, it seems like he’s trying to make things right, but I wonder how long this will last. I’m fearful, uncertain, and incredibly sad. I can’t seem to understand my emotions or what to feel. I know that the most Christian thing to do would be to give him a chance, but I find it so hard to forget what he did.

Can you recommend a community or book to help me overcome this situation? I’m juggling work, being a mom, and being a wife.

And it concerns me

Worried about my salvation

But the past two months i been on & off with God

Falling into deliberate sinning

Then falling into guilt

Then turning away from God because of guilt (no praying or reading)

I just wish God would give me a obvious sign or something to not give up.

Feel like i get back into the flow & just yet feel so distant from him.

Then he’ll magically give me a minor.. maybe even macro sign that my faith remains.

Im confused about what to do, how to get out of this slump

Hey, so. This is gonna be hard, long and kinda weird.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse

When I was 15 I was making a lot of bad choices. In the mist of this, I ended up at my older brother’s (19) apartment he shared with a group of guys. I ended up getting drunk, for the first time ever to the point where I couldn’t walk. My brother dragged me to a closet and raped me.

I’m the first to admit I made a lot of mistakes that night and more afterwards. This event changed my entire life.

During that same year, and years before this, my brother also had sexual relations with our step sister and another friend of ours. All of us were between the ages of 13-15 but it’s been so long I don’t remember exactly what ages they were when things started.

The friend’s mom did press charges or whatever and he was convicted of statutory rape.

I’m now in the 30s. I gave my life to Christ about 4-5 years ago. I have been going through Christian counseling for most of this year, working on forgiveness. God has really opened my eyes to a lot of things involving my mom, my dad and my brother. And I know Gods timing is perfect because:

My step sister is in the middle of a divorce and living at my dads house. my brother, who has lived out of state for YEARS and who I haven’t had any family run ins with and haven’t talked to in 12 years has moved back to my dads house/area (no one is really clear about this and I live states away myself now).

When I called my dad to make holiday plans, because we also visit the area at Christmas, he informed me that my step sister and brother are now dating. And I just don’t know how to process this.

My dad’s being very supportive over this situation, while I have basically never talked to him about it in the past. He is doing his best so that we can comfortably visit him, without my brother or sister there, which has never happened. I always had to make different plans, miss family events and whatnot because he would be there and basically I was the one with the issue, not him.

My relationship with my dad is hugely different. This has been part of counseling and I have worked hard.

I also thought I was basically at the point of forgiveness for my brother, but now I’m not so sure. I had thought I had forgiven him years ago honestly, but God showed me I had more so just accepted the situation and the current status quo. So I worked through those feelings. Was feeling some compassion for him. And truly thought “now I have forgiven him” and then I find out this news.

I’m not sure why it upsets me so much. Idk it feels like a betrayal. My sister knows what happened. My sister was also a victim, but maybe she never saw herself as one? But really none of us were old enough to make the choice to be involved like that with a grown man. (Because that’s the reality of it, although mine wasn’t a choice, her and the friend were) This also means that unless I’m ready to see him, be around him, this basically means I lose contact with my nephews. My young girls also sometimes play games with their cousins while FaceTiming. I’m no longer comfortable with that if he is going to be around. I don’t want him near my girls. Hard boundary. And it also means that once again, I might be excluded from holidays and potential family vacations because he will be there. (Although this year my dad is handling that. And I’m thinking this year is also time for me to sit down and talk to my dad about this whole situation. Honestly and with biblical love)

I just don’t know how to feel. Honestly, I feel anger. I’m mad at my step sister. My dad also told her that she needed to talk to me and tell me. But she didn’t. Instead she ignored my texts for weeks/months. Just normal texts, not about this because I didn’t know about this. I haven’t tried reaching out since finding out. But I also feel guilt for being angry! I should be past this. I’m choosing forgiveness right? It shouldn’t bother me.

But it’s one thing to want forgiveness. It’s one things to say you have forgiven. It’s apparently a whole different thing to actually hold forgiveness in my heart. It’s not a switch I can flip. If it was, I would have absolutely flipped it.

Idk. This was long. My bad.

this guy keeps uploading clickbait videos, calls EVERYTHING demonic, preaches a false gospel, and so much more, don't support him. (if You scroll down through his youtube channel You should see what I mean)

I’ve been a “Christian” my whole life. My dad’s a pastor & everything. & I never like abandoned the religion to go party or go do drugs or anything like that. I just didn’t have a RELATIONSHIP with God. Like I wasn’t praying or reading the Bible at all. Wasn’t going to church unless it was a Sunday & my parents went. I didn’t listen or watch anything Christian. I just lived a pretty normal life. Minus God.

But I don’t want to go to hell. My life has been full of suffering & still is. I don’t want to die & my grand reward for pushing forward & not killing myself to be ETERNAL suffering. So I’ve been TRYING to be an actual Christian… but I can’t. I just.. can’t.

Like I really really really don’t wanna read the Bible. Like I WANT to. But there’s no like drive or motivation to. My body feels like I can be doing literally anything else with my time. Meanwhile my soul/spirit wants to.

I’ve started a “prayer journal” in my notes app. Nothing in depth. Just a day by day prayer log. Cause I decided to pray at least 1 prayer. It’d be at night. Before bed. & it started off bad. Like even in day 1. It felt like I was just saying words. But I figured “hey, it’s the FIRST day. It’s going to be wierd, just get through it & you’ll eventually feel really good abt praying”

nope. I’m on Day 12 today & I’ve only prayed like 6 times. But everytime I do. I feel SO fake. Like “oh shut up & go sin, what’s the point” like idk.

For example. I’m praying “thank you lord for giving me life & giving me breath this morning & giving me another day” meanwhile I’m suicidal & hate my life. I see NO way out of my situation. & the ONLY thing stopping me from killing myself is that I KNOW I’ll go to hell if I do (which I don’t really find fair if you ask me)

Like I’m being so “thankful” to god meanwhile I don’t give a single F about life at ALL. & it’s like that for everything I pray. I’m praying for guidance & wisdom & patience, etc etc. but I feel like I’m NEVER going to get that. Like they say “pray & God will answer” but it feels like he never will.

& I know he hears my prayers. I’ve literally had my VERY SPECIFIC prayers told back to me by prophets who’ve never met me before. So I know God HEARS me. But idk if he’s LISTENING. Idk if that make sense.

But the point of this. Is to ask. How can I WANT to be a Christian? Cause my life SUCKS. Like I’m dealing with things in my head that I’m pretty sure like 80% of people never have to deal with.

The animation is abt a false prophet :> if u can find any verses abt them, pls comment down below!! Tysm :D

So my current thoughts are

1. Pray 1 hour every morning and pray 1 hour every night

2)Read Bible every day(I think I’m going to listen to it while driving to and from work) 3) Pray small prayers throughout the day(once every 30-1hr)

Is there anything y’all would add to this?

I used to think that I was on the straight and narrow based on feelings(felt at peace and love after long prayers), but I’ve heard stories of those who go through something called, “the dark night of the soul”. This is where the person feels dryness, lack of connection to God, and unloved by God. Obviously this a trial/cross from God to grow us spiritually, and I heard from a Priest that the only way to overcome it is to love the Cross and detach from all the remaining worldly attachments. It’s seemingly a paradox. To overcome it is to willingly accept/love it.

Now, this is all theory to me as I’m still in the “feel good after prayer phase”, but I’m prepping for the future. I also believe I am saved, but very faulty nonetheless.

My point is, I think that the three things I listed above is the way I know I’m still following Jesus, even if I don’t feel him.

Do you think I’m correct or is there another way to go about it(as it relates to following Jesus)?

Josseli Barnica is one of at least two pregnant Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency care. She’d told her husband that the medical team said it couldn’t act until the fetal heartbeat stopped.

Josseli Barnica grieved the news as she lay in a Houston hospital bed on Sept. 3, 2021: The sibling she’d dreamt of giving her daughter would not survive this pregnancy.

The fetus was on the verge of coming out, its head pressed against her dilated cervix; she was 17 weeks pregnant and a miscarriage was “in progress,” doctors noted in hospital records. At that point, they should have offered to speed up the delivery or empty her uterus to stave off a deadly infection, more than a dozen medical experts told ProPublica.

But when Barnica’s husband rushed to her side from his job on a construction site, she relayed what she said the medical team had told her: “They had to wait until there was no heartbeat,” he told ProPublica in Spanish. “It would be a crime to give her an abortion.”

For 40 hours, the anguished 28-year-old mother prayed for doctors to help her get home to her daughter; all the while, her uterus remained exposed to bacteria.

Three days after she delivered, Barnica died of an infection.

https://www.propublica.org/article/josseli-barnica-death-miscarriage-texas-abortion-ban

Heyo everyone, I'm currently searching for some good gospel sermons that don't primarily focus on PSA (Penal Substitution), but I haven't found any. Do any of you all know of some? Thanks in advance!

This isnt a troll and to be honest I find it a little embarrassing to ask such a specific question but bear with me as I could use advice. Ill cut right to the chase. I picked myself up a new gaming console, but every time I would use it, I would get this conviction feeling in the back of my throat, so I asked God if I should be using this new console or just stick with my gaming PC, which is good, but I was tired of always worrying about my PC components breaking, and to be honest, I was just tired of PCs and the hobby in itself, which has caused me to spend more money than I like to admit. So in my head, I was doing a good thing by giving up a hobby with bad fruits and instead sticking with something simple just to game on casually. Anyways, I asked God for an answer, opened YouTube, and the first video was titled (Ditch your gaming consoles and go to PC.) I watched a bit of the video, and the guy was talking about PCs and Xbox, blah blah, but then he said something that stood out: basically, he thanked Jesus for having an opportunity, and that made me realize I shouldn't have bought the console as I already had the opportunity and blessing to even own a computer, so for the last few days I've been avoiding my new console and forcing myself to enjoy my computer, but to be honest, I lost my joy and passion for the computer building/gaming hobby a while back. What do I do? Should I sell my new console and force myself to use my computer? Am I being ungrateful? Help and advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. God bless.

Something that a lot of Christians do not understand is that truth and clarity are not always one and the same. You could say to someone, "If you don't believe what I believe you're going to Hell." But, while that is technically true, it's entirely unclear and wildly misleading. Ultimately, it is far better to say what is true, not compromising it, while still retaining clarity and explaining WHY it is true; the thought process behind that truth.

Just some advice from someone who's still learning.

Praise God. This is a good word because I thought at first "I don't really feel like doing all this" and while typing, I've kinda been a nervous shaky. The enemy knows this is confirmation for many.

So I've been scouring a lot of places for like a week now to find a definition of whether Halloween is good for Christians to celebrate (coming from a family torn between celebrating it), and I think it's because I wanted people to reaffirm that we can essentially celebrate it the "right" way: without the occult practices, dead people, blah blah.

I finally asked my mom today, and I think she summed it up in a perfect way: If someone who had no idea what Halloween was, the first thing they would notice is the spiritual references and dead/demonic things everywhere. That's a fact. The next things they would notice is up for debate, but I think the second most notable thing is people dress up in costumes to participate in it. Now this person living under a rock would easily put two and two together: if you are dressing up on this day, you are participating in the festivity of this day. There's no "oh, we just dress up as pandas or Bluey" -- it's a fact that you are choosing to participate in Halloween.

Now comes the question: as a follower of God, do you want to be associated with all these references to the dead and the spirit realm and spiritual practices? This was the conviction I now know I have been experiencing, as I have scoured this subreddit, Youtube, and other sites to try and deny it. If you say yes to this question, you really have to pray and meditate on why you see no problems with this, as we are to have no association with evil.

There are countless verses in the Word of God telling up to remain separated from darkness (obviously not referring to the nighttime, but instead sin and practices of evil); here are just a couple:

- For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. -

1 Thessalonians 5:5 ESV

- Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. - Ephesians 5:11 ESV

I'm not saying you worship the devil by participating in Halloween. I'm not worried about the satanists and occultists doing their thing -- Jesus already has the victory, so who cares lol? I'm just stating that as God's children, we are holy, set apart, supposed to be perfect like Jesus is perfect. Obviously we are all being sanctified day by day and not perfect, but as we have now put on Jesus Christ in our new selves and know that daily we war against spirits and principalities of evil, we must take no part in darkness.

There are no personal revelations, no personal convictions. There is good and there is evil. As Christians, we have always stood firmly in the goodness of God: in our obedience and denial of our flesh and the world. Why should we compromise to culture now for Halloween?

Edit: I just feel like I should let yall know: I'm not a 40 year old woman who is going to lock my house up tomorrow. I'm a teen who is going to go to school tomorrow that has a bunch of Halloween celebrations. I'm gonna have a hard time not dressing up or doing any of that, because I love to have fun with my friends and show school spirit. But like many of the pleasures of the world, I will have to deny it, pick up my cross, and continue to follow Christ.

I'm just looking to edify the body of Christ with this message, so we stand even a little more boldly on our faith in God and righteous in Jesus' name.

Another edit: I also apologize for the slighlty misleading title. As a couple of comments have pointed out, personal conviction and revelation is really real; I was referring to the interpretation and opinions supporting Halloween and the lack of clear truth behind them. Thats what community is for lol, thanks everyone!

The answer to the question I've always wanted to know was God trolling when he made me? I'm not tryna be funny but I'm being serious I I mean he had to have been. Whenever I look at myself in the mirror, most notably my face I don't like it, if anything I hate my skin color the most. There's so many nights where I wouldn't sleep mostly because I would Fantasize how life would be if I was a completely different person. When it comes to the dating world or world in general I'm not accepted, I don't meet the "social" norm if that makes sense. Every day I feel so lonely, I'm always the first one to text a person or think about someone, bit I get none of that in return. My life just genuinely sucks.

As a Christian should you celebrate Halloween? Well it depends.

First, I think it's important to first define what celebrate means.

Celebrate: acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.

Is there anything wrong with acknowledging Halloween with a social gathering or enjoyable event ie trick or treating? Again, it depends.

What does it depend on? It depends on where you are at in your Christian walk.

As someone who has loved spooky stuff since I was a child up until this very year I have a had zero reservations about observing Halloween. In my past I thought Christians who were opposed to this holiday were being legalistic and maybe a bit paranoid. Flash forward to today and my eyes have been opened to the spiritual reality we find ourselves living in that western Christianity doesn't talk about enough.

I'm not going into the history of Halloween because Google is free and there are a plethora of videos on this topic you can watch for yourself. All you need to know is it started as a pagan tradition in Ireland and eventually merged with Catholic celebrations. Through time we've adopted other parts of this day such as Jack-o'-lanterns, giving out treats, and dressing up. Our modern form of Halloween is about 80ish years old now. Go back any further than that and you're not going to recognize Halloween.

Which leads me to my first point. Our modernized Halloween is a far cry from its pagan and even Catholic ancestors.

Regardless where you are at in your walk, if you decline to celebrate Halloween due to its pagan origins, then I believe you are setting yourself up to live an unobtainable standard of life, therefore making yourself a hypocrite. If you reject Halloween on the basis of paganism then you also have to reject celebrating your Birthday, get rid of your wind chimes, wedding rings, Christmas trees, and easter eggs. Be sure you don't cover your mouth when you yawn, knock on wood, and you'll need a new calendar too because months are pagan.

What about Satanists and occultists?

If we tell ourselves that Satanists and occultists only use Halloween to perform their dark arts and that's why we should avoid the holiday then we are deceiving ourselves. These groups undoubtedly use Halloween as a day to perform awful rituals but they do this year round as well. In my personal view this is even more of a reason that we should be taking Halloween back and using it to glorify God. And if we get to eat some candy while we glorify God, then that's even better.

What about the veil between our world and the spirit world being at its thinest?

Halloween is when the veil is at its thinest. But we know in scripture the veil was torn when Jesus paid the ultimate price for us on the cross. We are already spiritually connected to our Father in ways Satanists will never understand. They seek to know the other side for their own gain but through Christ we've already gained access to the Heavenly realm with Christ. So as far as I'm concerned, the veil being thin is not something we should fear.

Halloween is a celebration of death.

That's what some claim and for some it is. For parents who want to take there child out for some candy dressed up a superhero/princess, not so much. If we held trick or treating on any other day of the year, I wonder if their would be this much discussion about if we should celebrate it or not? Hmmm.

Are there certain aspects of Halloween we should avoid?

Yes. But this applies year round as well. Should you practice rituals, dark magic, worship Satan, adorn yourself with pentagrams, have a baphomet in your house, go to wild parties, get drunk/high? Absolutely not! Not any day of the year should you ever do any of that. We shouldn't relegate our fear or rejection of these specific items/activities to just Halloween though and call Halloween evil because it's associated with said items/activities. We know those things are evil already. So we need to find a better reason to not celebrate Halloween than that.

Then is there a better reason to not celebrate Halloween than calling the holiday itself evil? Well that depends on where you are at with your walk. That depends on how far back you want to look at the origins for specific portions of the holiday.

To the more mature Christians who say you shouldn't celebrate Halloween, I say follow your conviction BUT do not tell anyone else to not celebrate it based on your convictions. Instead in a loving manner explain why you choose not to.

To the less mature Christians who see no issue with celebrating Halloween, I say follow your conviction BUT don't tell other Christians it's ok and that there is nothing to be aware of regarding this holiday. In a loving manner explain why you see no issue with choosing to celebrate.

If we all follow our own convictions in line with the word of God and continue to love our brothers and sisters who disagree with us, then we surely will not sin and will glorify God with our choices, whatever those may be.

I rarely feel conviction from God anymore. Like when I was a teen, and gave in to something, I’d feel anxious and queasy cause I was fully aware I sinned. Now, I’m still fully aware, but don’t feel bad, and don’t really ask for forgiveness first thing anymore. Ive asked God to remove addictions so much but since he never did it or transformed or cured me like he seems to do for other Christians, somewhere along the line I stopped feeling anything. Why repent if I know I’m just gonna do it again tomorrow? Or in an hour?

The last big time I “heard” God speak was when I was in a sexting/online relationship with someone (for two years) and something in my head said “you’ll never find anything real so long as you’re with her.” I ended things with her a week later, but now I’m just doubly alone and empty, and God’s even further away. I regret listening to him. So, I went back to my ways to cope with the emptiness.

I rarely feel regret about being a jerk to someone. Or meditating on thoughts or fantasies of violence. I enjoy the world a whole lot less. The sunsets are dimmer, I still dislike insects (Florida life), and I can’t count how often the word “hate” appears in my head throughout the day.

I’m not trying to diagnose myself as a sociopath, but I think something clicked or broke somewhere. I don’t know what.

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to take a second to write this here. I've been a Christian for about 18 years now (I'm 25). I've been through a lot throughout my life and all my pain and suffering feels so meaningless. If anything, it has only gradually hardened my heart and given me an overtly pessimistic view of life. I love the Lord and I truly believe that he works everything out for our good and his glory. But living this way, being cautious and God-fearing definitely takes a toll on us and no one talks about it. I feel so out of place every single day. I virtually have no friends I can talk to, I don't fit in anywhere and I don't indulge in so many things that people casually engage in. Which brings me to what I'm dealing with now. I really seem to like this person. At the very least, I would like to get to know them more. But they're not Christian. They're the only person I know who sort of avoids worldly pleasures and shares my aversion for most ungodly things. Even having this desire for love and connection with this person feels so wrong and I'm constantly tormented by the guilt that comes with having such a desire. I know it's not God's will for me to be with them since they're not Christian. In that case, why do I feel so strongly for them? It truly hurts, not being able to be with someone. I'm praying for God's peace and direction. But in any matters of the heart, I've always obeyed God and accepted a no from him with an open mind. No matter how much it has hurt me in the past to accept a no from God, I've done it (with a lot of groaning and questioning). Is this cycle going to continue forever? Am I never going to get what I desire (especially in this case since this person is truly good)? I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle. I'm honestly a bit desperate for this to work out but I don't think it will. I'm so lost.

Just finished reading The Council of Hieria of 754 year ( including Epitome of the Definition of the Iconoclastic Conciliabulum held in Constantinople, A.D. 754 condemning the veneration and production of religious icons as idolatrous and pagan = aka Catholics and Orthodox )

Here’s a look at some notable figures from various eras, highlighting beliefs or practices considered unusual, controversial, or even heretical by contemporary evangelical standards or by their own historical contexts:

1. Patristic Era (100-500 AD)

Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296-373 AD)

Weird Belief: Athanasius strongly advocated monasticism, seeing it as a purer and holier way of life. He venerated figures like Anthony the Great and encouraged rigorous ascetic practices. Today, many evangelicals are cautious about practices that separate themselves from regular, active engagement in the world.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)

Weird Belief: Augustine’s views on sexuality were quite stringent. He believed that sexual desire was inherently sinful, even within marriage. He viewed celibacy as the superior calling over marriage. Additionally, he advocated for the use of state force to suppress heretics (like the Donatists), which is controversial in light of modern beliefs in religious liberty.

John Chrysostom (c. 349-407 AD)

Weird or Controversial Belief: Chrysostom’s teachings on wealth and poverty were radical. He emphasized extreme generosity and the sinfulness of being wealthy, which clashes with the prosperity-oriented strands of modern evangelicalism.

Anti-Semitic Views: Some of his writings contain harsh rhetoric against Jews, which have been criticized in modern times for contributing to anti-Semitic attitudes.

Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390 AD)

Controversial Belief: Gregory believed in the possibility of purification after death, which hinted at a form of purgatory. His teachings in this regard were not fully developed but showed openness to ideas not held by modern evangelical theology.

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215 AD)

Weird Belief: Clement believed that Greek philosophy had been given by God to prepare the way for the Gospel. While he intended this as an apologetic tool, his heavy reliance on Greek philosophical categories made his teachings unpalatable to later evangelical and orthodox Christian theologians.

2. Medieval Era (500-1500 AD)

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109 AD)

Weird or Controversial Belief: Anselm’s satisfaction theory of atonement, which argued that Christ’s death satisfied God’s offended honor, contrasts with later developments like the penal substitution theory, which evangelicals often emphasize.

Monasticism: Anselm was deeply immersed in monastic life and held it as the ideal Christian calling, which differs from many modern evangelical perspectives that value active engagement in the world.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD)

Weird or Controversial Belief: Aquinas embraced Aristotelian philosophy, which led him to philosophical conclusions not accepted by many evangelicals, such as the doctrine of the real presence in the Eucharist (transubstantiation).

Veneration of Saints: His support for praying to saints and venerating relics is considered heretical in most evangelical circles, which emphasize a direct relationship with God through Christ.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)

Weird Belief: Bernard supported the idea of spiritual visions and believed in Marian intercession. He promoted devotion to Mary to such an extent that it raised concerns among later Protestant reformers about a misplaced emphasis away from Christ.

3. Reformation Era (1500-1650 AD)

Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD)

Weird Belief: Luther believed in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (consubstantiation), teaching that the body and blood of Christ were physically present "in, with, and under" the bread and wine. Many evangelical traditions prefer a symbolic interpretation of the Lord’s Supper.

Harsh Rhetoric Against Jews: In his later years, Luther wrote aggressively against Jews, advocating harsh treatment. These writings have been deeply criticized in the modern era.

John Calvin (1509-1564 AD)

Weird or Controversial Belief: Calvin strongly advocated for theocratic governance in Geneva, where church and state were closely intertwined. He also endorsed the execution of heretics like Michael Servetus, a stance that contradicts modern evangelical views on religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531 AD)

Weird Belief: Zwingli rejected the idea of Christ’s physical presence in the Eucharist altogether, seeing it purely as a symbolic act. This set him apart even from Luther, and many evangelicals today are divided on how literal or symbolic the Lord’s Supper is meant to be.

4. Post-Reformation and Modern Era (1650-Present)

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758 AD)

Weird or Controversial Belief: Edwards supported and preached "hellfire and brimstone" sermons, emphasizing graphic descriptions of eternal torment, which some modern evangelicals find overly severe or theologically problematic.

Slaveholder: Edwards owned slaves, which has led to criticism in contemporary times as the evangelical church has taken stronger stances on social justice and human rights.

John Wesley (1703-1791 AD)

Weird Belief: Wesley strongly emphasized Christian perfectionism, the idea that believers could attain a state of perfect love and be free from voluntary sin. This view is not widely accepted by most evangelicals, who focus more on ongoing sanctification rather than achieving perfection.

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892 AD)

Controversial Belief: Spurgeon, although immensely popular among evangelicals, was an ardent Calvinist, strongly advocating the doctrines of unconditional election and limited atonement, which many evangelical denominations reject in favor of more Arminian perspectives. His Calvinism led to sharp theological conflicts with other church leaders of his day.

These figures, though highly influential, each had unique beliefs or practices that either deviated from or complicated modern evangelical doctrine. Their contributions to Christian theology and practice were formative, but not without tensions that have carried forward into contemporary evangelicalism.

Post after post, year after year.

Halloween in no ways serves honor but too the idols people place before their children.

I'm not saying inherently the 'creatures' or 'things' your children choose to be are idols, but let's say someone says their child in front of the TV all day watching the same show, paw patrol, for example. If your child is obsessed with this show and over time begins to scream and cry, throw things around until you put it on for them. There is an issue there! This is the case in many homes.

I give thanks too Yahweh and too yeshua for breaking chains in my life and opening my eyes to things that are evil in nature. He literally opened a door for me to be able to see my son who I've not seen for 10 years.

Y'all are so blessed and trade your pearls for blood rocks.

Halloween does not honor anyone but the idols you allow your children to have.

I would really appreciate prayers to give me strength to continue. I feel like such a burden to my family and I constantly fail God. The only reason why I'm even alive is for God, so when I fail him, I feel absolutely destroyed. I don't know if the enemy is deceiving me, but I truly feel like I would do everyone I favor by getting rid of myself. I'm too weak and emotional to grow to be a true man of God, and if I can't please God with my life, I don't want to live.

You can check out her videos on Youtube. But my wife was really additament for me to watch this video in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkSKMuyJk4Q

In this video she shares her experiences about Yoga, and how just doing Yoga is worshiping the devil. And she was doing a lot of medication which she claims that she physically "levitated off the floor about a foot" (32:05 in the video) which really made me question the legitimacy of her story.

Is she for real? Any fans of her here?

I just keep seeing my wife watch these female youtubers who all claim they were Ex-Witches and every single video of them is just trying to scare you that we are in a constant battle with the Devil... I dont know how youtube is filled with these “everything is demonic” flavor of Christianity. Like I feel like my faith is strong enough that I don't need to see Yoga as a threat.

Do you guys have any recommendations on this topic and who to watch? And whats your opinion on Naela Rose? Is she legit? if so let me know, I want to keep a open mind about her for the sake of my wife.

Thanks!

i have fallen victim to demonic attack. physically all day every day. ive tried fasting, praying for over a month, they cause pain in my body, touch me constantly, grope me, cuss at me, call me names, touch me inappropriately, caress me, stab me with their nails etc. I DO NOT HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA. but i do feel like im going insane. it started when i truly decided to follow christ late september. they will not leave. ive been trusting and having faith but im honestly so exhausted. i dont know what to do. they make it hard to focus when i try to read my word, and i get so angry and God feels so distant it is starting to feel hopeless. no one knows how to help me. people think im crazy or schizophrenic now. i dont know anymore. ive tried everything.

I am weary and looking for any scripture/advice from those who care to give any. I see this world we live in, and for all of the beauty that God puts in it, evil grows tiresome on me. I worry for the future of my country and countrymen, who are more divided than ever. I see many who claim themselves Christians but who would rather worship a man, or power, or money, and who's actions seem to go contrary to Christ's message. I see those who hate others without reason, using our Bible and our Lord as justification to attack the immigrant, the poor, the downtrodden. I try to reason that Paul himself saw these very things in his time, and I often wonder if he felt the same as I do now. I worry for my two week old son, that he has to inherit this world from me and the struggles of it. I know God is good, and I've more than once been told to not focus on the earthly dilemmas but to look to God and let my fears unto Him--let Him sort everything out, but I find that this is an incredibly difficult task. I can temporarily distract myself but it's so hard to truly surrender my fears and anxieties to Him. Does that make sense? Like I know that He's looking out for me but that doesn't take away or ease this worry gripping me.

my sister constantly causes me to stumble in my walk with Jesus. she brings out rage in me.

i cant afford to move out. she is turning my mom against me. she is the most hateful demonized person i ever met. she makes me tell her to burn in hell the other night.

this upsets me because im trying to get as close to God as i can.

i do not want Jesus to be mad at me.

i do not want to have this hate.

i pray to soften my heart and it gets soft then she makes me rage again.

she doesnt believe and her two fav things im pretty sure are money and making me suicidal.

maybe this is just a vent but any advice is appreciated.

psa: praying for her or thinking about praying for her makes me sick. i do not want her in heaven with us.

i know its bad to say but its how i feel. i feel like a fake christian. i dont feel worthy of Jesus. i feel suicidal without Jesus. if Jesus doesnt want me whats the point of my existence. :(

1 Corinthians 8:

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating[c] in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,[d] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers[e] and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Im trying to get closer to God but its giving me depression especally at night time. I feel lonely and this lonely and sad vibe around and in me. Since i got closer to God, i havent experiemced much joy. Like all i think about is this world going downhill, about ppl not repentinf and going to hell, about, the rapture, about sin, about bad things pretty much but its real things. I think before getring closer to God i was more blinded, so i wasnt rlly consious or thinking of these things. But now i think my eyes are opeining more and i can see that there actjally are dark forces pushing certain agendas and knowing most people are going to hell. Its just all reality but depressing. And chrsitianity is mostly about repenting or turning away from our sins. But ppl say dont focus on the sin focus on Jesus which focusing ok Jesus would mean focusing on not sinning bc its abojt repentance. This sounds stupid and pointless saying this but i was i was a kid again when i was innocent and didnt know anything about reality of things. When i was care free, everything was joyful and fun. I wish i was born at a time wjere sin wasnt at the brim. When values and morals were still important kn society, where spending time with family and friends was a thing. My family is dperessing we are all just on out phones we dont talk to eachother at all i wish it wasnt this way. As the world continjes ppl get colder. My grandmother tells me about her times. She is from russian and grew up in russia, she told me about jere when there was not technology, neoghbors would get togetjer often and talk to each othet and cook every weekend. Ppl cafed about eachother more and were more warm. They didnt have much during the soviet union but they were very happy. But whatever is it what it is but still its depressing. Hlw do you enjoy life with God, knowing tje reality of the world around you and constantly having to think about repentance?

Hello, I wasn’t going to celebrate Halloween so I rejected the whole holiday the skeletons and witches creeped me out as I recently found Christ, BUT I foolishly gave in when candy was brought up and didn’t think about I went to a few doors and trick or treated ;( Have I betrayed god by receiving candy? Have I worshipped pagan idols. I just wanted a bit of candy that’s all didn’t dress up