Blog Series on Apostasy

Consider this the first in a series of blog posts about apostates and their teachings.

What is an apostate? An apostate is someone who renounces a religious or political belief or principle. Specifically I will be blogging about Christian apostates and their teachings. I may also write about "big" or "small" apostasies: some people say they are no longer a Christian. Others say they are a Christian but don't believe in traditional, orthodox Christianity. 

There are many Christian apostates in my generation (the Millenials). At least it appears that there are many, as they are very vocal in social networking. They are the ones about whom the Boomers are all up-in-arms. They are apparently leaving the Church in droves. Boomer parents feel like failures. They are torn up and hurt over it. 

What about the other Millenials? The ones who are staying in Church. Who call themselves Christians, even evangelicals. Some of them have children of their own. Will they leave Church too?

As a Millenial, watching my peers and reading their criticisms splashed over blogs and tweets and statuses has been hard. It has caused me to doubt. I worry that their criticisms of evangelicalism and American Church are right. And I take these criticisms seriously, even personally. We are on staff in our church and my husband is about to graduate from seminary. It's personal for me. 

For the past 4 to 5 years I have been reading these things, stressing over them, having passionate debates with my husband about them. I've refrained countless times from engaging people in arguments online. But I'm done sitting on my hands. I'm about to turn 30. I mean 29, which is almost 30. 

So I'm gonna take my hands out from under me, and I'm sure they'll have imprints from my size 16 Misses jeans on them. The nails are clipped ultra-short because I didn't have time or money to get them cleaned and manicured. My cuticles are dry and peeling so I have minor wounds on my fingers, which I pick at whenever I'm thoughtful or stressed. The skin on my hands starts to wrinkle and lose its softness. 

Jesus is coming back soon, any day really. But I'm also starting to get older. I noticed last night the definite wrinkles forming around my eyes. Once Jesus comes back or once he takes me home with him, my chance to blog will be done. 

I'm blogging here to spout out the truth of God that he has laid on my heart. I'm taking the false and harmful ideas of my generation captive to the Word of God. I'm going to take these lies to the mat and slam them down. I'm here to fight the work of Satan in the hearts of my generation. 

After 4 to 5 years of all my reading and thinking and stressing and wringing my hands over these apostasies, God has started to draw me back to him after a 6-year-long dry spell in my spirituality. He did this by awakening me to the dangers of giving ear to scoffers, fault-finders and cynics. He awoke me by showing me that those who were tempting me away from him are doomed to destruction and judgment. He said to me, Child, they are wrong. Take comfort in that. I will deal with them, for they are tempting my precious children away from the truth. They will be met with destruction, condemnation, and darkness. I am the LORD.

He didn't speak to me audibly, but he did through the truths in the Bible. I went from finding the Bible boring to seeing it speak to my fears and hopes for me, my generation, my church, my country. God is God. He is big, powerful, almighty, alive and well. He is at work. 

As I write this series I'll put Scriptures in my writing but I won't directly quote them. Apparently that's not trendy right now. Whatevs. I'll also use Christianese and terms from my Bible and theology education and I'll try to translate them into regular speech.

Furthermore this series is intended more for those within and having left Christianity. More specifically, American forms of conservative evangelicalism. I'm not here to write about the moral decay of society or how to integrate the gospel in different cultures. I'm really only writing about a small, specific topic to a small audience. 

Stay tuned and please comment or share as much as you want. Please keep comments kind and clean. Thanks for reading. 

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