HIS IS A first, my friends. Mark it on your calendar. Until now, no mainstream news organization has dared call into question the "People's Pastor" and his Purpose Driven Life.

Not unlike the infamous pedophile scandals of the Catholic Church, it too has taken years to get this protestant perversion out of the closet and into the view of public scrutiny - Bible believing Christians being ostracized, even thrown out of their churches for resisting the herd - ridiculed and railroaded for holding faithfully to the Word of God rather than the wily words of a man named Warren.

In the last half dozen years of researching the church growth movement, I wrote and warned and waited for Christian news organizations to acknowledge this postmodern pestilence and get the word out to spare the flock.

But the silence was deafening. The leaven had spread too far and wide. They were selling the books, joining the networks, preaching the prefabricated pontifications and riding high on the exhilaration of a racehorse named Relativism toward the finish line of a one-world religion. They weren't about to pull back on the reigns now - not with an adoring crowd of millions throwing money and cheering them on from theater seats!

The preaching of Repentance and Righteousness had been slowly, seductively and methodically replaced by the pragmatic pursuit of Results and Relationships, turning the Church, as we knew it, into an amusement park of fun seekers and flesh peddlers.

Nobody wanted to hear the horror stories of the church growth movement's latest effort called The Purpose Driven Life, only its perceived successes. The product was selling too well to recall it or even issue a warning to consumers. Too many reputations and resources were at stake. Repentance NOW would only make the legions of Purpose Driven participants look like fools and threaten the credibility of the church at large, which, frankly, would be more than our sacred coffers and careers could bear. So, we hid the hideousness of the movement from public view and spoke only of beautiful things.

Well, I suppose the Lord has had enough of our sugary sacrilege because this week, asses spoke and stones cried out when a secular newspaper did what Christian news agencies would not; they came to the defense of a handful of ousted refugees; persecuted, punished and Purposely Driven out of their own church homes by, of all people, their brothers and sisters in Christ, for failing to compromise their convictions for the collective.

The Wall Street Journal did what the Church and its Purpose Driven pastors could not bring themselves to do. They told us the ugly truth. They showed us what wretched sinners we really are - something our pseudo-shepherds were deceived into thinking would only hurt our self-esteem and thwart the church's growth.

Now the only question is: Where does the church go from here? Down on her knees to confess and repent or back to the bushes for more fig leaves?

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." - 2nd Timothy 3:1-7

As a freelance writer and regular columnist for NewsWithViews.com, he extols the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on cultural trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news and opinion sites across the internet and in print. Paul may be reached at watchman@usa.com

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