7 top threats Christian churches in America face today
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Alliance Defending Freedom is a household name for many who been have followed religious liberty cases in recent years.
A multiple-time winner at the U.S. Supreme Court, the organization takes on cases such as the blatant intolerance by Colorado for the Christian faith of Masterpiece baker Jack Phillips.
It also organizes campaigns each year to affirm the free speech rights of pastors.
And it has a special division, the ADF Church Alliance, which focuses on the threats facing churches in America.
There are seven significant current threats, according to John Harding of ADF, who warns that churches need to be prepared and protected legally.
The major threats, he said, are:
- The potential loss of a provision that treats pastors’ housing as tax-exempt. It is being challenged by the Freedom from Religion Foundation at the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
- The church exemption from requirements to file a Form 990 with the IRS, which can reveal private donor information. If the case is lost, churches would be forced to disclose private information to the the public. And it could open the door for further tax-exemption challenges.
- Some local jurisdictions have denied churches the use of public facilities to which other organizations readily are granted access. A case in Edisto Beach, California, has “big implications for church plants and other small churches who cannot otherwise afford to build.”
- Some local governments claim that zoning codes override the rights of churches, blocking them from using buildings they already own. “In one ADF case, the government went so far as to threaten a church with substantial fines.”
- Then there’s a “parking tax” included in the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that would apply to church and ministry employees. It is still being challenged.
- California also is demanding that churches pay for abortion coverage in health insurance policies for employees. Lawmakers made the change without telling churches, and they are defending the law in court. The legislation is similar to the failed Obamacare mandate.
- Finally, government officials often try to intimidate churches and pastors with letters and formally worded warnings about what pastors are allowed to say regarding political issues. While few of the warnings are founded in law, they serve to chill the speech of church leaders.
Explained Harding: “This short list doesn’t include hundreds of legal matters that often aren’t covered by the media and don’t make it to court. Matters that the ADF Church Alliance team handles for churches also include other hindrances to ministry: employment issues, noise ordinance claims, land use laws, sexual orientation and gender identity laws, and more.”
Harding noted the culture is changing, and “that means churches have a lot more on their plates than they did even five years ago.”
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Their housing? Does this mean the church or a private home? If it's the church, it's already tax exempt...which should be taken away anyway. If it's a private home? No way it should be tax exempt. If that's the case, all anyone has to do is create a religion about....anything, and file for tax exempt status....bingo, no more taxes from homeowners.
Oooohh, you're onto something. Can my house be a shrine to the FSM?
All hail angel hair. And my religion doesn't even involve twelve steps.
You forgot clam sauce. Pagan.
Well, there is always garlic and butter.
I'll make the lasagna and minestrone for an FSM holiday, but some else has to bring the wine and bread.
I like to bake, so I'll bring the bread.
Yes but i get to bless it...to make it official...😁
I'll make a run to the store to get the ingredients.
I have bread flour and yeast, but could you pick up extra butter? The real deal - margarine is offensive to the FSM.
One or two pounds? Salted or unsalted?
The price of vanilla extract is crazy. I used to buy Nielsen-Massey but when the price tripled I changed to something cheaper. Nutmeg was also insanely expensive the last time I bought some.
I need to remember to get walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, plus mint and almond extract.
Two, please. I'm baking cookies. Salted. I know unsalted is supposed to be better, but I don't care. I use salted.
I have a whole bottle of vanilla extract, and most of a bottle of almond extract. Just bought some orange extract for a cookie recipe I want to try.
I'll get that for you. I have a stash of about 10lbs in my freezer when I want to bake so I don't need to go to the store.
I just bought a bottle of vanilla on Amazon. I wanted to bake biscotti last week and discovered that my bottle of almond extract was empty. I'm not sure that I have orange extract. I know that I have lemon, but I only had a few drops of mint and I need about 1/4 of a tsp for chocolate mint cookies that my BF loves.
I mixed up a double batch of sugar cookies the other day and baked 2 dozen but I made the mistake of not letting the dough come to room temperature before I baked them. They baked up as little domes instead of spreading out. They tasted fine but they looked a little weird. They were gone in 8 hours, so he didn't mind the look.
Mmmm, chocolate mint.
My son and I used to bake and decorate sugar cookies every Christmas, and chocolate chip cookies pretty often. Then he figure out that I was using baking to teach him fractions, and he didn't want to do it anymore. But he actually asked to bake cookies a few weeks ago, so I jumped at the chance.
Our sugar cookies spread further than I'd like, but they get eaten all the same, too.
I usually roll the cookies out and cut them in 3" rounds or festive shapes but I was feeling lazy so I just scooped them out with a teaspoon and rolled them into balls. I expected them to spread out but they didn't.
They are chocolate mint cookies with green mint icing. It was my grandmother's recipe.
Growing up my daughter's favorite cookie was oatmeal butterscotch or biscotti.
If I can find phyllo dough locally I'll make baklava.
Just bought a hole saw kit and it has a 3" in it, in case you need a hand!
I hope that my cookies aren't so tough that I need to use that.
If I stack my textbooks and such in a corner of the living room can I claim my house off as a scientific church?
If that doesn't work I'll follow Sandy's idea.........
Yes you may.. Lol
Thank you. I'll begin the design work tomorrow.
Lack of interest is something the Alliance Defending Freedom can't protect them from
I think the biggest problem Christianity is facing in America is getting asses into the pews.
Actually saw somebody on my hometown Face Book page bitching that they can't get people into the churches...
Doing the lord's work was never in the interest of teavangelical filth. It's about the accumulation of wealth to buy legislators to impose their dogma on others and perpetuate their tax scam. They don't need anybody in the pews when they can buy media outlets and other profitable businesses that are tax exempt, undercut the operating expenses of legitimate businesses and then use the profits to repeat the process and stuff the pockets of their "clergy".
Your right and it's affecting almost every faith. No one goes to church or synagogue anymore.
South Carolina pastor gives lengthy explanation for buying wife $ 200 , 000 Lamborghini
Maybe there is more truth in your post than you may think Kavika.
To follow anothers unique and effective recognition grabbing precedent: ALERT!!! ALERT!!! THIS IS NOT PROSELYTIZING. This is referencing scripture in support of statement of concern. No one is being persuaded to convert to anything. Rather, within scriptural based context of principle based on scriptural dogma, The devil made me do it, there is absolutely no reason scripture can not be used as reference to support the referenced statement.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Good chance we know who made the pastor to it.
P.S. I am not associated with the author above, but did a google on a couple scriptures which are pertinent to the thought and what i quoted popped up.
Get's across the reasoning I had in mind.
When in Rome....or where have you.
He didn't buy it. The gullible sheeple did.
They wanted to hold a religious service in a taxpayer owned facility and the city council decided it would be a violation of the first amendment to allow the service to be held there. No different than forcing kids to pray at school.
Again...secular laws, secular nation. If the church bought these buildings without checking the zoning laws, that's their own damn fault. If the zoning laws changed AFTER they bought the buildings, (unlikely), then they should file for an amendment to exempt the buildings they purchased.
Another article claiming that these people are victims. They already have freedom of religion, but want even more freedom? Shit in one hand, want in the other....
They are convinced that they are being persecuted if the American people and the US Constitution will not allow them to create a fundamentalist Christian country.
That is the bottom line of it all. They're so damn persecuted! They have crossed the lines and just hate being caught at it and hate being reigned in. The truth is, they give no choice.
I could care less what anyone believes until they use their dogma as a weapon.
They are somehow convinced that the social majority gives them the right or power to legislate their religious nuttery as secular law. The fact that we all have equal religious rights to believe or not to believe as we choose and that the Bill of Rights exists to prevent tyranny of the popular majority is an anathema to them and their precious religious beliefs.
Perceived persecution has always been a cornerstone of religion.
Cornerstone? No, foundation.
Another bullshit article claiming christian victimhood......have they NEVER heard of the Constitution and the First Amendment.
The biggest threat to religious belief is old people dying off and the younger generations are not as gullible to believe in something that has no proof of existing. Intelligence and old age are the enemy of religious belief.
Exactly. Man created 'god', man created science and science banished 'god'. The reality is that Christianity is on the decline...
Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States , with 75% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2015. [1] [2] This is down from 85% in 1990, lower than 81.6% in 2001, [3] and slightly lower than 78% in 2012. [4] About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation. [5] The United States has the largest Christian population in the world, with nearly 240 million Christians, although other countries have higher percentages of Christians among their populations.
Ancient man created a god that reflected and enforced their own opinions. Patriarchial, racist, sexist, violent, and ignorant of facts.
It was also created as a system of control. "Live the way we tell you and you'll live eternally in green fields and perpetual bliss and joy....Don't live the way we tell you and you burn in a lake of fire and torment for all eternity." People 'back then' didn't know any better so they did what they were told by the church, no questions asked. When the first sparks of science came around many of those clinging to scientific facts were executed.
Religion was also a great way to explain things they didn't understand....comets, earthquakes, meteors, plague, famine, etc.. "Must be God!!!"
Now we know the truth, and the facts and as you pointed out, younger people aren't so easily fooled by televangelists needing 300 million for a new jet.
Organized religion has always been about social control. It is easier and more permanent to control people with thoughts and ideas than with chains and bars that they can fight and rebel against because they can see the latter oppressors. I have felt for a very long time that Christianity in general and the Catholic church, in particular, are the last remnants of the Roman empire.
All true! Well said. I don't have a problem with people practicing whatever religion they want, but ORGANIZED religion is a cancer that has gone untreated for far too long.
The Protestant church would not exist without the Catholic church. Martin Luther was a disgruntled priest.
By teaching logic and a mandatory year of cult deprogramming.
I won't answer that for fear of purple ink.
You missed the point completely. ORGANIZED religion is a SCAM. Nothing wrong with worshiping whatever the heck you want, but when you have religious leaders asking for fat stacks of cash for jets and cars, it's a SCAM.
Why does an omnipotent and omniscient come to his mortal creatures when he needs money, but when his followers need something they told my a minister/priest to pray and believe. If god is so smart and powerful then why does he always need their money? These people invest thousands of hours and 10% of their income for a product that they can't get until they die, but when they are dead they cannot sue because they bought into an ancient scam.
Religion is the original pyramid scheme.
Channeling George Carlin?:
I've heard George's tirade about religion but that wasn't what I had in mind.
The cons you mention consist of less than 1/10 of 1% of pastors, evangelists, and missionaries in this country. Most pastors have to take an outside job to support themselves and their families. Most Christian churches have fewer than 100 members the way the Church was established
in nearly 40 years I’ve never taken salary or paid pastoral housing. I’ve been self sustaining like the Apostle Paul. Nor does anyone in the missionary organization I’ve been with for the past 26 years.
Cool. You may have a cookie.
All it takes is one bad apple Larry. Besides, according to the right...
ALL liberals are BAD.
ALL Muslims are BAD.
Well, you get the idea.
I don't think that you understand the definition of mandatory.
If only people like you would be as determined to teach logic and facts instead of handicapping people with a bronze age myth.
What are you referring to? The Protestant reformation was about the abuses of the church such as greed, scandals, political power struggles,and indulgences.
Such delusions of grandeur.
One of the master strokes of religion was to find a way to get people to hold belief without evidence as something good ... to even aspire to higher levels of belief without evidence simply because another human being said it was true.
Faith then leads to proudly proclaiming that nothing — no contrary evidence or logic — will ever be considered. It is an unabashed declaration of the refusal to engage in critical thinking regarding religion.
These problems outline are not only affecting Christians but all faiths. No one is persecuting Christians alone.
the "victim card" and persecution complex go hand in hand with some religions, it's the constant "war" mentality of "them vs everyone else" - tries to give them a "higher" meaning and purpose.
True. I think the reason they feel they are more persecuted than most is because by percentage, there are more of them.
That, or because, being the majority, they've always had the privileges given to the majority. They've benefitted from things like tacit agreement with a porous wall of separation between church and state (with regards to them only, of course), systemic bigotry against those of other religions, or no religion, and pandering to them by businesses to the point that a plain red Starbucks cup isn't Christmas-y enough.
Excellent post and you are 100% spot on.
" When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression"
I've been looking for that quote for weeks. It describes much more than just Christians in the US.
God belief IS a problem...
When you actually prove there's a god, them maybe there will be more belief.
No, that is just your belief and nothing more. You have nothing to verify it nor does anyone have any reason to believe it, much less give it any serious consideration, unless they're gullible enough to simply accept any outlandish claim without proof.
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Well, if it's not a religion, we can ban it.
It's a religion, no matter how poetic you try to make it sound. I see you couldn't help it with your usual proselytizing nonsense, eh?
Logically you cannot mention having a personal relationship with god without it being a discussion of religion. Religious people have always believed that they can redefine reality as they choose.
They believe something imaginary to be real. So I suspect reality might be somewhat "fluid" (for lack of a better term) to certain theistic minded individuals.
Christianity is a religion, despite LiveFree's attempt to spin at as otherwise.
How do you proselytize for something that is not a religion? Is explaining logic and science an example of pedestalizing?
Was that a "Christian" thing to say?
When one utilizes biblical passages in an attempt to win an argument or make some kind of point, then it's proselytizing.
There is no "Edisto Beach" in California.
I saw that after I posted... LOL Good catch Pat..
Weird. It should say "South Carolina." The ADF website says Edisto Beach, South Carolina.
Small congregations and small businesses are being swallowed by the 'big box' concept.
Religious persecution always originates from the pulpit and pews.
If religion has problems it is rooted in the 'new belief system' that the religious are more interested in convenience than the message the doctrines demand.
Ultimately this might be a result of a slow decline in church attendance which might be due to a slow decline in those who actually believe what the church / religion is selling.
Per Pew research :
If the public interest in churches (and religions) declines so will benefits such as tax exemptions.
The reality is most people don't give two f#*ks about bogus claims of christian persecution. There is NO christian persecution and there is NO war on Christmas.
Merry and Happy !!!
The good news if they're complaining, then America's light bulb has obviously turned on. Their gig is up and ending. Diminishing the cult mindset is a liberation we need to celebrate. I cant think of a better time than the during the winter solstice
I also can't think of another group that whines more that others don't believe their fairytales.
When I say Season's Greetings or Happy Holidays to anyone, Christian or otherwise is out of respect, not disdain. To take it any other way is not of being of a good mind or heart.
You obviously have a nefarious agenda Heartland American. Are you really that dogmatic you can't see you're shooting yourself in the foot and are being sadly misled? You're the turnoff. You're the reason Christinity is failing. To believe its some imaginary war between imaginary foes God/Satan just goes to the heart of this sham.
I actually feel sorry for you. I took my religious facade blinders off in my early 20's. How can we not wish better for you?
WE'VE FOUND THE HORRIBLE PERSON THAT STARTED THE ''WAR ON CHRISTMAS''....
I always knew he was a commie!
oh Wow, yes Bing was just horrible!! Probably a Jew, but really a Muslim at heart. Total agenda to start a war on Christmas!
I had a neighbor who always said "Happy Christmas and Merry New Year"
We had one of them too. They lived two houses down from us and were immigrants from Austria. The time period was in the late 1950s.
I've actually done that myself...not intentionally, tho
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