Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Denison Forum

Home
Evangelical
Religion News
Should church members park in a bike lane?

Should church members park in a bike lane?

Last updated on: August 15, 2024 at 6:20 am by Jim Denison

Should church members park in a bike lane? 2024-08-15T06:20:17-05:00 Jim Denison

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Members of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia have been legally parking on the street outside their building, thanks to a city permit. However, these spots are located in what is (other than Sunday morning) a bike lane. After months of protests by a local association of cyclists, the church has decided to work with the city to find alternative parking.

Their executive pastor explained: “Many of our neighbors see us as self-centered, pursuing our own interests and unconcerned with their welfare. That’s something that could easily become a stumbling block for them as we try to invite them to know the Lord and to know us as a church.”

Their decision to prioritize the souls of their community marks them as followers of the One who “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). James Montgomery Boice, who famously pastored their church from 1968 until his death in 2000, observed:

“No one ever truly comes to know, honor, or worship God without being changed in the process.”

As we’ll see today, such change is more vital for our churches and our culture than ever before.

The opposite of courage in our society

In 1953, Americans’ belief in God was near 100 percent. More than 90 percent identified as Christians, and 73 percent were church members. That same year, psychologist Rollo May wrote in Man’s Search for Himself that the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice but conformity.

Now that church membership has fallen below 50 percent for the first time in American history, what would he say about conformity to our “post-Christian” culture?

In The Great Evangelical Disaster, we have apologist Francis Schaeffer’s answer to our question:

Here is the great evangelical disaster—the failure of the evangelical world to stand for truth as truth. There is only one word for this—namely accommodation. The evangelical church has accommodated to the world spirit of the age. First, there has been accommodation on Scripture, so that many who call themselves evangelicals hold a weakened view of the Bible and no longer affirm the truth of all the Bible teaches—truth not only in religious matters but in the areas of science and history and morality. . . .

This accommodation has been costly, first in destroying the power of the Scriptures to confront the spirit of our age; second, in allowing the further slide of our culture. Thus we must say with tears that it is the evangelical accommodation to the world spirit around us, to the wisdom of this age, which removes the evangelical church from standing against the breakdown of our culture.

Stern words. But is Schaeffer right? He made his declaration in 1984; what would he say today?

If Christians are “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) and the room is dark, what must we conclude about the power of our witness?

“The truth will set you free”

Here’s the good news: Jesus promised us, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32). Note the order:

Abide in Jesus’ word—this means to “live” in Scripture as we study and obey it.
Then you are truly my disciples—we will pattern our lives after our Master.
As a result, you will know—God guarantees that we will understand and experience personally.
The truth—note the definite article.
And the truth will—again, this is certain.
Set you free—from falsehood, sin, and death (Ephesians 4:25; Romans 8:2) to righteousness (Romans 6:18) and service (Galatians 5:13).

Our skeptical culture wants proof that God’s word is true before trusting it. However, all relationships require a commitment that transcends the evidence and becomes self-validating. You cannot prove you should attend a school, take a job, or get married until you do. You examine the evidence beforehand, to be sure, but then you must take a step into a relationship that verifies itself through experience.

So it is with biblical truth. The more you and I choose to trust and obey it, the more we will discover it to be “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12), trustworthy and transformational in our lives.

And so, as we have noted across this week, ideas change the world—God’s ideas most of all.

“So we become stronger than all others”

Yesterday, Christians around the world marked the martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe on August 14, 1941, in Auschwitz. The priest chose to die in the place of a condemned prisoner, perishing in a starvation bunker with a smile on his lips.

In one of his earlier letters, he wrote:

Through obedience we transcend our own limitations and align ourselves with God’s will, which, with infinite wisdom and prudence, guides us to do what is best. Moreover, as we become filled with the divine will, which no created thing can resist, so we become stronger than all others.

Father Kolbe’s death proved the truth of his declaration.

Will you be “filled with the divine will” today?

Thursday news to know:

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Such is the immutability of truth: the patrons of it make it not greater, the opposers make it not less; as the splendor of the sun is not enlarged by them that bless it, nor eclipsed by them that hate it.” —Thomas Adams (1583–1652)

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 14, 2024

How a young mother survived a grizzly bear attack

Next Post

August 16, 2024 Will China’s economic struggles lead to war?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category america biblical-living Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Jacob deceived his father Isaac by pretending to be Esau to receive the blessing.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE