When I was a child, I attended a small Baptist church in Northern Virginia.\u00a0\u00a0The church was of frame construction, without many of the modern amenities afforded to churches today.\u00a0 The pews were not padded and we had no air conditioning.\u00a0 During the summer,\u00a0it was hot.\u00a0 We would fan ourselves with a church fan (i.e.,\u00a0paper on\u00a0a stick).\u00a0 It set the tone for the sermons of that time, fire and brimstone sermons.\u00a0 The preacher would speak loudly, effectively hollering at the congregation, due to the absence of an audio system.\u00a0\u00a0The message –\u00a0we are sinners, period,\u00a0at our best, and if we don’t straighten up, we are going to hell.\u00a0 It was as simple as that.\u00a0 The message was intended to scare the congregation, and rightfully so.\u00a0 Jesus atoned for our sins then, just as He does today, but that atonement did not give us a license to continue to sin.\u00a0 Why don’t churches preach this message today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I was a child, I attended a small Baptist church in Northern Virginia.\u00a0\u00a0The church was of frame construction, without many of the modern amenities afforded to churches today.\u00a0 The pews were not padded and we had no air conditioning.\u00a0 During the summer,\u00a0it was hot.\u00a0 We would fan ourselves with a church fan (i.e.,\u00a0paper on\u00a0a…
Read more