Protestants: Explain This!

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Jean_1958

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I drove by a Lutheran church this afternoon that had the following sign up:
…a mainline church that believes in the Bible
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Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
 
Jean_1958 said:
I drove by a Lutheran church this afternoon that had the following sign up:

Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
Click to expand...
Maybe it is a poke at another faith, or… dare I say… the CC.
 
Jean_1958 said:
Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
Click to expand...
The more politically and theologically liberal churches, those known to accept openly gay leaders and perhaps support same sex marriage or abortion rights, tend to be “mainline” Protestant ones as opposed to “Evangelic”. In interfaith debates they are accused of not following the Bible because of those social positions.

Thus this particular mainline church is stating that it does indeed follow the Bible.
 
4Squarebaby said:
The more politically and theologically liberal churches, those known to accept openly gay leaders and perhaps support same sex marriage or abortion rights, tend to be “mainline” Protestant ones as opposed to “Evangelic”. In interfaith debates they are accused of not following the Bible because of those social positions.

Thus this particular mainline church is stating that it does indeed follow the Bible.
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This is the likely meaning of the line, yes.
 
=Jean_1958;6231379]I drove by a Lutheran church this afternoon that had the following sign up:
Click to expand...
Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
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May I reply to this from the reflected light of Matthew 7:16?

Love and prayers,
Pat
 
This only means, some Protestants do not remain protestants anymore in a strict sense,

THEY STOP BEING CHRISTIANS.

Protestant is a subset of Christians. Not Christians, then not Protestants.

I’m a catholic Christian, by the way. 🙂
 
I think it’s inappropriate to try and speculate the meaning of the message on the sign without more context. For all we know, that particular Lutheran church could have been taking a stab at denominations that don’t believe in Sola Scriptura, which the more conservative Lutheran bodies (e.g., LCMS, WELS) still do.
 
Jean_1958 said:
I drove by a Lutheran church this afternoon that had the following sign up:

Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
Click to expand...
They are just telling folks driving or walking by what they follow.

I live in a very diverse area of the US and there are many, many different religions around here. You’ll find temples (Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist), mosques, kingdom halls, and churches of every religion, including Scientology and Mormons. When you live in an area like this with so much diversity you want people to know what kind of church you are. Quite literally there could be folks in the area that have no idea what a Lutheran church is or what they follow. That sign tells everyone what to expect before they walk in the door.
 
Jean_1958 said:
Does that mean that most Protestant churches do not believe in the Bible anymore?
Click to expand...
I suspect they might be taking a jab at other mainline Protestant denominations, like the Episcopalians, United Methodists, the ECLA, and the PCUSA. But you’d have to actually ask them to be sure.
 
Honestly, my first impression of the sign was there are people out there who feel Protestant churches do not really follow the Bible anymore so this church needs to somehow “reassure” tghe general populice that is not the case.

That is why I initially posted this.
 
Jean_1958 said:
Honestly, my first impression of the sign was there are people out there who feel Protestant churches do not really follow the Bible anymore so this church needs to somehow “reassure” tghe general populice that is not the case.

That is why I initially posted this.
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Stop by, bang on the front door and ask the pastor your questions. I’m sure he’ll be more then happy to answer your questions. All we can do here is speculate.
 
Jean_1958 said:
Honestly, my first impression of the sign was there are people out there who feel Protestant churches do not really follow the Bible anymore so this church needs to somehow “reassure” tghe general populice that is not the case.

That is why I initially posted this.
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That is probably true. All churches say they follow the Bible. The question is how this particular one interprets it. They could be saying God thinks its okay for people of the same sex to marry, step inside and we will prove it for example. Or more likely they are saying that the other “mainline” churches, the Protestant churches, the churches that look most like the Catholic Church in liturgies, are not following the Bible in such issues but we are.
 
I love reading Church signs. One of my favorites was, “Don’t wait until 6 strong men have to carry you in.”

Another set of signs, between competing Churches, that I found amusing can be seen at All Dogs go to heaven 😃
 
Jean_1958 said:
Honestly, my first impression of the sign was there are people out there who feel Protestant churches do not really follow the Bible anymore so this church needs to somehow “reassure” tghe general populice that is not the case.
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I don’t think the specification of “mainline” was an accident.
 
It has always amazed me what people will put on a church sign. Put announcements and community happenings on them, and be done with it.
 
O.S.Luke said:
It has always amazed me what people will put on a church sign. Put announcements and community happenings on them, and be done with it.
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Well, THIS particular example was a joke: they aren’t actually real church signs…but I have seen some signs that show a lovely, and lively, sense of humor as well as an inviting message.

It almost makes me feel bad that my own church doesn’t do the ‘church sign’ bit. Dunno why…certainly there’s nothing ‘undoctrinal’ about such a thing. We just…don’t. (shrug)
 
None of the churches I regularly attend do the sign thing either, but I’ve also seen some good ones, dianaiad. I think it can be a good thing when done well. 🙂
 
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