Jesus Didn't Change, We Did !

 Perhaps THE MOST driving words in America's culture the past years is the words 'feel or feelings.'  Suddenly, we began excusing all kinds of verbal expressions and many attitudes as we gave a pass to folks saying, "Feelings are Okay...don't judge because of one's feelings."


I believe that personal feelings had a big part in changing America's religious landscape. Follow my thoughts...I am a Methodist bred boy. Never did think that any one denomination had the 'inside' track on the heaven-bound train; I'm just sharing that I was born into a Methodist family. I won't suggest that I know a great deal about religions but I do know a good bit about the Methodist Church and certainly how the worship practice has changed in the past sixty-three years.  People figured out that they did not always  FEEL comfortable sitting in those pews...attendance waned and so did the monies from 'collections.' Today, we all put 'feelings' ahead of truth.
I once told the following story to my children: "When I was a teenager (mid-1950's), my maternal grandmother, Mammy Bennetrt would often mention to me just before leaving for a social/Friday-night date, "Now remember, Honey, Jesus is going to 'RETURN-A-Second-Time; should HIS return occur tonight don't you be doing something He'd frown upon!" Folks for a teen boy who had attended many tent-revival meetings and heard 100's of alter calls to 'BE SAVED and AVOID the ETERNAL FIRES of HELL,' I was troubled by that reminder. My kids said, "Your people used Jesus and religion as a controlling scare tactic' to which I responded, "NO they didn't they used eternity in Hell as the motivation to do right!" Proverbs 1:7..." The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...wisdom."
I cannot recall the last time I heard a 'hell-fire-damnation' message from a Methodist pulpit. Today, my Methodist Church has a lot of 'feel-good' sermons.
The only thing that remains the same over my many years of attending Church...I still get there early before all the 'Feel-Good Seats' in the BACK are taken!