Counterfeit Morality :: (re-recorded)

Because the original recording was misplaced, this podcast was re-recorded. Recording in an empty sanctuary takes a little of the vibrancy away from the recording — but the material remains.

I grew up attending church faithfully. So I saw it’s weaknesses and I saw it’s strengths. One of the glaring weaknesses I saw in the church, early on, was its tendency toward being rule-focused. This led to what we called legalism and judgmentalism.

Ultimately, this counterfeit morality led to the dysfunction of hypocrisy.

While legalism is not characteristic of all church groups, I would guess that all of us have had a brush with it. For me, as I saw it, legalism was something that strictly belonged to the church. Outside of the church, people were accepting and non-judgmental.

How naive.

Counterfeit morality isn’t something that belongs to religious groups alone. Counterfeit morality has permeated society thoroughly.

You see it in politics, school systems, bowling leagues, sports and news shows.

Counterfeit morality is everywhere.

This podcast speaks about counterfeit morality, giving us a way to discover the meaning and source of genuine morality.

Lies even Seasoned Christians Can Believe – “Uselessness”

Presented at Curwensville Alliance Church by Pastor Steve Shields on 2/25/2018

Jim Marshall DT

While playing for the Minnesota Vikings, defensive end Jim Marshall did something embarrassing.

In a game against the 49ers, he recovered a fumble and ran it 66 yards — the wrong way — into his own end zone.

Because he thought he’d scored a touchdown for his team, he threw the ball away in celebration, only to have it go out of bounds, giving a safety for the other team.

Despite this error, Minnesota went on to win the game 27–22, with the victory provided by a touchdown return of a fumble caused by Marshall.

I am sure there are a lot of people who know Marshall’s pain.

And I am sure there are a lot of people who, upon failing so miserably, left the arena. They allowed their failure to be fatal.

Sometimes Christians can feel this way. We see our own failings as tragic, and retire from serving God.

They believe a lie that they are useless in the Kingdom.

This podcast speaks about this and gives insight into why failures don’t have to be fatal.