Slice of Laodicea

Slice of Laodicea is a non-interactive news and commentary site regarding the state of the contemporary evangelical church. It is published by Ingrid Schlueter, producer and talk show host of the Crosstalk Radio Talk Show. The posts on Slice are copyrighted material. Fellow bloggers are welcome to quote from posts but full attribution should be made with a link to Slice included. Thanks for respecting this policy.

Circus maximus, or the great circus, is the way the evangelical church can now be described. After 20 years of working in Christian broadcasting, I can say, with confidence, that there is no way you can satirize the excess that goes on today in megachurches and megachurch imitators nationwide. Seeker churches have proved that there is absolutely nothing too sacrilegious, too profane, too coarse or too foolish to employ in their efforts to draw crowds. Meanwhile, the mystic warriors of the emerging church tell us that “everything must change”, and that is exactly what these change agents are doing. Once faithful, biblical churches are now installing labyrinths, erecting icons, engaging in mantra-style eastern meditation and questioning cardinal doctrine like the atonement of Christ on the cross, the existence of hell and the literal Second Coming of Christ. The Reformation’s emphasis on encountering God in His unchanging Word has been discarded and in its place is a new emphasis on subjective feelings and experiences. “If Hindu yoga practices make me feel more Christian, who cares what the Bible says?” That is the line of thinking.

This blog is dedicated to hard truth. Truth can be hard at times, and it isn’t always pretty. There has been an absence of plain speech among Christians for a long time. Anyone who dares obey Scripture’s injunction to test the spirits, to analyze the latest trends in light of the Bible’s teaching, is accused of being harsh, unloving and judgmental. By nature, much of the content here is negative. I am presenting a Slice of Laodicea, not a Slice of Paradise. However, in addition to the news stories that demonstrate the sad state of American evangelicalism, I have numerous categories for purposes of edification and encouragement.

Jesus Christ is worthy of all of our praise, all of our loyalty and all of our service. King Jesus has been removed from His rightful place in the evangelical church, and man has taken the throne. The appalling results are all around us. When Christ’s church stops being the pillar and support of the truth, it can only add to the cultural squalor. That, sadly, is exactly what has happened. Thank you for stopping by.