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[Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Members of both major political parties talk about \u201cbig-tent\u201d policies. By big-tent<\/em> they mean inclusion of those who hold views diverse from and\/or contradictory to core party principles\u2014if they will vote the party ticket. Men will long debate whether such represents good politics, but it undeniably represents considerable compromise.<\/span><\/p>\n The big-tent<\/em> approach to religion is evident on every hand. At one time the major denominations required conformity to certain conditions\/principles for membership, but big-tent<\/em> religion has largely eliminated such. Long ago, ones who were divorced and remarried apart from Jesus\u2019 Scriptural cause (Mat. 5:32; 19:9), would be excluded. Until fairly recently, women were not allowed to occupy pulpits. As recently as the late 19th<\/sup> century fierce opposition to worshiping with instrumental music still existed in some \u201cmainline\u201d denominations (e.g., Presbyterianism). The homosexual element has convinced some denominations not only to let them in, but also to appoint them \u201cRing Masters\u201d in their \u201cBig Tents.\u201d Some churches now accept practicing sodomites, while others are debating their acceptance and\/or their \u201cmarriages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The community\/mega-churches are a product of the big-tent<\/em> syndrome. They usually bear no denominational identity, and they strongly emphasize inclusiveness. Some of them arose from community-wide polls that asked residents what they desired in a \u201cchurch.\u201d The pollsters then tailored a \u201cchurch\u201d to fit the tally. These groups commonly feature a grace-only, non-condemning, guilt-free, feel-goodism <\/em>\u201cgospel\u201d rooted in pop-psychology (e.g., Joel Osteenism). The big-tent<\/em> approach almost guarantees the need for a literal \u201cbig tent\u201d to accommodate the crowds it attracts.<\/span><\/p>\n Was Jesus a \u201cbig-tent\u201d preacher? Did he build a \u201cbig-tent\u201d church (Mat. 16:18)? Read His following statements, and judge for yourself:<\/span><\/p>\n [Note:<\/strong> I wrote this article for and it was published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, <\/em>Denton, TX, September 21, 2015.]<\/span><\/p>\n Attribution: <\/strong>Printed from TheScripturecache.com<\/em>, owned and administered by Dub McClish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Views: 0[Note: This MS is available in larger font on our Brief Articles 1 page.] Members of both major political parties talk about \u201cbig-tent\u201d policies. By big-tent they mean inclusion of those who hold views diverse from and\/or contradictory to core party principles\u2014if they will…<\/p>\n\n