Church leaders could do more

Is Christianity losing ground because of weak leaders?

1. In reference to declining membership, Rev. Howard Chapman of the First Presbyterian Church commented, 'We are likely to continue to do so.” Seems many ministers are willing to accept loss while putting forth very little effort to fill their church pews. ('Churches losing faithful”, The Gazette, June 5, 2013)

2. The county attorney questioned the Linn County Board of Supervisors for paying county employees to attend the Cedar Rapids Mother Mosque of America, which is the first building in America to be built for a Mosque only. It seems quite downgrading for Christian churches to be unpaid competition with Muslim Mosques. ('County attorney questions mosque lecture”, The Gazette, May 21, 2014)

3. Randy Kasch of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of Cedar Rapids, with 96 other Christian leaders, signed a letter to President Barack Obama joining him in his vocal climate change project, after the president stated on three different occasions that America is not a Christian nation. Readers question how this will expand church attendance. ('Religious leaders add voice to curing carbon pollution”, The Gazette, May 30, 2014)

4. In reference to The Gazette headlines asking Christians to stop the abuse of gays and lesbians in hostile nations, how is this possible? Many of our church leaders refuse to make an issue of Christians being slaughtered and driven from their homes.

I visited Germany shortly after World War II and saw first hand the devastation that occurs when Christians pray in the closet.

Robert Batey

Mount Pleasant