Beer and Bibles

Beer and BiblesBeer and Bibles

A Review and Rebukeof the Southern Hills Church of Christ

Bar Church

Bar ChurchBar Church

Why Bar Church?Why Bar Church?

Why Bar Church?Why Bar Church?• These brethren are seeking “people who are

unwilling, as a result of feelings of unworthiness or prior negative experiences with a church…”

• How did the NT church handle this phenomena (Acts 5:11,13; 13:42-52)?

Why Bar Church?Why Bar Church?

Why Bar Church?Why Bar Church?• These brethren are seeking people who don’t want

“to participate in a traditional church gathering within a traditional church setting”

• Look at how the word “traditional” is used here. Some things about our assemblies are “traditional” in the sense of being man-made (i.e., locations, times, order of service). These things can change. However, some things about our assemblies are scriptural / apostolic tradition, and cannot be changed (i.e., acts of worship; see Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20ff; 16:1-2; Eph. 5:19; etc.)

What Will Take Place in Bar What Will Take Place in Bar Church?Church?

What Will Take Place in Bar What Will Take Place in Bar Church?Church?

• These brethren are going to provide instrumental music in the assembly as well as secular music (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16)

• The brethren are going to promote an unauthorized church organization (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2)

• These brethren are going to allow drinking in the assembly (1 Pet. 4:3)

• These brethren are going to expose children and young adults to drinking (1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; Eph. 5:11)

Bar Church Success?Bar Church Success?

Bar Church Success?Bar Church Success?• Why not have Casino Church, Brothel Church, Strip-

Club Church, Crack House Church, Meth-lab Church, Adult Bookstore Church?

• After all, people in these establishments are often “unwilling” to come and they have “prior negative experiences with a church”; they are “fed up with church”, have “dim views of church and especially church people”, and are “far from God”

• We could meet these people “in a setting where they would gather and consider non-threatening”

What Is / Is Not the Issue?What Is / Is Not the Issue?• The issue is not: Did Jesus go to the lost? Of course

he did. The issue is: Did Jesus engage in sin or allow the lost to engage in sin at the moment he was teaching them? No!

– Jesus went to sinners and allowed sinners to come to him; but, he called them to repent (Lk. 5:29-32)

– Jesus acknowledged the sin in the life of sinners when he was with them and encouraged their repentance (Lk. 7:36-50; 15:1-2,7,10; 19:7-10; Jn. 4:18,22; 8:11)

– Jesus was called a “winebibber” by his enemies, but not because he actually was one (Mt. 11:19)

What Is / Is Not the Issue?What Is / Is Not the Issue?• The issue is not: Should we go to the lost (Mt. 16:15;

Mt. 28:19)? Of course we should go. The issue is: Should we go to the lost and let them engage in sin at the moment we are teaching them? No! (1 Cor. 10:20-22)

• The issue is not: Did NT Christians assemble in different locations other than a church building (Acts 2:42; 5:12; 20:7; Rom. 16; etc.)? Of course they did. The issue is: Did NT Christians assemble where sin was going on? No! (There was no “Idol Temple Church” in the first century! See Rev. 2:13)

Bar Church ProblemsBar Church Problems• The “Bar Church” concept is borrowed from the

denominations (see www.barchurch.org)

Bar Church ProblemsBar Church Problems• The “Bar Church” concept is simply pandering to

worldly people by:

1) Having an assembly that encourages drinking rather than discouraging it (“just be yourself”)

2) Mixing unauthorized drinking with authorized acts of worship

3) Engaging in unauthorized worship activities (both instrumental religious music and secular music in the assembly)

Bar Church ProblemsBar Church Problems• The “Bar Church” concept panders to worldly people

by:

4) Not encouraging worldly people to change their attitude about God and the worship assembly

5) Making alcohol a non-issue

Bar Church ProblemsBar Church Problems

• “Grace – Acceptance – Jesus” is the motto of this new Bar Church … compare with Titus 2:11-14

Bar Church ProblemsBar Church ProblemsBrendallis Gonzales (KTAB News) report with Van Conwell and Ken Jones from Southern Hill Church of Christ (www.bigcountryhomepage.com)

There are more than 100 churches in Abilene, so why open another one?

Well, this isn't your typical church.

"We're trying to be here in a way that communicates acceptance," said Van Conwell, a staff member at Southern Hills Church of Christ.

There are no crosses or even pews, instead there are pool tables, stools and plenty of alcohol.

"People can bring their blankets, they can sit they can stand they can sit on the floor," said Ken Jones, a church member.

http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/


Members of the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene are trading the conventional steeple building for one that's a little less obvious, a bar.

"Bars in particularly country western music are places where people come to be accepted just as they are," said Conwell.

Jones knows what it's like to be intimidated by a typical church building, so he figured a bar would be the best place for people to feel comfortable in.

"This is what its all about that they've been told they're going to he'll they've been told its all a lie but they haven't been told how much Jesus loves them," said Jones.



It was a bit of a shock for some of the church leaders.

"Both extremely excited and a little apprehensive," said Conwell.

But they quickly embraced the idea of bar church..

"We wanted to go and meet people where they were with Jesus," said Conwell.

While the bar will be open, alcohol wont be served until after service..

Which, isn't the traditional kind either.



"We're not going to spend a whole lot of time on long sermons," said Conwell.

It's a way of making church feel less like church and more like a time of fellowship.

"We felt like this was the sort of thing Jesus would be doing, he'd be going to the places where the people were who needed to hear about him,"' said Conwell.


Bar Church ProblemsBar Church Problems• Compare Peter’s sermon on Pentecost (and the rest

of Acts) with this modern appeal to …

1) “acceptance” (Acts 2:36-41)

2) avoiding being “intimidated” … “feel comfortable” (Acts 2:46-47)

3) removing the “traditional” (Acts 2:42)

4) what people “feel” (2:4,17,33)

The Lord’s Church and The Lord’s Church and SinnersSinners

• Like Jesus, let us be “a friend of sinners”! Let us preach to the lost who come to our assemblies and let us get out of the church building and take the gospel to all lost sinners!

• However, let us not engage in or condone any worldliness while teaching the lost! Let us not use unauthorized practices to interest the lost! Let us not pander, but preach the gospel to the lost!

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