The United Church of Christ released a commercial that depicts a single mother, & a homosexual couple, among others being “ejected” from the pew. A hand is seen pressing a button that just like in the cartoons launches the people into the air.

The message is: “God doesn’t reject people & neither do we.  No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.”

The most important element of the Gospel is missing from this approach:

REPENTANCE.

As we’ve seen with groups such as the Emergent Church, the Emergent Preterists, & others – they avoid calling for repentance because that would be <gasp!> “judgmental”.

If there is no need for repentance then there is no need for restoration, no need for salvation, & thus no need for a Savior.  Instead, those advocating this non-repentance version of the Gospel do a great injustice to the would-be adherent of this false gospel.  The person they “accept” is never really born again. Indeed, the Emergent Preterists often tell us that Jesus’ words to Nicodemus about being “born again” were only for the first-century people.  They advocate everyone is now “in Christ”.  Some have even said there are people who are “Christians & just don’t know it”.

The “Preterist Movement” can be a dangerous thing to get involved in if the Emergent Preterists & all their God-doubting ways snooker you.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. -- 2 Thes 2:15 NKJV

God doesn’t reject people IF they REPENT & come to him.

The adulteress woman didn’t remain an adulterer, but Jesus told her to “go & sin no more”.

(Search the Bible for repent & repentance)

What the UCoC & others espouse is that God looks the other way while you sort out your life on your own.  While you walk on the “journey of life”.  They advocate against the Bible that repentance isn’t necessary.  They oppose Jesus’ own words:

Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. – Luke 24:46-47

It is not that we shouldn’t let the types of people depicted in the commercial from coming into Churches, but that the message shouldn’t be “God accepts you just as you are”.  The message (as the Bible portrays it) is REPENT & come to Christ.  Your heart needs to be changed.  You need to be made alive.  You need to be born again.  But a sure sign of this is that the individual repents.  If there is no repentance then there can be no remission of sins, & if there is no remission of sins then the individual is not in Christ no matter how accepting a group tries to be.

To view the UCoC commercial, click this link