["don't believe the church focuses on poverty very much at all"]

First of all, what do you mean by "the church?" Each IFB church is just that - independent. You're making it sound like we are all in some sort of group called "the church" and that we all think the same and do things the same way. We are indeendent because we answer to no one but the Lord and His Word!

As for the poverty issue - our church does not believe in giving hand-outs. The Bible clearly states that if a man is going to eat then he must work. Society has gotten away from that. So many have gotten lazy and would rather accept governmental handouts rather than get off their behinds and work - even a job as "menial" as flipping burgers. There are jobs out there for anyone who has the gumption to work. No where in God's Word does it tell us to support those who refuse to work. I believe it does tell us to care for the fatherless and widows indeed of our churches....

["Churches have done hardly anything to get rid of racial tensions. It would seem that the equality of humans as bearers of the image of God should be something important. Yet Sunday 10 AM continues to be one of the most segregated hours of the week. It was only about 10 years ago that PCC got rid of their ban on inter-racial dating. Yes, abortion is a critical issue, but so is viewing all humans as equal before the throne of God."]

Since when is it a church's responsibility to get rid of racial tension. God did not make it so why should He fix it? Obviously God made different races for a reason so why would He want one race to be the same as another? Yes, Adam was created in the likeness of God....the rest of us are all in the similtude of Adam. He made each race different and in order for that race to remain the way He created it then each race needs to stay within themselves.

I don't know about your church, but our church has all kinds of people - whites, blacks, hispanics.....American, Indian, Romanian, Polish, African, Guyanese, etc, etc...... We all go to the same church. We all sing praises to God together. We all hear preaching together. If THAT is not racial harmony then what is? When it comes to salvation we ARE all equal in the sight of God. ALL are sinners and must come to Him in repentance and faith.

As for the interracial dating - we have covered that somewhere here on the Board before - and it is wrong biblically. Please do a search to find that topic.

["Bad things don't always come from sin."]

All bad things come from sin. When God created the world there was no sin and everything was perfect. It was only AFTER Adam chose to sin that bad things began.

["Bad things don't always come from sin. Instances in the Bible that would support this would be the suffering of Job, the tower of Siloam, and the blind man Jesus healed in John 9"]

Before sin, there was no blindness, no suffering, no sickness, etc. After sin, there was. Rather plain to me that because of sin all of these things have come to be. Was the man blind because of HIS sin? No. But blindness came to this earth as a result of sin..... That is why our bodies decay. That is why we get sick. Not necessarily because of something we personally did but because of Adam choosing to sin in the garden.

In conclusion, the work of a church is to win souls and then train them to do the same. The whole reason the Lord leaves us here on earth after salvation is to go out and spread His Good News. The work of a church is not to be like those churches who have chosen to be the advocates for anti-abortion, etc. Yes, the preachers and pastors need to make known that those things are wrong....but that is not the main goal. The main goal is to win the lost. By winning the lost to Jesus we can stop abortion, poverty, racial discrimination.....why? Because once the person accepts Christ as Saviour, he is a new creature. he has a change of heart...a change of purpose. He is transformed. It is only thru THAT that the world will be changed.