Sonrise Church - What some of their members have to say

No point in me ranting on about Hastings Borough Council leasing St. Mary-In-The-Castle to the controversial Sonrise Church. Just go to http://www.hastingstoday.co.uk , type "Sonrise Church" into the search box, & see for yourselves.

http://www.sonrise.net/ is definitely the best (worst!) site of the church itself to check out.

Here are a couple of blog posts from one of their many American websites :-

Day 205, July 24, 1998, Friday.
Are You Astonished At Sin.
Ezra 9:3:
So when I heard this thing, I sat down astonished.Ezra was astonished that the people of Israel had fallen away from the Lord to the point that they married nonbelievers. What would he think of God’s people today? The people of Ezra’s time at least repented. We on the other hand have sadly become a people hardened to sin and its affect. We are no longer appalled at obtrusive pornography, blatant homosexuality, sexual promiscuity among children, nor countless overt violations of the laws of God. We even mock at those who would make a stand against these transgressions. We deem them archaic and behind the times. Listen, God’s standards have not changed. Sin remains unacceptable to a Holy God. It is time that sin is unacceptable to God’s people as well. We must repent of our apathetic attitudes toward sin and its effect. It is time that we, as Ezra, sit down astonished, and rise to action.


Day 168, June 17, 2003, Tuesday.
Bless God 2
Kings 23:24:
Josiah put away . . . all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book.As America plummets down the slippery slope of debauchery, it appears that there is no turning back. Not to tolerate the growing perversion permeating every realm of society, seems irreversible. There was a time in America that adultery was not only a sin, it was against the laws of the land, along with homosexuality, public nudity and even vulgar language. Josiah proved in his day that there can be a moral turn around. He did it by sovereign dictate. We can do it by a greater sovereignty - the sovereignty of Christ. Not by mandate, but by example. Not so much by changing the laws of the land, but by changing the people of the land through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It can happen, even if it has to start with just you and me. Let us begin in our homes and in the market place. Let us change by performing the words of the law, which are written in the Book. A friend of mine, Pastor Leo Giovinetti, says it this way, "America, Bless God."

And a few choice words from another one of their sites :-

www.sonrisepalmdale.org

The Christian and the Social Order All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.
Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21; 10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7; 7:20-24; 10:23-11:1; Galatians 3:26-28; Ephesians 6:5-9; Colossians 3:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philemon; James 1:27; 2:8.

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This one is quite ironic & amusing, despite the seriousness of the situation in Hastings. Only Americans could come up with such nonsense!

Link :- Sonrise Community Church (Unite Service)

September 19th, 2005.

Church Review :-
Theology: 2/5
Mission: 2/5
Community: 3/5
Worship: 3/5

Summary: I attended Sonrise Community Church’s Unite Service. An evening ‘postmodern’ service for people aged 18-30 years old. What struck me the most at this service was the preaching. In the service I attended, the pastor spent most of the time speaking about himself. He talked about his job as a news anchor, how he now gets paid well to work part time at Channel 8. He talked about how he "closed the deal" in evangelizing a Budhhist. (I’m glad he is evangelizing but part of this should be done in love not to ‘close the deal’.) Over half the message with about him. In fact, he even shared a story about how his wife had to elbow him five times when they had guests over because he was always speaking about himself. He confessed he could "talk about myself for hours". I’ve got to be honest, this really angered me. Here were a group of 18-30 years-old who were being preached a non-Bible centered message. Just because this guy was a news anchor doesn’t mean he’s qualified to preach at a church. I pray their other services are radically different but even so, the ‘Senior Pastor’ was the person who hired Pastor Miller. I understand a pastor can have an "off night" but to preach the message he delivered, too much is left in doubt for us to recommend this church.

We do not recommend this church because of the low quality of preaching.

Links :- Churches, Not Recommended