With all the recent news about the new Pope, it got me thinking. Martin Luther saw how corrupt the Catholic Church had become, so he wrote his 95 Theses and famously nailed them to the door of the Castle Church (All Saints' Church) in Wittenberg, Germany. That public act became the spark of the Protestant Reformation.
As I reflect on my own journey, Luther’s story resonates with me—not because I think I’m Luther, but because I, too, have come to a place where I feel the need to explain why I’ve had to make a difficult stand.
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in Context
Martin Luther did not publicly criticize the Church
extensively before writing the 95 Theses in 1517. That document marked his
first major public protest. Here’s some background:
- Pre-1517
Concerns: Luther had growing concerns about Church practices,
especially the sale of indulgences.
- Academic
Reflection: As a theology professor at the University of Wittenberg,
his lectures between 1513–1517 reveal his evolving views on grace, faith,
and salvation.
- Private
Wrestling: His critique of Church doctrine began as an internal,
academic process, deeply rooted in Scripture and Augustine’s writings.
Though he had been wrestling with these ideas for years, the
publication of the 95 Theses in October 1517 marked the beginning of his public
break with Church authorities.
Thesis 1: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ
said, 'Repent' (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of
repentance."
This first thesis will come into play later in my story.
My Personal "95th Thesis"
This is probably where I’ll start upsetting people again.
That’s not my intention. Most of the people who would be offended by this
likely aren’t reading my posts anymore anyway.
On January 2025, I
left the church I had been attending for about three years. I’ve attended
Assembly of God (AG) churches all my life. I know what the AG believes.
However, over time I came to realize that I don’t agree with all of their
doctrines. That had never been an issue—until recently.
I’d been meeting regularly with my pastor, sharing some of
my theological concerns. At first, those conversations seemed respectful and
open. Later, during a church membership drive, the pastor asked if I would be
joining. After some discussion, I felt more at ease and agreed.
But things changed when I started posting about my beliefs
on Facebook. I never spoke negatively about the AG denomination or attacked its
teachings. My goal was simply to explain what I believe and why.
Still, the response was swift and intense. What followed was
a season of conflict and disappointment.
I made a hard decision that saddens me and my wife, we'll be looking for another church to attend. This is not a spur of the moment decision; this is something that's been happening for over a year that has come to a head over the past four to five months. I have been talking to the pastor about some of the issues I have.
A few issues I've had are:
1. The use of the message Bible from the pulpit. The message Bible is not a faithful translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek text. It's not even a good paraphrase; it is more like commentary from one person.
2. Women preachers, I believe the bible is quite clear on
women preachers.
3. The altar calls at the end of the service feel like
more of just say the magic words and become a Christian. Repent is a verb it is
action and the people we are leading to the Lord need to count the cost and
understand that they must die to self and pick up their cross and follow
Christ. Becoming a Christian is not just saying some magic words. I believe
that is one reason we have people continuing to raise their hands and say they
want to be saved repeatedly; they don't realize the cost. I believe there are a
lot of people in the pews of many churches that believe they are Christians but
are not, they believe that just saying the magic words is all they must do.
They do not truly realize they must die to self, pick up the cross and follow
Christ completely.
4. If you do not speak in tongues, you are not spirit
filled. When you are saved you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You may not be
manifesting some of the gifts of the spirit. But speaking in tongues is just
one of the lower gifts of the spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:29-31 (ESV)
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do
all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues?
Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a
still more excellent way.
I realize some of these can be considered secondary
issues but when the preacher hits these issues fairly hard every Sunday, it
feels like he either wants me to change my beliefs or maybe he wants me to go
somewhere else.
There are some other reasons too that I will not go into
here.
Leaving this church has been a hard decision. Cindy and I
do love the pastor and his wife which has made this so hard. I have told the
pastor not to let me or anyone else try to push him out of what God has laid on
his heart to say. I told him if God is leading him this way, then either God
wants me to reexamine my beliefs or God is wanting me to leave and find
somewhere else. Well, I have in all seriousness reexamined myself and have
become more resolved in my beliefs now more than ever. So, with great heartache
Cindy and I will be looking for another church. We are not urging or telling
anyone else that they need to leave this church, this is my decision for us.
The reason I'm posting this so any of my Facebook friends
that I go to church with can hear my reasons straight from me and not from
secondhand information.
**NOTE: I am writing this after my meeting with the
Pastor to inform him of our decision to leave the church. The meeting did not
go well. He admitted to understanding why I might think his sermons were
directed at me. Essentially, this was due to my Facebook posts expressing my
beliefs, as he views Facebook as being equivalent to his pulpit.
This serves as a reminder to be cautious about what you
post on Facebook, especially if your views do not align with AG doctrine or the
pastor's beliefs—you might find yourself in a similar situation.
Pastor, we still care about you, and I forgive you.
However, I strongly believe you need to reflect and repent for targeting a
member of your congregation simply because their beliefs differ from AG
doctrine or your personal views.
A Call to Repentance and Reconciliation
people most. That brings me back to Luther’s first thesis:
"When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said,
'Repent,' He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."
I believe every believer should have a heart of repentance.
I wasn’t trying to say the Pastor is a bad person or that he’s living in sin.
I still hold out hope that one day soon we can reconcile and
be friends again. Cindy and I continue to pray for him and for the church—that
God’s will be done.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ever faced a similar crossroads in your faith
journey or church life, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your
thoughts in the comments or message me directly.
Let’s continue to speak the truth in love, always seeking
grace and repentance in all we do.
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