3 /5 Mike Sersen: l have gone to this church, found it exceptional but have felt God move me on for the following reason. I found theres a strong emphasis on implementing a social gospel ideology here which I believe Christians should be careful of. One such area this is taking place in, is in schools.
A lot of churches here in Sarasota, including South Shore, are reaching out to Sarasota County Schools to support students and teachers with funding, meals and activities. This is great. But little is there any mention of the gospel itself and personal salvation in Jesus Christ, making this a mere means of preaching the Social Gospel and therefore, is counter productive.
The gist of the matter is, that if you even mention Christianity in these schools you will be told "You cant say ANYTHING about God or religion". You also might be told "I never want to see your face here again" and be summarily dismissed. Believe me, this is what happened to someone I know quite well when this person did mention these words and that at a Sarasota County School called Booker Middle.
So it kind of makes a Christian cringe who works for such schools and who is trying to serve Christ by speaking of Him while you guys are serving hot dogs and burritos. It also made you wonder while attending this church, why there was such an over-emphasis on serving the community instead of doing something individualistically for Christ.
This being said, Christians at this church should be careful of doing mere works. In essence, its just the Social Gospel, and Social Gospels critics claim its weakness lies in the fact that it enacts ". . . a reliance on human action and neglect of the transformative power of Gods Spirit in individuals" and ". . . overshadows the importance of personal salvation and reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ".
Physical food is great, but spiritual food is what these schools and kids really need.
