The Great Apostasy
In recent weeks there have been reports of two well-known Christians drifting away from the faith. The first was a former pastor who wrote the bestseller “I Kissed Dating Goodbye.” Joshua Harris later apologized to those who were negatively impacted by the book. He has since separated from his wife and participated in a gay pride event. The other is Hillsong worship leader Marty Sampson. This past week he wrote an Instagram post saying, “I’m genuinely losing my faith...and it doesn’t bother me.” Marty later deleted that post and clarified he wasn’t renouncing Christianity but admitted “it’s on incredibly shaky ground.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 warn of great apostasy in the last days. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines apostasy as “an abandonment of what one has professed; a total desertion, or departure from one's faith or religion.” Heresy hunters falsely label preachers they don’t agree with as “apostates.” An apostate is “one who has forsaken the church, se