On Sunday, October 4th, 2026, Karl Brown explored the "Creed" of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD), or as he coins it, Spiritual-But-Not-Religious (SBNR) and "very nice people". MTD is a belief that a God exists who created the world, but does not involve himself in our life except on an on-demand basis, all we need to do is be "nice" to each other in order to go to heaven. It sounds "nice," but it subtly undermines the role and authority of God. God's standards for us are greater than being decent, God's laws are more rigorous than "be nice," and no person is so good that they can enter heaven without God's grace. It is because God's standards were too high and his laws too great that Jesus died for our sins to save us; we don't have the power to save ourselves, even now. [JL]

The “Creed” of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD)

1. A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
4. God need not be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

Passage: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Matthew 21:33-46; Philippians 3:4b-14
Communion: No
Ecumenical or Event: 19th Sunday after Pentecost
Potluck Lunch: No
Congregational Meeting: No

Speaker: Karl Brown
Worship Leader: Janice Kreider
Song Leader:
Pianist: Kathi Suderman
Usher:
Zoom Coordinator: John Lee
Children's Feature Leader:

Bring Flowers: Hannelore Schowalter
Coffee Helper:
Snacks Helper: Janice and Evan Kreider
Sound Helper:

Child Care Volunteer: