America's Only Hope!: Part 1
Brad Reiches
Oct 20 2006 11:20AM
Brad Reiches
Oct 20 2006 11:20AM
October 20, 2006
GodThoughtsWired!
The following series of messages is based on George Barna's most recent research on the American Church: "The State of the Church: 2006, A Report from George Barna." All statistical data has been taken from this 62 page report, available to the public at www.barna.com.
"America's Only Hope..."
THE RE-INTRODUCTION OF BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY
INTO THE AMERICAN CHURCH
Part 1
"Many will think they are saved...but are not."
(pastor Brad, paraphrase)
In reference to the 84% of people in the United States of America who call themselves "Christians:"
-54% of these self-defined Christians identify themselves as "mentally committed" to the faith. -The Bible knows nothing of half-hearted Christianity.
-48% of these self-defined Christians believe that "The Bible is totally accurate." This is only a nominally higher percentage of non-christian faiths (34%). In other words, today's "Christians" don't esteem the Bible much more than non-christians.
-62% of these self-defined Christians sense no responsibility to share Christ with others. In other words, roughly two-thirds of today's "Christians" have no commitment to "The Great Commission."
-69% describe their faith as "very important," however, age plays a major role in the understanding of this data (the 69% breaks down in the following manner: 80% - Elders; 70% - Boomers; 60% - Busters; 50% - Mosaic (today's youngest generation). The pattern is clear: The role of faith is significantly decreasing with each successive generation.
-69% of these self-defined Christians believe that works get you to Heaven.
-71% of these self-defined Christians do not believe that Satan is a literal, living being. They view him as a symbol of evil. This then, is one of the greatest challenges that Church leaders face today. Nearly three-fourths of their constituency have an enemy seeking to destroy their lives that they don't even acknowledge as real (see 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10; James 4:6-8). It is precisely as I wrote in the September 11 edition of GodThoughtsWired! (9/11, Hmmm...). -Incredibly, this is also saying that 71% of these self-defined "Christians" disagree with the Bible.
-48% of these self-defined Christians believe that "The Bible is totally accurate." This is only a nominally higher percentage of non-christian faiths (34%). In other words, today's "Christians" don't esteem the Bible much more than non-christians.
-62% of these self-defined Christians sense no responsibility to share Christ with others. In other words, roughly two-thirds of today's "Christians" have no commitment to "The Great Commission."
-69% describe their faith as "very important," however, age plays a major role in the understanding of this data (the 69% breaks down in the following manner: 80% - Elders; 70% - Boomers; 60% - Busters; 50% - Mosaic (today's youngest generation). The pattern is clear: The role of faith is significantly decreasing with each successive generation.
-69% of these self-defined Christians believe that works get you to Heaven.
-71% of these self-defined Christians do not believe that Satan is a literal, living being. They view him as a symbol of evil. This then, is one of the greatest challenges that Church leaders face today. Nearly three-fourths of their constituency have an enemy seeking to destroy their lives that they don't even acknowledge as real (see 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10; James 4:6-8). It is precisely as I wrote in the September 11 edition of GodThoughtsWired! (9/11, Hmmm...). -Incredibly, this is also saying that 71% of these self-defined "Christians" disagree with the Bible.
Satan's greatest "scheme" is to get people to belief that he doesn't exist;
that he's not real; that he exists only in the imagination of horror-film makers.
-see www.injesus.com, GodThoughtsWired!, archives, September 11, 2006
that he's not real; that he exists only in the imagination of horror-film makers.
-see www.injesus.com, GodThoughtsWired!, archives, September 11, 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment