A recent report from The Barna Group revealed most Americans believe themselves to be Christians, but few base their moral decisions on the Bible. In fact only a few believe absolute truth exists. Interestingly, even the faith community largely addresses morality in divergent ways. The report said just “six out of ten evangelicals (60%)” rely on the Bible as their main source of moral counsel and “only two out of every ten non-evangelical born again adults (20%) do the same.”

For several years, Barna has been emphasizing the need for churches to help their members develop a “biblical worldview.” The organization defines such a life perspective on the basis of several questions about religious beliefs. The definition requires someone to believe “that absolute moral truth exists; that the source of moral truth is the Bible; that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches; that eternal spiritual salvation cannot be earned; that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth; that every person has a responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others; that Satan is a living force, not just a symbol of evil; and that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful maker of the universe who still rules creation today.”

In previous studies, Barna research demonstrated how a biblical worldview radically alters a person’s lifestyle choices, causing them to reject matters like cohabitation, drunkenness, gay sex, profanity, pornography, adultery, gambling and abortion.

Nevertheless, Barna says despite all the debate in recent years about various moral issues and the effort of thousands of churches to strengthen people’s moral convictions, “only 5% of adults have a biblical worldview. The percentage varies among faith groups. About half of all evangelicals have such a perspective. Overall, 8% of Protestants possess that view, compared to less than one half of one percent of Catholics.” Furthermore, the vast majority of people without a biblical worldview, 88% to be exact, feel they are “accepted by God.”

These amazing statistics remind me of a phrase Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined to address the self-delusion of Lutheran Church members in Germany in his day. In The Cost of Discipleship, Bonohoeffer spoke of those who had only experienced “cheap grace.” He defined cheap grace as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Well-known biblical commentator Arthur W. Pink once mused: “Never were there so many millions of nominal Christians on earth as there are today, and never was there such a small percentage of real ones .... We seriously doubt whether there has ever been a time in the history of this Christian era when there were such multitudes of deceived souls within the churches, who verily believe that all is well with their souls when in fact the wrath of God abideth on them.”

In his book, Now for Something Totally Different, Dr. Stuart Briscoe shared his observations about why many professing Christians today seem to have difficulty translating their profession of faith into practice:

“Our modern day is seeing a startling reaction against authority, an intense distaste for obedience. This movement seems to be a natural outgrowth of our democratic philosophy when it gets out of control. Government is to be of the people, for the people, and by the people, according to the democratic principle, and this can be beautiful as long as it is operating ideally. Today, however, we are beginning to see signs of a breakdown in the process .... this kind of thinking can result in what the writer of Judges described: ‘In those days there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (Judges 17:6). The democratic system, out of control, can degenerate into anarchy. The erosion of authority can accompany the democratic process when confidence in government declines, as it has in our day .... Obedience is lacking on the family level, in the political realm, on the educational scene, even in the sports arena. And in the church we have a similar situation. People in our churches who profess that God is God and Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, is his Son are also reacting against his authority.”

Jesus warned, however, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Obedience is an expression of a right relationship with God in Christ. It’s a relationship of love. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If one really knows and loves Christ, it’s bound to show in their actions. Where there is essentially no obedience there is every reason to question whether Christ actually resides in the heart. The apostle Paul taught: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:9-10). Without question, we are saved by grace through faith alone in Christ and His finished work of redemption on our behalf, but a genuine conversion experience results in good works — a characteristic obedience to the Lord’s commands — a dynamic and increasingly growing biblical worldview approach to life.

Anything else is just cheap grace. And cheap grace is no grace at all.

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Rev. Mark H. Creech (calact@aol.com) is the executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.

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>>The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s Our Problem (Christian Post, 051014)

While America’s evangelical Christians are rightly concerned about the secular worldview’s rejection of biblical Christianity, we ought to give some urgent attention to a problem much closer to home—biblical illiteracy in the church. This scandalous problem is our own, and it’s up to us to fix it.

Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: “Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.” How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it’s worse than most could imagine.

Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. “No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don’t know what they are,” said George Barna, president of the firm. The bottom line? “Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.” [see Barna Group’s web site]

Multiple surveys reveal the problem in stark terms. According to 82 percent of Americans, “God helps those who help themselves,” is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better—by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one’s family.

Some of the statistics are enough to perplex even those aware of the problem. A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. We are in big trouble.

Secularized Americans should not be expected to be knowledgeable about the Bible. As the nation’s civic conversation is stripped of all biblical references and content, Americans increasingly live in a Scripture-free public space. Confusion and ignorance of the Bible’s content should be assumed in post-Christian America.

The larger scandal is biblical ignorance among Christians. Choose whichever statistic or survey you like, the general pattern is the same. America’s Christians know less and less about the Bible. It shows.

How can a generation be biblically shaped in its understanding of human sexuality when it believes Sodom and Gomorrah to be a married couple? No wonder Christians show a growing tendency to compromise on the issue of homosexuality. Many who identify themselves as Christians are similarly confused about the Gospel itself. An individual who believes that “God helps those who help themselves” will find salvation by grace and justification by faith to be alien concepts.

Christians who lack biblical knowledge are the products of churches that marginalize biblical knowledge. Bible teaching now often accounts for only a diminishing fraction of the local congregation’s time and attention. The move to small group ministry has certainly increased opportunities for fellowship, but many of these groups never get beyond superficial Bible study.

Youth ministries are asked to fix problems, provide entertainment, and keep kids busy. How many local-church youth programs actually produce substantial Bible knowledge in young people?

Even the pulpit has been sidelined in many congregations. Preaching has taken a back seat to other concerns in corporate worship. The centrality of biblical preaching to the formation of disciples is lost, and Christian ignorance leads to Christian indolence and worse.

This really is our problem, and it is up to this generation of Christians to reverse course. Recovery starts at home. Parents are to be the first and most important educators of their own children, diligently teaching them the Word of God. [See Deuteronomy 6:4-9.] Parents cannot franshise their responsibility to the congregation, no matter how faithful and biblical its may be. God assigned parents this non-negotiable responsibility, and children must see their Christian parents as teachers and fellow students of God’s Word.

Churches must recover the centrality and urgency of biblical teaching and preaching, and refuse to sideline the teaching ministry of the preacher. Pastors and churches too busy—or too distracted—to make biblical knowledge a central aim of ministry will produce believers who simply do not know enough to be faithful disciples.

We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs. The many fronts of Christian compromise in this generation can be directly traced to biblical illiteracy in the pews and the absence of biblical preaching and teaching in our homes and churches.

This generation must get deadly serious about the problem of biblical illiteracy, or a frighteningly large number of Americans—Christians included—will go on thinking that Sodom and Gomorrah lived happily ever after.

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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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**Survey: Most Doctors Believe Religion, Spirituality Have Positive Effects On Illness (Christian Post, 070411)

Nearly 6 out of 10 physicians believe religion and spirituality have much or very much influence on health, according to a study featured in the apr. 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a bi-monthly international peer-reviewed professional medical journal.

From a random sample of 2,000 doctors around the united states, the university of chicago also found that 2 out of every 5 respondents felt that religion and spirituality (r/s) can help prevent bad outcomes such as heart attacks, infections and even death. The results comes one year after another study had disputed the positive effect of therapeutic prayer.

“consensus seems to begin and end with the idea that many [if not most] patients draw on prayer and other religious resources to navigate and overcome the spiritual challenges that arise in their experiences of illness,” explained Dr. Farr a. Curlin, the author of the report. “controversy remains regarding whether, to what extent and in what ways religion and spirituality helps or harms patients’ health.”

Last year, a $2.4-million study conducted by the Dr. Herbert benson of harvard medical school and other scientists found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery and that patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications. Although some scientists had hoped the long-awaited and rigorously investigated prayer study would close the book on the debated effects of therapeutic prayer, for much of america’s faithful majority it had not.

In the latest report, Dr. Wayne detmer, an internist at lawndale christian health center, noted that all doctors have experienced patient recoveries “that don’t make sense based on our current understanding of physiology or medicine.”

And although only 6 percent of doctors in the survey believed that r/s often changed “hard” medical outcomes, most doctors believe that r/s helps patients cope with their illness (76 percent), gives the patients a positive state of mind (75 percent), and provides emotional support from their religious community (55 percent).

Also, while several doctors expressed drawbacks to r/s, saying that patients will be more likely to prematurely leave medical therapy as well as have negative emotions such as guilt that will increase suffering, still 85 percent responded that it is overall a positive aspect.

The research also concluded that those health professionals with religious backgrounds were more likely to report significant impacts of r/s on health than non-religious ones (82 percent vs. 16 percent) as well as positive aspects for it.

As detmer explained, since jesus miraculously cured people in the bible, “[i]t’s not so much of a stretch to believe he can still do it.”

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**Keys to Developing Self-Control (Christian Post, 060202)

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” (Prov. 25:28)

Self-control brings with it the good feeling of competency. Like a finely tuned precision automobile, your life stays on course with the slightest touch of steering. The results of self-control are confidence and an inner sense of security.

Self-control and self-discipline are also key factors in any success you hope to have in this life. Without self-discipline, you are unlikely to achieve anything of lasting value. The Apostle Paul realized this when he wrote, “Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9 :25 GNB) Olympic athletes train for years in order to have a chance to win a brief moment of glory. But the race we are running is far more important than any earthly athletic event. So self-control is not optional for Christians.

How do we gain real self-control? God’s Word is quite clear on this subject. Let me suggest seven steps to self-control.

1. Admit your problem

The starting point for developing self-control is to face what God has already said about me: I am responsible for my behavior. James 1:14 says, “A man’s temptation is due to the pull of his own inward desires, which greatly attract him.” (PH, emphasis added) Do you realize what that says? It says you do things because you like to! When I do something I know is bad for me, I still do it because I like to do it. I want to do it. It’s an inner desire.

Do you want more self-control? Admit you have a problem and be specific about it. Begin praying specifically about your problem areas.

2. Put your past behind you

Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” This verse exposes a misconception that will keep you from gaining self-control: Once a failure, always a failure. Failure in the past does not mean you’ll never be able to change. Focusing on past failures, however, does guarantee their repetition. It’s like driving a car and looking in the rearview mirror the whole time. You’re going to collide with what’s ahead of you. You’ve got to put your past behind you.

3. Talk back to your feelings

Do you let your moods manipulate you? God doesn’t want you to be controlled by your feelings. He wants you to master your moods. With Christ as the Master of your life you can learn to master your feelings. Talk back to them. Learn to challenge your emotions.

In Titus 2:11-12 we read, “For the grace of God ... teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.” God’s grace gives us the power to do what is right. God gives you the ability to say no to that feeling, to that desire, to that impulse.

4. Believe you can change

The Fruit of the Spirit begins in your thought life. The seed must be planted in your mind. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act.

God gave us the power to change our habits when he gave us the power to choose our thoughts. Does Romans 1:2 tell us to be transformed by working hard at it or by sheer willpower? No. What are we to be transformed by? The renewing of the mind. When your self-control is being tested, you need to fill your mind with the promises of God.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” That’s a fact. If you are a Christian, you cannot ever say, “The temptation was too strong; I couldn’t help myself.” The Bible says God is faithful. If you’re a Christian, he won’t let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. He never puts more on you than he puts in you to bear it.

5. Make yourself accountable

Find someone who will check up on you, pray for you, and encourage you in the areas where you want to develop more self-control. Ecclessiastes 4:12 says, “Two men can resist an attack that would defeat one man alone.” (GNB)

Pastor, if you are serious about self-control, find someone in your church (or if you need to, find someone in another church) and go to him or her and say, “I have this problem. I’ve confessed it to God. I’ve asked forgiveness, and now I want to ask you to help me. Will you be my ‘buddy,’ a person I can call on the phone when I need support and encouragement?” I believe God intends for every church to be filled with “buddy” relationships where people are accountable to each other, relationships where people help and encourage each other in the Lord. Having someone hold you accountable is tough, but it works.

6. Avoid temptation

It’s just pure common sense: Don’t put yourself in situations where you’ll face temptation. If you struggle with alcohol, don’t go into a bar. If you’re struggling to lose weight, don’t load the refrigerator with ice cream. Do whatever you must to avoid temptation.

7. Depend on Christ’s power

There’s nothing you can do as well without Christ as you can with him. Any struggle you’re facing will be easier to conquer with his help.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to clean up all your messes before you ask God for help. That’s silly. That’s like curing yourself of a disease before you drive down and see the doctor. Go to God first and get his help in all your battles.

The secret of self-control is Christ’s control. Then, as you face temptations that are too strong for you to resist, remember that he is with you and turn them over to him. Remember, Christ provides the power to change your life!

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Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

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**Small Groups Give Every Member Personal Care and Attention (Christian Post, 050820)

How do you maintain that “small church” feeling of fellowship as your church grows? This is one of the biggest fears members have about growth. The answer is two words: affinity groups. Affinity groups can provide the personal care and attention every member deserves, no matter how big your church becomes.

Develop a network of small groups in your church, built around different purposes, interests, age groups, geography, or anything else. To be honest, it really doesn’t matter what rationale you use to start your new groups. Just keep starting them. It is unlikely that many new members will join existing small groups. New members assimilate best into new groups. You can even start new groups right out of your membership class. New members have their newness in common.

One of the sayings I repeat over and over to our staff and lay leaders is, “Our church must always be growing larger and smaller at the same time.” By that I mean there must be a balance between the large group celebration and the small group cells. Both are important to the health of your church.

The large group celebrations give people the feeling that they are a part of something significant. Large group meetings are impressive to unbelievers and are encouraging to your members. But you can’t share personal prayer requests in the crowd. The small affinity groups, on the other hand, are perfect for creating a sense of intimacy and close fellowship. It’s there that everybody knows your name. When you are absent people notice. You are missed if you don’t show up.

Because Saddleback Church existed for 15 years without owning a building, we’ve had a heavy reliance on small groups for our adult education and fellowship. Using homes allowed us to expand numerically and geographically, without investing any money in buildings. Even though we now own a 74-acre campus, we will continue to use homes for our small group meetings.

In addition to being biblical, there are four benefits of using homes:

• They are infinitely expandable (homes are everywhere).

• They are unlimited geographically (you can minister to a wider area).

• It is good stewardship; releasing more money for ministry (you use buildings that other people pay for).

• It facilitates closer relationships (people are more relaxed in a home setting).

The larger your church grows, the more important small groups become for handling the pastoral care functions. They provide the personal touch that everyone needs, especially in a crisis. At Saddleback, we say the whole church is like a cruise ship and the small groups are the lifeboats.

Small groups are the most effective way of closing the back door of your church. We never worry about losing people who are connected to a small group. We know that they have been effectively assimilated.

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Adapted from Rick Warren’s Ministry ToolBox, a free weekly e-newsletter for pastors and church leaders, available at Pastors.com.

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**God’s Name Is Not to Be Misused (Christian Post, 050812)

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” It’s the third of God’s Ten Commandments and Bill Grantlin, a retired insurance salesman of Raleigh, North Carolina, takes it seriously.

Grantlin already questioned the morality of the comic strip, The Boondocks. But he believed something ought to be done about it because it recently “crossed the line,” as he put it, by “using the Lord’s name in vain.”

The edition of The Boondocks that captured Grantlin’s attention made a spoof of Oprah Winfrey’s latest visit to Paris. Winfrey’s trip received national attention when she was denied entry to an upscale Paris store after hours. Poking fun of Winfrey and all of the hoopla over her not being able to get into the establishment, Aaron McGruder, the comic strip’s creator, drew a picture of Winfrey on a ticket that could be placed with store clerks that essentially says if you see this woman, “for Christ’s sake let her in.”

For Grantlin, this was a final straw. Grantlin had once before contacted the Raleigh News & Observer about the content in The Boondocks, but this time he wanted some action to be taken. Grantlin said his call was not to convince the newspaper to cancel the comic strip, but simply to get it moved to a more appropriate section. “I wanted it moved to the editorial section — back where Doonesbury is — where an eight-year-old child is not going to read it,” he said.

Unfortunately, however, Grantlin got only resistance from the N&O staff. “All the other newspapers do this,” a staff member told Grantlin. “Times are changing and we are becoming more liberal. The News & Observer has a daily circulation of 160,000 people and we received exactly seven other complaints. And you know what, not one of them was a child,” the staff person added. Grantlin said the remark about not receiving complaints from children was the most ridiculous statement he had ever heard.

According to Grantlin, the N&O staff also told him he ought to find more productive ways to spend his time like doing volunteer work. Despite the fact that Grantlin has been a regular community volunteer, a recurring donor for the American Red Cross, an unpaid assistant for the local SPCA shelter, and visited two indigent persons weekly until their deaths, his appeal to move The Boondocks to what he believes is a more appropriate section of the newspaper fell on deaf ears.

Can you imagine what outrage would have been spawned if McGruder’s comic strip had said, “for Allah’s sake let her in”? What if it had said, “for Buddha’s sake let her in,” or “for Confucius sake let her in.” Would the staff of the N&O have been so rude at the protest of another religious figure’s name being so flippantly used? I doubt it!

Interestingly, Grantlin approached a mainline denominational newspaper in North Carolina and asked them if they would be willing to report on the matter. They refused and said that there were more important battles to fight. What? There are more important battles for Christians to fight than defending the name of their God — Jesus Christ!

The third commandment instructs that God’s name is not to be misused. To take His name in vain is to make it empty, void, foolish, and frivolous. It’s to use the name of God in a profane fashion. The word “profane” is a contraction of two words — pro, which means “out of,” and fanum, which means “temple.” In other words, to use the Lord’s name in a profane way is to take it out of the temple, out of its holy context, and drag it through the gutter of the secular streets.

That’s exactly what McGruder’s comic strip did. And that’s exactly why Bill Grantlin thought that something ought to be done about it.

How sad most of us see something like Bill Grantlin saw nearly every day and then remain silent. Do we have so little love for our Lord that we simply sit idly by while the ungodly spurn, ridicule, and make light of His holiness? While they trample underfoot the precious name of Christ, there comes not even the slightest protest from the rank-and-file Christian.

Alexander the Great once had a soldier brought before him for court martial. The soldier stood before the great commander with fear and trembling. “What’s your name?” he was asked. “Alexander, sir,” the soldier replied. For a moment there was a pause. Again the Emperor asked, “Soldier, I asked you before and now again, ‘What is your name?’” “My name is Alexander,” he said. With a face red with fury, the commander shouted for a third time, “What is your name?” “Alexander,” came the meek reply. Alexander then stood up and faced the soldier and said to him, “You either change your name or change your conduct!”

If Christians bear the name of Christ, then it must be consistent with their own names. What self-respecting person would passively allow the abuse of his family name? What believer who respects that marvelous name which heals, saves, and delivers can ignore it, when that name is used as a by-word?

Grantlin is an inspiration! The McClatchy Company, publishers of the Raleigh News & Observer, ought to be inundated with contacts from Christian people expressing their displeasure at McGruder’s misuse of the Lord’s name in his comic strip, The Boondocks. Here’s a suggestion: Children (home schoolers and those in Christian schools) could be taught a lesson about respecting the Lord’s name by getting them to write letters of protest to the staff of the N&O. Perhaps then the fire of righteous indignation would spread to other newspapers, even many other situations. And the name of our God would once again be hallowed throughout the land.

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Rev. Mark H. Creech (calact@aol.com) is the executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.

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Robust Faith (townhall.com, 050312)

Doug Giles

If Christians would toughen up a bit, get out of the religious closet, follow their faith instead of their fears, and live their beliefs in a more robust way, we would once again change the face of this nation more drastically than Michael Jackson’s plastic surgeon altered his mug. Maybe that’s a bad analogy. But you get my point.

Hey Christian, why don’t you go public with your faith? Why don’t you work what you supposedly believe into your sphere of influence, huh, PC JC man? Come on, Dinky … true faith is resilient. It can handle scrutiny. It has answers for tough questions. It has solutions for societal pollution. It wants to go play outside.

God designed Christianity to be a 4WD spiritual vehicle with mudders, a truck that brings life to the outback. It is not a sensitive Miata that must be preserved from going offroad and into the bush. Quit treating the truth claims of the scripture, the power of the Holy Spirit and the compassion of the Creator like they are some fragile little Fabergé eggs that must be coddled, kept in the sanctuary and never exposed to the mean world.

Please!

Look, if the believer really wants to change things that he feels are detrimental to both the soul of man and the soul of our nation, and not just blather on about how bad things are on his Townhall.com column or via his mediocre talk radio show on ClashRadio.com, then he must embrace four spiritual qualities. Yes, the following four points were common denominators, fundamentals that Christians have joyfully lived for hundreds of years around the globe, principals that eventually caused the land in which they dwelt to be changed for the better. If you live, eat, sleep and breathe these four things for a few decades, history states that you’ll watch their positive impact on the course of your life, your church and your nation.

Are you ready for this? I knew you were.

1. Incorporate what you believe into your daily grind.

2. Bump up the quality of your spiritual experience.

3. Get a passion for effective action.

4. Labor for personal, ecclesiastical and national reform.

BTW: 1-4 have been borrowed from J.I. Packer and abused by me.

1. Incorporate what you believe into your daily grind. Look, we’re not going to change our nation if we compartmentalize our faith and relegate our Christianity to once a week ditty. Where Christianity has historically rocked … its adherents saw no incongruities between their sacred worship and their secular work.

Martin Luther, the 16th-century Augustinian monk who shook all of Christendom like a bowl of liposuctioned fat, said the Christian was worthless until he could vibrantly live a profane life, which means in the Latin, outside the temple. Luther not only brought clarity to the gospel message, but he also catapulted believers beyond the stained glass walls of the Church, exhorting them to be salt and light in places where they might be skewered and lampooned. Yes, Martin re-tabled the New Testament notion that the secular environment was not to be avoided because it was bad and that all creation is sacred so all activities are to be done to the glory of God.

Listen: true spirituality is incredibly practical, robust and workable no matter where you dwell or what you do. If your spirituality/Christianity isn’t viable and stout in the most difficult of cultures, then it ain’t the stuff Moses and Christ sold.

To help you take your Christianity out of the Christian ghetto where the secularists would love you to remain, here’s a simple can do: start to see life as a whole. Begin to merge, as J.I. Packer says:

· Your Christianity with culture,

· Your contemplation with achievement,

· Your worship with work,

· Your labor with rest,

· Your fasting with a Foster’s,

· Your love of God with love of neighbor and self,

· Your personal identity with social identity

· Your wide spectrum of relational responsibilities with each other in a thoroughly conscientious and considered way.

Try that next week, next month and the next few years, and watch your influence spread like butter. And you can be certain that such a resurrection of a hearty Christianity will definitely tick the sassy secularist off and get Satan’s panties in a wad.

To be Continued …

* Go to www.ClashRadio.com and check out Doug’s latest interview with Phyllis Schlafly.

Doug Giles’ provocative weekly one-hour radio program, ‘The Clash’, has re-launched with several new features. Go to clashradio.com and hit ‘listen live.’

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Robust Faith Part II (Townhall.com, 050319)

Doug Giles

If the Christian truly follows the Christ of the Bible and wants to impact this planet positively, then he will spend significant and intentional time away from his church buddies and in the company of people who are fundamentally not of his stripe. Yes, if you follow the life of Jesus as lined out in the scripture, you’ll quickly see that the majority of his ministry went down outside of formal religious buildings filled with proper religious people.

Jesus’ faith was not afraid of the mean old nasty world. Y’know … I could be wrong, but I’m pretty certain about this: part of his whole reason for showing up 2000 years ago was to embrace, grace and change people whom most religious folks would spit on. Christ carried his work off road and away from the Lysol-disinfected “sacred” surroundings that all the religious indoor boys must have in order to subsist, and instead took his hearty convictions beyond the pavement and was … kinda … successful.

Imagine that! Jesus, minus funky religious hats, robes, wands, bumper stickers and a friendly environment, effectively revolutionized the planet via his robust out-of-the-orthodox-box faith. And guess what, Christian? You can too. It will not necessarily be that easy, but it is … necessary.

Look, if believers really want to change things which are detrimental both to the soul of man and the soul of our nation, then we must have a faith that can thrive outside of the religious biosphere we have concocted. I’m talking about a Christ-like rowdy belief that will not wilt when it is tested to the hilt and is completely comfortable being in “uncomfortable” surroundings.

In order to get to such a place of influence, the modern Christian must glance back for directions. Throughout church history, when the church was at the top of its game and not doing goofy stuff in the name of God, but instead bettering the planet, it was usually because they took onboard the following four vigorous disciplines, namely:

1. They incorporated what they believed into their daily grind.

2. They bumped up the quality of their spiritual experience.

3. They had a passion for effective action.

4. They labored for personal, ecclesiastical and national reform.

* These points were originally taken from J.I. Packer and then mangled by me.

Everywhere and every time these four principals were heartily embraced for a prolonged period of time, the church grew and the nation got better. And unless you’re the anti-Christ, that should sound pretty good to you, eh?

Now … having covered the first point, “incorporate what you believe into your daily grind,” in my last column, here’s my non-steroid-enhanced swing at point two: Bump up the quality of your spiritual experience.

In this day of rabid terrorists, scrappy secularists, and undaunted demons, the believer must seriously have his spiritual act together or he will soon become religious road kill. Given the complications of our current culture, the quality of our Christian life must be ratcheted up a few notches. Unfortunately, for a lot of believers, slothfulness, stupidity, sentimentality, and slush remain the soup de jour. Yes, a lot of Christians are about as substantial as an empty Pez dispenser, and what makes it even worse is that they’re not near as cute.

If, as a Christian, you want to have true influence upon culture, then you must deepen your soul’s relationship with God and refuse to be simply denomination-centered, success-oriented, self-indulgent, and repellently corny. This type of me-monkey religion might be en vogue with an immediate aberrant version of the faith, but hear me loud and clear: such a “faith” is a farce and not the force Christ intends it to be. I know that’s tight, but it’s right. Yes, shallowness and sappiness keep you from impacting the real world, where the big boys live and play. And as far as I’m concerned, being a spiritual force and not a ridiculous farce is what having a robust faith is all about.

Believe it or not, no matter what you’ve seen on Christian TV, the believer is a creature of thought, affection and will. God’s primary way to up the robusticity of the human heart is via the human head, by the principal means of the scripture. Having a profound and extensive knowledge of the scripture, coupled with contemplation and application of the Word to one’s person, will naturally cause one to move into substantially deeper waters.

Now, wouldn’t it be great to see a Christian of significant spiritual substance brought back to the Church? One who worships rationally and resolutely with ardent devotion to Christ and is completely comfortable out of a stained glass environment? Imagine having a believer who is serious about the law without becoming a legalist and who enjoys his Christian liberty without becoming Ted Kennedy on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m talkin’ about a Christian who can live and thrive in the public square without looking like the public square. Imagine the impact such a body of believers would have upon this nation and the world. The only way to accomplish the above, the only way to get to that place of amazing grace, is to buy my latest book for $13.95 on Amazon.com. I’m joking. Seriously, the only way to accomplish the above is to increase the quality of our spiritual understanding.

And by the way, historically speaking, this is not “Scotty’s on fire” Christianity. This is normal Christianity which takes note of how dishonest, dumb and deceitful we quickly become outside of regular personal and corporate maintenance. In addition, this type of attitude has a reality-based approach that understands that if we’re going to change the world, we can’t afford to have unclear minds, uncontrolled affections, a loose gibbering monkey in our pants, and an unstable will controlled by the irrational and the emotional under the deceitful guise of super-spirituality.

Therefore, if you, the believer, want to jack up the excellence of your Christian experience and have a substantial faith that effectively works outside of the religious box, just like Jesus’ did, then close communion with God via the scripture, prayer and meditation is a non-negotiable. There is no other way, José.

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The Sacrifice of Silence (Focus on the Family, 050300)

by Laurel Robinson

This Lent, a friend of mine committed to a practice I found fascinating: she vowed to refrain from rushing to explain and defend herself, even when she felt she might not be fully understood. This discipline was inspired by the well-known prayer attributed to St. Francis, which includes the line: “O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek…to be understood as to understand.”

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:19).”

Since Ash Wednesday, Marie has been attempting to submit herself to this discipline daily, particularly with Gary, her husband of three years. The results at home were almost instantaneous. The first time Gary said something that Marie felt was “snide” toward her, she remained silent. Normally, she might have retorted with a scornful remark or with an indignant “that was rude!” Then, the argument would have escalated, and the next two hours would have been robbed of joy, tainted by coolness toward one another.

After a few moments of her prayerful silence, Gary apologized for his statement. Marie was shocked. He had seldom apologized lately. He knew his words had been hurtful, and her silence gave him the chance to reconsider. Instead of the all-too-common bitterness, there was a relative calm, and the two were able to continue to enjoy one another’s company.

James wrote to his fellow believers, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:19).” Frankly, words spoken thoughtlessly do not bring about a righteous life, either. They only distract others or puff us up with pride or self-importance.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 reminds us that there is a proper time for every activity, including “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Surely there are times when it is brave, and prudent, and right to speak up: to defend an innocent person, or to speak the truth boldly to people who are deluded by a lie. However, I wonder how many times in a week the “speaking up” we do is for our own benefit and comfort.

A few months ago, I ran into a former client whose husband, I felt, had been incredibly irrational and aggressively unfair toward me. She greeted me in the doorway of the grocery store, and after a few pleasantries I started blabbering about something tangential. I was uncomfortable with the possibility of an awkward silence and afraid I might hear something else that would hurt my feelings – what if she had since taken his side and was ready to drag out old accusations? So I blocked her. However, if I had held my tongue and just listened, who knows what she would have said? Maybe she would have told me how sorry her husband was after he’d had some time to cool off, or maybe I would have seen signs that she needed help. Being married to a man with a temper like I had seen him display could be dangerous! I can only hope that things are fine with her, for in my rush to “protect” myself, I failed to look into her life with care.

The discipline of silence at times like this provides room to practice what Paul Miller, in his book Love Walked Among Us, calls “incarnation.” By this he means the way in which any person can slow down and enter someone else’s world. We all long to be understood, but what about understanding? To a person in need, rather than saying “I know what you should do,” we would be better off pausing, observing, thinking about the Golden Rule, and even asking “how can I help you?”

Another common motive for blurting things out is as a defense against perceived injustice or misunderstanding. In this culture, especially to succeed in business and politics, we have learned that we must protect and build our reputations, making sure everyone has the “right” impression of us. If you have been unfortunate enough (as I have) to get hooked on watching “The Apprentice,” you will see this in every episode. You will also see the folly of this behavior, as the players stomp all over truth and courtesy in their rush to self-promote. It is totally unnecessary, and often backfires. I propose that living by faith will often mean doing the opposite.

Jesus said a lot of bold, counter-cultural things during His ministry on earth. He never minded offending the self-righteous. He knew when to speak. But in His hour of most intense persecution, He said very little. Isaiah 53:7 says of the Savior: “he was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Sheep going to a shearer have nothing to worry about – from what I have been told, it’s a relief to be trimmed – but I would expect that sheep going to be slaughtered, if they knew where they were headed, would have bleated for help or pleaded for amnesty. Jesus knew He was headed for a cruel death, but still was as docile as one going to a haircut.

His silence was not borne out of ignorance or incompetence. He was silent because of what He knew. Christ knew that even the bald truth would not penetrate the hearts of the people who wanted to make him disappear, because they weren’t ready. He knew He had to endure the cross, and that only after His miraculous resurrection would God, through His Spirit, open people’s hearts. He knew God was in control. He knew that the Truth would be revealed, in due time.

Let’s bring this down to the every-day level. Imagine your boss or co-worker saying something to you that made you think they did not know how hard you worked. You might fear they think you are a slacker, or incompetent. You want to defend yourself, or write a memo detailing the ways in which you have been an asset to the team. Your words, you feel, could ward off fearsome results, such as denial of a raise, or being laid off. But …

What if you said nothing? Be still, and know that God is in control. Think about why this detail is so important to you. Ask God for direction as to what to say, if anything. Know that even if you lose this job, God will still provide for you.

I am not proposing that we all become spineless and mute in the name of Christ. The discipline of silence may take only a moment in real time. It can appear as a two-beat pause, where you consider your motives, silently re-affirm your faith in God, and then follow a holy prompting to say something completely different than what you felt like saying only seconds ago.

In times when prudence says, “be quiet,” your silence can be a statement to God, yourself, and even others that you believe God is really in control and will work things out the way HE wants them. It is an act of faith.

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While It Is Day—Living as if Time Mattered: Part 1 (Christian Post, 050523)

On Saturday, May 21, Dr. Mohler addressed the class of 2005 at Union University’s Commencement ceremony. This is his address, in the form of an edited transcript.

This is a great day—a day of celebration, a day of completion, a day of tremendous anticipation, a day the Lord has already greatly blessed. To all who are gathered here: Let us join in a spirit of thankfulness to God, and of thankfulness for this institution, and thankfulness for its mission, and thankfulness for all that this day means.

I want to address you as the class of May 2005. You have been the recipients of an incredible education and an incredible experience. Many, if not most of you, know exactly what this means. One day, all of you will understand that you have been the recipients of something extremely rare—an education that is marked by genuine academic excellence and that is unapologetically rooted in the truth of God’s Word.

This is an incredible institution. You have spent four years of your life here, and for the rest of your lifetimes there will be an indelible mark left on you by the fact that today you will cross this platform and you will emerge with a Union University degree. It is far more than a piece of paper, and it is far more than an academic program completed. It is an investment of your life, and it is a representation of the investment that has been made in your lives. And so you will understand that there is tremendous anticipation here tonight. Your parents have come here with great anticipation. We want to see what God is going to do in you and through you.

Senator Robert Dole said not too long ago that the role of a commencement speaker at an event like this is analogous to the role of the corpse at a funeral. It’s difficult to have the event without you, but they don’t expect you to say much. I’m going to attempt to say something.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was the scene of an unusual conference in recent weeks—the world’s first convention of time travelers. Students at MIT decided that they wanted to test the theories of time travel that they had been considering in terms of quantum physics, and so some enterprising students organized a conference on the campus of MIT, to which they invited all time travelers past, present, and future.

They roped off a certain area on the campus with the cooperation of the MIT faculty, where any time machines could either land, or materialize, or emerge, or whatever they might do. The organizers of this conference advertised the event by using acid free paper and printing notices they embedded in books in the MIT library, so that scholars in the future who might be directly accustomed to time travel (and where would they study but MIT?) would find these slips of paper in a book, and would return to MIT on this particular day in May of 2005.

The conference was held just a few days ago. By the way, the organizers claimed that the conference was never to be repeated. If time travel works, you would never have to repeat an event, you would just keep going back to it. Alas, within that roped off sector of the MIT campus, no time machine materialized.

There is a sense in which that’s exactly what we would like to take place here tonight. We would like to have some time traveler from the future come to May 2005, emerge even here tonight from your class, to tell us where you have been and where you have gone. We would welcome a visitor from this class who could return from the future—to come back and tell us what you have seen, what you have done, what you have experienced, what you have witnessed. What about the impact you have left in the world?

It would be incredible if tonight we could have some visitor from the future, from your class, come and tell what you have done. For tonight, we have to look forward in hope, in confidence, and in anticipation. But the time is shorter than it appears. You look healthy. You look vigorous. You look ready. But you are going to die.

The time for all of us is far shorter than first appears. I can remember all too poignantly sitting exactly where you sit. Now I have to picture sitting with your parents, as my children will all too soon sit with you. For some the time will be longer, for some the time shorter. In the span of eternity, even in the expanse of human history, the time is short for all of us.

Jesus once said to His disciples: “We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work” [John 9:4 HCSB] The immediate context of that passage was one of the miracles of Jesus—it was when Jesus healed the man blind from birth—and it was on that occasion that His disciples asked Him some deep theological questions, and the Lord answered them.

But the Lord also reminded His disciples that the time is short. The immediate background to the words of Jesus is the fact that He knew that His time on earth was short. His earthly ministry would be short. The cross was on Christ’s horizon—the cross on which He would die as our substitute. “We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.”

It is interesting to note that Jesus did not merely say, “I must do the work of Him who sent me.” He said we, speaking to His disciples. In the same way, Christ speaks to the church, His body, even now. We must be about the business of doing the work of the Father while it is day, reminded that the night is coming when no one can work. This is an appropriate reminder to all of us, a statement of tremendous consequence.

With eternity on the far horizon, and our brief lifetime on the near horizon, we understand that the time is short. So if the time is short, what must we be doing? The Lord’s instruction is simple—the Father’s work. And what would that be? What would we do in order to fulfill the Lord’s command? Allow me to offer some suggestions.

Most supremely, the purpose for which we were created is to display the glory of God. The greatest privilege of a human life, of anyone made in the image of God, is to know the Creator. We can not only know about Him in an abstract sense, but we are called to know Him personally through the Lord Jesus Christ. To see the Christ is to see the Father. We know the Father through Jesus the Son, and our great privilege and purpose in this life is to display the glory of God in the midst of His creation by bearing testimony to the preeminence of Jesus Christ over all things. For the Father Himself has put all things at His feet—all things. These things include even principalities and powers. All things, even disciplines and programs; all things, even institutions and governments and schools; all things.

How would we display the glory of God and declare the preeminence of Christ in a generation like this? How would we define and summarize this task? We must live and work and witness as if time mattered.

While it is day, tell the truth. That is an important task for this generation, for your generation. You are better equipped today to tell the truth than you were when you arrived on this institution, because you have been involved in a program based upon the solid foundation of biblical truth, in order to learn how to speak that truth and bear witness to that truth, and to defend that truth in a world that is increasingly uncertain that truth even exists. We live today in the context of a postmodern culture that sees truth largely as an artifact of social construction and construes all truth claims as relative. Our task is to tell the truth to a generation that is largely resistant to the truth. Our task means that we must be about the Christian ministry of compassionate truth telling.

There is genuine compassion in telling the truth, even if the world does not always understand this to be true. We cannot speak as if we do not know that the Lord has spoken. We understand that truth is not something that human beings have merely invented, constructed, and negotiated—and is therefore up for endless renegotiation. We know that there are truths beyond what any mind can ever understand, much less invent. By grace and the gift of revelation, we do know the absolute truth of the Word of God and the deep verities of the Christian faith. We know that that truth shall set us free.

Your task, while it is day, is to tell the truth. And this task will sometimes cost you dearly. It will require mental agility and intellectual sophistication, and will put you at risk of being out of step with the culture at large. Your years invested in this institution and in your programs of study have helped to prepare you for that task.

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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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While It Is Day—Living as if Time Mattered, Part 2 (Christian Post, 050525)

While it is day, share the Gospel. In the end, this is one of the most important responsibilities assigned to the Christian, one of the most important and precious tasks we can ever be assigned. We are commissioned to bear witness to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the hierarchy of all the truths that you have considered, in the many truths that you have learned, is that one great truth that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” [Romans 5:8]. We also know the great truth that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life” [John 3:16 KJV]. That is the truth of all truths—the transforming truth. This is our assignment.

While it is day, share the Gospel. Learn to be an effective witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and understand that, in this generation, that challenge will have unique dimensions. We must speak of the only Gospel that saves. We must point persons to the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that it is He who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” [John 14:6 HCSB]. At the same time, we also know that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ [Romans 10:13] Share the Gospel while it is day.

While it is day, defend the faith. It is not enough merely to speak the truth, we must defend the faith. The Christian faith—the faith once for all delivered to the saints—must be defended and defined anew in every generation. In this generation, we face the task of making clear what genuine Christianity really is. We must defend and define true Christianity over against all the plastic and artificial counterfeits of this day.

In so many ways, we are living and witnessing in a culture and a time so similar to that of the first century Christians as we see them addressed directly in the words of Scripture. Like the Apostle Paul, we are standing at our own Mars Hill, and we must be ready to defend the Gospel with power and with conviction. Our calling is to receive what has been handed down to us, and then to hand it down to others as a precious treasure and a necessary stewardship.

While it is day, engage the culture. Look all around you. Armed with what you know, and with the training and education you have received, be determined on the basis of the Christian worldview to make a difference—in government, in law, in the arts, in music and in cinema, in the theater and in economics, and in business, and in every dimension of life.

Every single discipline that any academic institution could envision is brought into accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ. Engage the culture wherever you are and wherever you look. Understand that Christians are not to pull ourselves into some kind of isolated community in order merely to congratulate ourselves for knowing these things. We are to engage the culture, that others may know them as well.

Our witness to the Lord Jesus Christ will be demonstrated in every dimension of life, from politics, where it may be most visible, and in the media, where it may be most accessible, all the way down to the most minute and intimate spheres of life.

While it is day, change the world. Do justice. Represent Christ in every dimension of life, and translate that not merely into thought but into action. Do not be spectators in this great story of what God is doing in this generation. Be actors. Be engaged. Be determined to change the world. Change it from where you stand. Start where you now are, and then wherever the Lord shall take you in this life. Change the world by the power of Christian truth, Christian witness, Christian love, and Christian presence.

While it is day, love the church. Remember that Jesus Christ died for His church. One of your most important tasks is to become faithful members of a local congregation, where you will come into mutual accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ and share the fellowship that God gives to His redeemed people.

While it is day, show the glory of God—in your own lives, your marriages, your families. Understand that our accountability to the Lord Jesus Christ does not merely start on a public platform of political or economic or cultural engagement. It begins in that tiny little sphere of the domestic, where God’s miracle of marriage is demonstrated, and His own covenant fidelity is shown to the world when a man and a woman come together in the bonds of holy matrimony. For most of you, God’s calling will mean marriage. For all of us, God’s calling is to declare His glory in the right ordering of all things—in the home, in the marriage, with children.

All too soon, you are likely to be in this same place, with what I am sure will be an even larger congregation, to watch your own children and the children of your own friends and family cross this stage. Understand that a crucial moment of accountability comes when your children indicate your own character, and step out into their own futures.

We are to work while it is day. The time is short and growing shorter. Our lives are brief, and but a vapor. The Lord Jesus Christ said that we must do the works of Him who sent Him while it is day. Night is coming, when no one can work. May the Lord do incredible, wonderful, miraculous things through you. The prayers and anticipation of this entire congregation joins you tonight in celebration, and we will watch you with great expectation. Live and lead as if time matters, for the time is short. To God be the glory. Amen.

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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Preaching a ‘Celebrity Gospel’ (Christian Post, 050705)

I don’t know who first coined the term “social gospel.” But it’s generally understood among conservative evangelicals to be an American theological aberration. The social gospel rose to prominence during the 1960s, when preachers strayed from the gospel of the grace of God and started proclaiming a message of salvation through “good works.” The social gospel essentially advocates redemption based on social action, without teaching the necessity of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

No one who understands the Holy Scriptures would deny our Lord calls us to good works or to social action. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches such should be wedded with the message of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Corporate or societal righteousness is actually an outgrowth of the masses coming to know Jesus Christ.

I consider the social gospel something to be considered anathema — something to be shunned and reviled. The danger it poses, however, pales in comparison to another, more recent, very popular approach to the gospel today that is extremely deadly. It too, I believe, is a theological aberration. We might call it a “celebrity gospel.”

A celebrity gospel is when a preacher compromises the gospel of Christ in order to achieve or sustain a celebrity status. When a preacher proclaims a celebrity gospel, offenses are stringently avoided. There is no need to carry a Cross — no need to take a stand theologically or politically. Christ is preached, but without preaching against sin. The good news of Jesus Christ is set forth in vague generalities designed to keep from dividing the audience. The hope or objective of a celebrity gospel is that people might feel helped and encouraged, not condemned or judged.

Two good examples of preachers proclaiming a celebrity gospel of late are Dr. Billy Graham and Joel Osteen. Please understand it troubles me deeply to speak negatively of either one of these ministers. I consider myself unworthy to even shine their shoes. Dr. Graham has preached to more people in the world than any other evangelist in history. Joel Osteen serves the largest church in America, has a national television ministry, and has had a book on the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks. But I have witnessed compromises to the gospel of Christ by these two that I can only assume are driven by their desire to protect their celebrity.

For instance, talk-show host Larry King, on CNN’s Larry King Live, recently interviewed both men separately and in so many words asked them if they believed people of faith outside of Christ would go to heaven. Graham’s answer: “That’s in God’s hands. I can’t be the judge.” Osteen responded: “Here’s my thing .... I think it’s wrong when you go around saying, you’re saying you’re not going, you’re not going, you’re not going, because it’s not exactly my way.” Both acknowledged their own faith in Christ, but wouldn’t clearly delineate that there is only one mediator of salvation between God and man — Jesus Christ (I Timothy. 2:5).

When King asked Graham and Osteen about involvement by preachers in politics, both expressed their own reluctance to do it. Graham said, “I’m trying to stay out of politics. And I’ve been queried quite a bit lately, why I don’t take a stand on certain issues.” Later in the same interview, King asked Graham whether he believed people were born homosexuals or not. Graham would only say, “Well, that’s a big debate.” King then pressed the issue and asked, “But if it’s not a choice, it can’t be a sin. Right?” To which Graham replied, “Well maybe. God will make that judgment, not me. I’m not deciding who’s a sinner and who is not.” When Osteen was asked by King about issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, he said he believed same-sex marriage was not what God intended, neither was abortion the best, but he wasn’t going to call anyone a sinner. He added he doesn’t even use the word “sinner.”

Why is this a matter of concern? It’s a matter of great significance because it’s a breaking away from sound Christian doctrine. When preachers fail to make central to their message what Christ said of himself — “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John. 14:6) — they have compromised the gospel and left their audience with no certain means to find their way home. We would all do well to consider the example of the early Christians, who lived in a pluralistic and liberal-minded city like Rome, yet wouldn’t take a pinch of incense and place it on a fire before a graven image of Caesar because they were unwilling for Jesus to be considered just another god in a Roman pantheon. They believed Jesus was the one true God and that only He was Lord, not Caesar. For that faith they were willing to die of unspeakable tortures. Moreover, any gospel message that fails to deal with sin — messages that fail to specifically address sin — are not setting forth the need for people to be reconciled to God. Such messages fail to address why one needs to be saved.

The message of the Cross is not simply a message about God’s love. It’s also a message about God’s anger at sinners. The message of the Cross contends that God has been offended. Sin is so vial in God’s eyes it necessitated the violent and bloody death of His own Son to assuage His wrath. It says no matter how good you may think you are, this is what you deserve: what Christ experienced on the Cross. Christ died in your place to pay the penalty for your sin and there is no other way to be saved except through Him. The apostle Paul referred to this as “the offence of the Cross” (Galatians 5:1) — a message no preacher has a right to neglect.

Lastly, preachers unwilling to address political matters of moral import are derelict in their duty to obey Christ’s command to be “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13,14). What is more, their neutrality in such matters is a departure from the example of early church leaders like Telemachus, who gave his own life to stop the gladiator games in Rome. Then there’s John Knox, who changed all of Scotland in his lifetime. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, whose sermons often addressed issues like indentured servitude, rampant drunkenness, slavery, and the poor health of the peasant class. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, sought by law to destroy the prostitution racket in London during his day. And let’s not forget the Black Regiment — those ministers who wore black robes and contended from the pulpit for freedom during the days of the American Revolution. Without them there would have never been an America.

Though it may be very popular and garner the support of thousands — though it may bring in the big crowds, result in high praise and the adulation of most — the preaching of a “celebrity gospel” is not acceptable with God. W. Philip Keller summed up the matter when he wrote: “The high calling to which God calls those chosen ones to speak on His behalf is not only a holy duty but also a lonely life. It is to be very much among the suffering and sorrows of our society but also (more often than not) somewhat alone in bearing the burdens — frequently misunderstood and often wrongly accused. Christ came to us as the Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. So it is to be expected that those who follow Him will taste the same suffering and endure the same disdain. This is inevitable.”

A “celebrity gospel” should be deemed for what it is: anathema — something to be shunned and reviled by the faithful.

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Rev. Mark H. Creech (calact@aol.com) is the executive director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, Inc.

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Hybels, Warren Teach Vision and Sacrifice as Keys to Leadership (Christian Post, 050812)

More than 54,000 pastors and church leaders gathered around the nation on Thursday to hear some of today’s most influential Christians unlock the secrets to leadership success.

The three-day 2005 Leadership Summit, broadcasted out of Bill Hybels Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, featured mega-church pastors Hybels and Rick Warren, among many others.

Thousands watched in over 110 venues - mostly churches, seminaries, universities and ministries across North America - as the speakers challenged Christians to become leaders, whether in the church, boardroom or at home.

Thursday’s session began with Bill Hybels talking about the prerequisites to getting a vision.

“What happens in a leader is that they have this thing called Holy Spirit discontent. There’s something in their spirit that they’re unsettled about, something that really bothers them,” explained Hybels.

The discontent forces the leader to act, Hybels said, as he gave the example of King David’s courage to stand up against Goliath.

“Goliath would come into town every day and curse the name of God. No one would do anything about it except David,” who was angered enough to challenge the giant with just a slingshot. Scriptures has it that he won.

Hybels elaborated with a message from his own life. He said that while he was growing up, he used to attend a church that never ministered to unsaved people, the music was always bad, and the sermons were long and boring. One day, Hybels realized he couldn’t “take it any more,” and that’s how the Willow Creek Church was born in the 1970s.

Following Hybels’ message on the visions and route to leadership, Warren took the stage with a message on life after becoming a leader.

He referred to Moses who met God at a burning bush. God asked him to throw down the staff, which was all that Moses had.

“When he threw it down, it became a living snake. When he picked it up again, it became an inanimate object again.”

Warren explained that the staff represented three things for Moses: his identity as a shepherd, his income, and his influence. With that staff, he could reel in his sheep, but God was asking him to throw it all down.

Warren shared the success he personally encountered because of the all-time best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, which Publishers Weekly noted as “the bestselling hardback in American history.”

Leading by example, he donated 90 percent of the royalties from his book.

“It was a masterful speech,” said Paul Braoudakis, spokesperson for Willow Creek. “They were very very well received.”

Christians and non-Christians alike were in attendance, but according to Braoudakis, the principles transcend the Church to the home and the board room.

“Leadership is leadership, whether you’re practicing it in the church, the board room, or the home. It’s just a matter of where the foundation comes from. For the Christian that foundation is in the Bible.”

As the summit continues today, leaders from the secular culture - including the president of Southwest Airlines - will share their leadership wisdom, including Colleen Barrett, who manages over 35,000 employees.

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The Unchurched Next Door: A New Look at the Challenge (Mohler, 050808)

Thom Rainer thinks that most Christians have no clue about how unchurched people really think. Given Christianity’s mandate for evangelism, this represents a big problem.

Rainer is founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Over the past decade, he has emerged as the nation’s leading expert in church growth and evangelistic strategies. In a very real sense, Rainer operates in two different worlds, with one foot in academic research and the other firmly planted in the local church.

In The Unchurched Next Door, Rainer and his research team consider the real issues involved in reaching unchurched Americans. His findings will surprise many Christians—including many pastors—and offer vital insights as the church looks forward into the twenty-first century.

The Unchurched Next Door represents a massive research project based in a national survey. From the onset, Rainer was determined to force Christians to look at the unchurched all around them. “Most of the unchurched are your neighbors, your coworkers whom you know well, and even your family members,” he explains. “That is why we call them ‘the unchurched next door.’ They have much in common with us. Many of them have your moral values. Most are not antichurch or antireligion. They are very much like you—except that they are lost without Christ.”

After interviewing thousands of unchurched Americans, the Rainer research team looked for patterns in the profiles. Based on the results, Rainer suggested five different levels of responsiveness to the gospel. “U1” identifies unchurched Americans who are highly receptive to hearing and believing the good news. They know something about Christianity, and have a positive attitude toward the church. “U2” individuals are receptive to the gospel and willing to hear a message from the church. Those categorized as “U3” are identified as neutral, “with no clear signs of being interested, yet perhaps open to discussion.” The “U4” group demonstrates resistance to the gospel but no antagonism. The most unresponsive group in the population is identified as “U5” The most secular Americans are “highly antagonistic and even hostile to the gospel.”

Given the contours of post-Christian America, many believers would assume that the U5 category would include a large number of our fellow citizens. That assumption is not sustained by the facts. Rainer’s research indicates that the U5 category fits only about 5% of the American population. Most unchurched Americans are grouped in the central three categories. Those already friendly to the church, the U1s, comprise eleven percent of the population, serving as something of a bookend to the U5s.

The majority of the unchurched fit the middle categories, with 27% listed as U2, 36% as U3, and 21% as U4. As Rainer summarizes, “Most of the unchurched are not antichurch or anti-Christian.” By and large, they have had little contact with Christianity, and are not highly motivated when it comes to issues of faith and belief.

In reviewing the research, Rainer and his team came to some surprising conclusions. First of all, most Americans have never been invited to church—never. Yet, 82% indicated that they would be at least “somewhat likely” to attend church if invited. As Rainer comments, “Only twenty-one percent of active church goers invite anyone to church in the course of a year. But only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church.” He concludes: “Perhaps the evangelistic apathy so evident in so many of our churches can be explained by a simple laziness on the part of church members in inviting others to church.”

One of the most devastating insights drawn from the research is the fact that most unchurched Americans feel themselves safe from the evangelistic reach of believing Christians. They do not sense that Christians are seeking actively to share the gospel with them, and many nonbelievers are actually wondering what makes Christians so reticent to talk about their faith. Furthermore, most of the unchurched indicate that their Christian friends have little actual influence on their lives.

The withdrawal of men from participation in many churches has led a good many researchers to believe that men are most highly resistant to the gospel. This is also born out by a great deal of experience in local churches. Nevertheless, Rainer’s research indicates that most men are grouped in the middle categories, and show relatively low levels of interest in the gospel—either positive or negative. Indeed, this research indicates that unchurched Americans classified in U5—the most antagonistic category—are more likely to be women. As a matter of fact, women tended to predominate in both U1 and U5, perhaps indicating that women are more likely to place a high value on the issue of faith, and thus tend to be more passionately Christian or secular.

Unsurprisingly, Rainer also discovered that the U5s tend to be more highly educated, more wealthy, and more condescending toward the Bible than other Americans. This group is marked by an anti-supernatural bias combined with a secular lifestyle. One woman interviewed for the project said simply, “I have no need for the Bible. The Bible was written for very simple people. It was written to give moral and ethical guidance to uneducated people”.

The Unchurched Next Door is a serious look at a serious problem. The undeniable fact is that America’s churches are falling behind in the challenge of evangelism. The best data available indicate that the percentage of the population active in Christian churches has failed to grow in even a single metropolitan area in the United States over the last twenty years. More to the point, churches have failed to grow even at a pace that would equal the growth of the population in general. America is being transformed into a secular society at a pace that would shock most Christians—if they ever cared to look.

Thom Rainer is a specialist in church growth, and he clearly wants to help churches to grow—both numerically and spiritually. At the same time, however, he wants to make certain that it is the church that grows, not merely a crowd or voluntary associciation. He is a powerful advocate for expository preaching and clear Gospel proclamation.

For that reason, he gives serious attention to theological issues at stake. Specifically, Rainer identifies a creeping inclusivism in the pews, combined with a growing disbelief in Hell among the public, as sources of evangelistic malaise.

Inclusivism, the belief that personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not fundamentally necessary for salvation, has been growing among some Christians for decades. Driven first by liberal theologians who intentionally sought to redefine the faith, inclusivism now fits the cultural mood, and allows Christians to claim simultaneously to be believers in Christ and to deny the gospel.

As Rainer claims, “belief in inclusivism goes completely against the teaching of Christ and Scripture. The Bible teaches exclusivism, the belief that explicit faith in Christ is the only way of salvation.” The impact of creeping inclusivism is obvious. “Why should one go to the trouble of sharing Christ when that person can be saved without placing explicit faith in Christ? Why waste your time?”

The denial of Hell is another issue that diminishes concern for evangelism. The denial or redefinition of Hell is now found among many who claim to be Christians, and Hell has disappeared almost entirely from the public consciousness of the nation. Today’s Christians should note that Jesus himself was bold to warn sinners that they should fear Hell and understand its very real and pressing threat. Far too many Christians see Hell as an embarrassment rather than as a motivation for sharing the gospel.

Most helpfully, Rainer points to an array of evangelistic touch points that Christians should seize for the cause of the gospel. After all, most of these unchurched Americans are living all around us. Their children play with our children on the playground; Christians and non-Christians work together in the business world; and we all live in neighborhoods filled with persons who desperately need to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A simple conversation with our neighbors will help to reveal their own disposition toward the church and the Gospel. Nevertheless, we should not assume that one who fits the U5 category is further from the reach of the gospel than those who seem to fit U1. The fact is that every single unbeliever is united in an absolute and unconditional need for the gospel. Furthermore, there is a basic antagonism between belief and unbelief.

We cannot predict who will respond to the Gospel. Often, those who appear most likely to respond never do so. At the same time, many of those who are most antagonistic to the church and to the gospel, do come to Christ. This is an important reminder to us that every single conversion is a miracle of God.

The Unchurched Next Door will prompt much thought and should move every thoughtful Christian toward greater faithfulness in evangelism. This book will also help us to understand our unchurched neighbors. Who are they? “They are the unchurched next door. They are your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your coworkers, your merchants, your acquaintances, and your family members. They need Christ. And they are waiting to hear from you.” What are we waiting for?

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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Doctors’ Report (Christian Post, 050817)

Follow-up research informs me that news of a survey in the July issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine could be glimpsed on cable TV and got some notice in newspapers, but it created less stir than one might have imagined. Only when I scooped up mail on one of my occasional visits to the University of Chicago campus and came away with the July 14 issue of the Chicago Chronicle did I become aware of it (John Easton, “Survey on physicians’ religious beliefs shows majority faithful”). Maybe this is catch-up time for subscribers who are alert to such news, but I suspect that others have paid little attention. I think we should.

Let’s start with the stereotype: Physicians are women and men of science. They are good at dealing with the empirical, with what they can touch and test — thank God! So they tend to be dismissive of the transcendent, the eternal, the spiritual. They are busy people, and cannot always tend to the things of the spirit. The ethos of physicians’ lounges does not foster positive comment on religion. Further, doctors are trained at secular humanist medical schools monitored by liberal elite media. Every church or synagogue of any size may include some physicians, but these are rare and remarkable exceptions. Read the literature we read, and I think you’ll agree that this typing is accurate.

All wrong — or so says Farr Curlin, M.D., an internist at the University of Chicago, who surveyed 2,000 randomly selected physicians. Dr. Curlin found that 76 percent of them professed belief in God, only 7 percent fewer than do so in the larger population. But certainly they must keep their faith in the box marked “private,” right? No, 55 percent believe that their religious beliefs influence their practice of medicine. So then they are evidently smart enough to wield Occam’s razor and not introduce religious concerns irrelevantly or promotionally. Not exactly; they are stumped like so many other believers are. In dealing with major problems in life, most of them — 61 percent compared to 29 percent in the general public — try to “make sense” of the situation and “decide what to do without relying on God.” Good for them, I’d say; we want good doctors, not necessarily good Orthodox or Quaker or Mormon doctors.

Still, 58 percent do say that they carry religious beliefs into other dealings of life. Up that figure a notch to 59 percent who believe in life after death. While 64 percent of us “general public” folk look “to God for strength, support, and guidance,” only 48 percent of the physicians checked in positively on that one — but still a higher figure than the stereotype allows for.

You are likelier to find physicians at worship than you are to find non-physicians: 46 percent say they attend religious services twice a month or so. Only 40 percent of us unwashed non-physicians claim to. And while 19 percent of the rest of us say we never attended a religious service, only 10 percent of the doctors have never been present. This could in part be a ceremonial-class matter, as physicians may often be in cultural strata where they are likely to be present for certain rituals.

Physicians’ religion scorecard: 38 percent called themselves Protestant, 22 percent Catholic, 14 percent Jewish (that’s high — fewer than 3 percent of the public is Jewish), 5.3 percent Hindu (also high). Not many bother to be or sound “anti-.” Only 2 percent reported being atheist, 1.5 percent agnostic, and 7.1 percent had no religious preference/affiliation. I’d treat these “affiliation” statistics with considerable care. Still, enjoy the surprises.

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Martin E. Marty’s biography, current projects, upcoming events, publications, and contact information can be found at www.illuminos.com. Original Source: Sightings – A biweekly, electronic editorial published by the Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

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They Are Praying, Watching And Waiting; What’s Our Response? (Christian Post, 051022)

The interview was wrapping up when a reporter with the International Mission Board asked a prominent leader in the rapidly expanding Chinese house church movement how American Christians could pray for house churches in China. “Stop praying for persecution in China to end,” he responded, “for it is through persecution that the church has grown.”

“What astounding faith!” I thought when I heard the story. However, my admiration of his faith was quickly tempered by what he said next.

“We, in fact, are praying that the American church might taste the same persecution,” he said, “so revival would come to the American church like we have seen in China.”

Once I recovered from the shock of such a profound statement, I thought about the irony: We in America keep praying for God to bless us – and Christians in other nations are praying God will allow us to experience persecution so that we’ll act like the blessing we were made to be. I shudder at the thought that we are on the road to persecution, brought on because of our own arrogance.

I recently wrote a column titled, “Are you Chasing Donkeys?” In it, I said that the book of Isaiah is replete with examples of God humbling the haughty. Arrogance followed by judgment is a recurring theme; survey the Old Testament and confirm it for yourself. However, before dismissing those examples as ancient history, flip to Revelation and read Christ’s seven letters to the churches. More specifically, read what Jesus says to the church of Sardis: “I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die...” (Revelation 3: 1-2, HCSB).

I also referenced two prophetic voices – David Watson and John Burke – who, speaking 25 years apart, made indicting statements about the state of the church. Burke wrote, “Unless Christians leading the church in America change, and unless the church begins living out the magnetic attractive force Jesus had on the world, the Christian Church in America will be completely marginalized within decades.” His concern is rapidly becoming reality.

A cover story in the Aug. 11 edition of USA Today confirms his concern. The article’s title is “Religion Takes a Back Seat in Western Europe” and details the 25 percent drop in church attendance in Western Europe in the past 20 years. The reasons identified for the drop are “Europe’s turbulent history, an increasing separation between the church and government and the continent’s unprecedented affluence.”

The USA Today article reports the social changes implemented in Spain since its new socialist prime minister took office last year. Divorce is quicker, stem cell research is allowed, gay marriage is legal and religious education is becoming elective in schools. The undersecretary at the Ministry of Justice in charge of religious and social affairs says that “Spanish society has become much more open, more tolerant, more secular.”

Sound familiar? We in America are being bowled over by the ball of secularism. The church doesn’t have enough muscle to support the pillars of our culture built on the foundation of the Bible.

Many will say, “Well, that’s Europe and it’s got nothing to do with us.” That’s arrogance and it’s got everything to do with us! What makes us think history is going to give us an exemption? Why should we be any different than history’s other self-destructed “superpowers” that arrogantly turned their backs on God and relied on their affluence?

This article should be a splash of cold water in the face of North America’s sleeping Christianity. This isn’t a clarion call to political activism by the “religious right,” as we are called. It is important for us to be involved in the political process, but politics directed by man is temporal and corruptible. The gospel of Jesus Christ is eternal and incorruptible. A changed America will come not from ballots in a box or amendments to the Constitution, but from changed hearts that guide godly lives. Research shows that the majority of “unchurched” people are not antagonistic toward the church, but have simply never been invited by a Christian to attend church. We’ve mobilized the church to flex our political muscle in our culture, but when is the church going to flex its missional muscle and become Jesus to a self-destructing culture? Put another way, when are you going to become Jesus to your next-door neighbor? [comments by Kwing Hung: we need both: social action and discipleship!]

Christians, we have to make a choice: Continue on our present trajectory of self-absorbed arrogance confined to our self-contained little worlds and reap the inevitable consequences; or humble ourselves, ask for revival and “strengthen what remains” so that we can be the blessing we were made to be.

They are watching. Our brothers and sisters around the world are praying... and waiting.

James T. Draper, Jr.

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Why Isn’t “Spirituality” Enough? (Mohler, 051024)

Hypermodern America has become a collectivity of “spiritualities” even as the contours of American culture become increasingly secularized. How is this possible? The emergence of spirituality as an alternative to historic Christianity is itself a product of secularism—offering universal “meaning” without doctrine, truth, or specific content.

For the last twenty years or more, observers of American religion have noted the proliferation of diverse models of spirituality, ranging from New Age innovations to the reemergence of ancient paganisms. The mainstream sociological explanation for this phenomenon is rooted in the assumption that the modern age marginalizes the exclusivistic and truth-oriented doctrines of Christianity and leaves the public square open for the emergence of less demanding belief systems and worldviews.

Of course, most of these are tailor-made for the American mindset. The idea of individualism is as old as America itself, and the dominance of autonomous individualism in modern American culture is, at least in part, the inevitable outgrowth of at least one dimension of America’s founding experience.

The sociologists are concerned about the rise of spirituality precisely because more communitarian thinkers doubt that these modern forms of individualist religion can sustain social cohesiveness and the American project. Not so fast, argues Leigh E. Schmidt. In “Spirit Wars,” Schmidt’s article in the latest issue of The Wilson Quarterly, he argues that American social critics have prematurely dismissed spirituality as a cultural force.

Schmidt, Professor of Religion at Princeton University, acknowledges that “social critics have achieved a rare unanimity: lambasting American ‘spirituality’ in all its new age quirkiness and anarchic individualism.”

Indeed, a considerable body of literature now exists in order to document the emergence of spirituality and to consider the danger it poses to the republic. An alarm was first sounded by sociologist Robert Bellah and his team of writers in Habits of the Heart, published in 1985. Bellah and his team argued that the breakdown of traditional religion was leading to a deterioration in the American social fabric and its essential institutions. They lamented the emergence of “liberalized versions” of morality that were and are almost exclusively individualistic in focus. As Schmidt summarizes, “The social costs of such disjointed spiritual quests were evident not only in the fraying of church life but in eroding commitments to public citizenship, marriage, and family.”

But if Bellah and company—joined by observers such as David Brooks and Martin E. Marty—think that the rise of spirituality at the expense of traditional faiths is problematic, Schmidt argues that American liberals should embrace spirituality as a means of gaining political momentum and rebuilding social capital.

Schmidt argues for a longer historical vision. Modern versions of American individualism, he argues, are simply the expansion and continuation of a line of individualistic thinking that runs back to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and a host of others. Martin E. Marty may argue that the conflict between “spirituality” and “religion” is “a defining conflict of our time,” but Schmidt suggests a cease-fire.

As Schmidt reviews the history of American spirituality, he sees in Emerson, Whitman, and Henry David Thoreau a combination of “spiritual journeying” and “political progressivism.” As he explains, “Emerson’s ‘endless seeker’ was, as often as not, an abolitionist; Whitman’s ‘traveling soul,’ a champion of women’s rights; Henry David Thoreau’s ‘hermit,’ a challenger of unjust war.”

Beyond this, Schmidt is convinced that correctives to excessive individualism were already present in nineteenth century America. He points to William R. Alger, a transcendentalist of the second generation and a Unitarian minister. Alger championed Thoreau’s concern for the spiritual while rejecting his solitude. Indeed, Alger criticized Thoreau as “constantly feeling himself, reflecting himself, fondling himself, reverberating himself, exalting himself, incapable of escaping or forgetting himself.”

Alger apparently recognized that Thoreau’s extreme form of individualism led to a “self-nauseated weariness” rather than to social progress.

Schmidt also points to Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a radical abolitionist who later served as a colonel in an African-American regiment in the Civil War. Higginson took Thoreau and Algier one step further, arguing that Americans should simply embrace spirituality as a diverse testimony to one fundamental reality. In Higginson’s words: “I have worshiped in an Evangelical church when thousands rose to their feet at the motion of one hand. I have worshiped in a Roman Catholic church when the lifting of one finger broke the motionless multitude into twinkling motion, till the magic sign was made, and all was still once more. But I never for an instant have supposed that this concentrated moment of devotion was more holy or more beautiful than when one cry from a minaret hushes a Mohammedan city to prayer, or when, at sunset, the low invocation, ‘Oh! The gem in the lotus—oh! The gem in the lotus,’ goes murmuring, like the cooing of many doves, across the vast surface of Tibet.”

As Schmidt explains, Higginson’s vision called for “a cosmopolitan piety in which religious identities were open, fluxional, and sympathetic rather than closed, fixed, and proselytizing.”

Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote his essay, “The Sympathy of Religions,” in 1871. Clearly, he was ahead of his time. Higginson’s poetic description of his universalistic and relativistic spirituality has been realized in the development of American cafeteria-style pseudo-religion.

Schmidt sees a political possibility behind his analysis of America’s religious landscape. A proponent of “progressive” causes, Schmidt believes that American political liberals should embrace spirituality as a means of countering the influence of conservatives and traditional Christians.

“The roots of today’s seeker spirituality are tangled, but they go deep in American culture and often prove, on closer inspection, to be surprisingly robust,” Schmidt argues. “It is hard, once one has traveled any length on the roads forward from Emerson and Whitman, not to be impressed by the tenacity of this joined tradition of spiritual seeking and political progressivism in American religious life.”

Interestingly, Schmidt points to Sen. Barack Obama, the recently elected senator from Illinois who has emerged as one of the leading lights in the Democratic Party. Obama, Schmidt advises, wants to “reconnect progressive politics with religious vision.”

Senator Obama’s statement on this point deserves careful analysis: “My mother saw religion as an impediment to broader values, like tolerance and racial inclusivity. She remembered church-going folks who also called people nigger. But she was a deeply spiritual person, and when I moved to Chicago and worked with church-based community organizations, I kept hearing her values expressed.”

We should note that Obama made no reference to where his mother discovered those “broader values” nor did he identify any specific content concerning these values or the spiritual vision that was claimed to undergird them. Nevertheless, Obama’s statement serves to indicate how the concept of spirituality functions as a substitute for any specific truth claim or religious identification.

More surprisingly, Schmidt appears to be impressed with Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun magazine, and his ideal of an “Emancipatory Spirituality.” In Lerner’s analysis, “The liberal world has developed such a knee-jerk hostility to religion” that those “who actually do have spiritual yearnings” have been marginalized.

In truth, the vagueness of these statements undermines any claim to make a serious intellectual argument. Lerner’s idea of “spiritual yearnings” gets him nowhere—what exactly is spiritual about these yearnings? Without reference to some specific truth claim or structured thought, this becomes little more than nonsensical wordplay.

This, too, is nothing new. When pressed to define spirituality, pragmatist William James replied: “Susceptibility to ideals, but with a certain freedom to indulge in imagination about them. A certain amount of ‘otherworldly’ fancy.”

Call me hardheaded, but I just don’t see reaching out to Americans who identify themselves as being “susceptible to ideals” and interested in “otherworldly fancy” to be a winning political strategy in today’s America.

Liberals will have to make their own decisions, and they are certainly not going to look to me for political advice. Nevertheless, I have more respect for a clear-headed secularist than for someone who espouses this kind of mind-numbing relativism. If spirituality simply means a “susceptibility to ideals,” does it even matter what those ideals are?

Responding to a similar call for an embrace of spirituality, Paul Powers of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon argued: “Softheaded spiritualism is its own form of fundamentalism. The suggestion that the ‘true essence’ of all religions is spirituality implies that if only people were not so stupid as to believe what their tradition teaches them, they would see that behind all this mere cultural baggage is the supreme ‘spiritual’ truth. Religions and religious people are mind-bogglingly different. Why American liberals who seem so happy to embrace difference in various contexts want, when it comes to religion, to sweep [different truth claims] under the rug of some invented, undefined, supposedly universal ‘spirituality’ remains one of the true religious mysteries of our times.”

In reality, it isn’t really such a mystery after all. Spirituality is all that is left when truth claims are removed. Spirituality represents little more than an effort to claim higher “values” without the demands of truth, revelation, and obedience.

Of all people, Christians should be the first to see this for what it is—an effort to replace the Christian faith with an empty “spiritual” shell. Biblical Christianity is profoundly spiritual—but Christian spirituality is an expression of Christian truth, not its substitute.

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R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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What To Do About Conflict (Christian Post, 051124)

Rick Warren, Christian Post Guest Columnist

Conflict happens. There’s no avoiding it.

Conflict happens at work, at school, in the home – even in the church! Many people try to ignore conflicts that arise, hoping the situation will just go away. It won’t.

When conflict comes up, you have to deal with it head on. If you’ve got a conflict with those you work with, or in your home or at school, deal with it quickly. Don’t let it fester. It’s a big mistake to think, “Let’s ignore it and hope it will go away.” I can tell you from experience, that doesn’t work. Ignoring conflict does not get rid of it.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (GN) says, If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin and do not stay angry all day. Don’t give the devil a chance. Some people are very surprised when they first read this verse. They ask, “Is it ever right for a Christian to get angry?” Yes. How do I know it’s all right for a Christian to get angry? Well, let me ask you this: Did Jesus ever get angry? Yes. Did Jesus ever sin? No. Evidently there are times when anger is appropriate.

The verse says, If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin. That implies that there is an anger that leads you into sin and there is an anger that doesn’t lead you into sin. There is a right way to get angry and there is a wrong way to get angry. How do you know the difference?

What’s the wrong kind of anger?

The wrong kind of anger is anger that is not resolved quickly. If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin and do not stay angry all day. That’s giving the devil a chance. Resolve it quickly. Don’t be angry all day. The Phillips translation says, Never go to bed angry. That will keep a few of us up sometimes. If you said, “In our marriage, we’ll never go to bed angry,” you might resolve problems a little more quickly.

Don’t let anger hang on. Anger that is not dealt with turns into resentment and then into bitterness. Bitterness is always sin. Resentment is always sin. Those emotions are always wrong. Anger is OK. It’s an appropriate response. If you love, you ought to get angry sometimes. I get angry when I see people blowing their lives on things that don’t matter. I get angry when I see people walking right in the middle of something they know is wrong and they know it is going to destroy them. When you care about people, sometimes anger is the correct response.

But the Bible says you need to deal with it quickly. If I swallow my anger, my stomach keeps score. Have you found that to be true? All tied in a knot. Ulcer-ridden. You have a pain in the back, or a pain in the neck, or pain in other places. The Bible says, Deal with it quickly. Don’t let it hang on. Resolve conflict as fast as possible.

A lot of stress is just conflict that’s never been dealt with. Instead of dealing with the problem right off the bat, you just let it irritate you day after day after day ... until you’re totally stressed.

What’s the solution?

How do I deal with conflict quickly? I’ll tell you, but you’re not going to like it. The solution to conflict resolution is one word: confrontation. That’s right. If you’re going to resolve conflict, you must confront. You don’t have to confront in anger, though. In fact, you shouldn’t confront in anger. Lovingly go to the person and, speaking the truth in love, deal with the problem immediately.

How many of you like confrontation? That’s what I thought. Very few of us enjoy confrontation. The only people who do are troublemakers. Troublemakers delight in confrontation. They love to go to people and say, “You’re blowing it!” That’s their thrill. But normal people don’t like confrontation. Unfortunately, it’s the only way to resolve conflict. It’s risky and it’s uncomfortable and it might backfire in your face. So normal people try hard to avoid confrontation.

When you simply must confront, what’s the best way to do it? James 1:19 tells us three rules for confrontation: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Those are the three rules when you go to confront another person. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. If you do the first two the third one is automatic. If you’re quick to listen and if you’re slow to speak you will be slow to anger. Somebody has pointed out that God gave us two ears and one mouth. We ought to listen twice as much as we talk.

What are you listening for? You listen for the hurt in that person. Hurting people always hurt other people. When someone is being a jerk, more than likely it’s because that person is hurting. When you understand their hurt a bit, you’ve got a better understanding of why they do what they do, and you’re a little more patient with them. Understanding always brings patience. When we don’t understand things, we’re impatient. When we understand them, we’re much more patient.

The Bible says, As far as it depends on you. If you’ve done your part, regardless of their response, the rest is the other person’s burden. It’s their problem now. If you go to the person and say, “Here are some legitimate issues,” then the Bible says you have done your best. You tried to deal with it. As far as it depended on you, you lived in peace with everyone.

And that’s all God asks of you.

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What Parents Can Do When College Students Lose Faith (Christian Post, 051218)

NEW YORK – On an ABC “Good Morning America” broadcast earlier this month, a parenting expert suggested that when students lose faith while in college, parents can help by letting them find their own spiritual path. Many Christian leaders, however, warn against such parental advice.

On the Dec. 6 showing, the ABC news broadcaster said, “So when kids stumble, how can parents help? Many experts say it’s important to let them make mistakes so they can find their own spiritual path.” She attributed “Good Morning America” parenting expert Anne Pleshette Murphy, who asked people to be optimistic and look on the brighter side.

“At least 76 percent of college undergraduates want to have a spiritual life,” according to Murphy.

Christian leaders, however, say that parents and church leaders should not only hold onto the students, but also give them all the tools needed to defend their faith before they go off to college.

Focus on the Family’s Teen Apologetics Director Alex McFarland has been involved in youth ministry for the last 16 years. He says students are generally ill-equipped to fend for their Christian faith because they lack a good understanding of the facts behind Christianity – scientific, historical, or logical.

According to McFarland, “Teens have a sincere child-like faith but have not been exposed to good apologetics,” which he says is “so necessary to being able to defend their faith.”

He warns parents, “I have counseled with many a distraught, even heartbroken, family, who spent 18 years raising a child in the ways of God only to have that faith demolished through four years at a secular university.”

Studies have shown that when students lack good defenses, their faith erodes. And two-thirds will forsake Christianity by their senior year of college. On the other hand, solid faith helps students in all aspects of life.

According to Religion News Service, a survey of over 3,000 teens revealed that those having a consistent Christian faith with a logical understanding of what that means, are likely to do better in school, feel better about themselves, shun alcohol, drugs and sex, care more about the poor, and will make moral choices based on what is right rather than what would make them happy.

Tony Arnold, media director of Campus Crusade for Christ, is concerned that Christian parents may be too forceful with their children on matters of faith. He urges parents to love their children no matter their spiritual stage.

“We, as parents, need to realize that our children, as young adults, will make their own choices,” says Arnold. “Just as God accepts us, we need to accept our children even when they are straying from Him.”

“Loving our children doesn’t mean we compromise on our Christian convictions,” he adds. “We don’t want our children to wander, but we can’t force them into following Him.”

In the ABC broadcast earlier this month, “Good Morning America” highlighted Ashley Parrish, a student at the University of Georgia.

From the day she was born, Ashley Parrish was taught to put God first in her life. She attended a Christian school, did missionary work in Mexico, and gave youth sermons at her local church, but after entering college, she admitted to liking the taste of “freedom,” and “went crazy” partying and “having fun with the boys.”

Her parents said they prayed for her.

“You really, really do have to trust that God is gonna be there and take care of them because you can’t be there all the time for them,” said Craig Parrish, Ashley’s father.

But Summit Ministries Founder David Noebel, who authored the classic seminary text Understanding the Times, is unconvinced.

There is a danger to allowing secular professors and ideology to confuse and challenge the students, he says.

“We need to settle our Christian young people in their Christian faith and not just let them be fair game for their higher educational professors, who are not Christian,” Noebel states. “If they go off to college, and they don’t have a strong Christian worldview, they will be picked off very quickly because the opposition has a worldview.”

Summit Ministries offers a program that teaches all six current worldviews for just two weeks. The worldviews taught are Christianity, Islam, secular humanism, Marxist humanism, postmodernism, and cosmic humanism, and knowing them all enables students to defend Christianity in secular classrooms. Noebel suggests the course as an option for both high schoolers and college students who may be doubting Christianity.

Another option is McFarland’s book STAND, which encourages parents, youth pastors, and Christian leaders to teach youths the reasons “why we believe what we believe.”

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“Do Not Cast Me Off in the Time of Old Age”—The Christian Worldview and the Challenge of the Aged, Part 1 (Mohler, 060109)

“Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.” This is the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 71:9. Like so many before and after him, the Psalmist fears being forsaken when he is old. In our own times, this concern takes on an entirely new magnitude, as the ranks of the elderly and aged grow at an unprecedented rate.

This is the concern raised by Eric Cohen and Leon R. Kass in their essay, “Cast Me Not Off in Old Age,” published in the January 2006 edition of Commentary. Cohen, director of the program in biotechnology and American democracy at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and Kass, the former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, have combined to write a most compelling essay on the challenge represented by millions of the aged among us.

Looking back to 2004 and the tragedy of Terri Schiavo, Cohen and Kass understand that the Schiavo case “revealed deep divisions in how Americans view debility and death.” As they explain, “Some saw pulling her feeding tube as an act of mercy, others as an act of murder. Some believed she possessed equal human dignity and deserved equal care despite her total lack of self-awareness; others believed keeping her alive year after year was itself an indignity.”

Beyond this, the Schiavo case indicated the limits of our national consensus about such matters as end-of-life ethics, the use of extended medical technologies, the validity of “living wills,” and the overarching theme of personal autonomy.

Yet, Cohen and Kass understand that the Schiavo case, while not unprecedented, did not represent the usual context in which such issues arise. “In our aging society, most severe disability involves instead the frail elderly, who gradually but inexorably decline into enfeeblement and dementia, often leaving grown children to preside over their extended demise. The greatest challenges involve not only deciding when to let loved ones die, but figuring out how to care every day for those who can no longer care for themselves.”

Death, disease, debility, and the challenges of growing old have been part of the human experience since the Fall. Once death became a natural part of the human experience, the question became how and when death might come and what kind of experience would precede natural death. Yet, as Cohen and Kass understand, “the circumstances in which most Americans age and die are increasingly ‘unnatural’ and surely unprecedented.”

In making this judgment, Cohen and Kass point to the fact that the development of high-tech medicine, the elimination of so many causes of natural death among the young, and the demographic reality of an increasing percentage of the population counted among the elderly, represents a new experience, not only for this generation, but for the human race.

Interestingly, the authors cite Thomas Jefferson who, when asked if he would choose to live over again, said yes—but only between the ages of twenty-five and sixty. Jefferson saw no purpose in reliving his childhood and adolescence, and he nurtured few illusions about the reality of advanced age when, he wrote, “the powers of life are sensibly on the wane, sight becomes dim, hearing dull, memory constantly enlarging its frightful blank and parting with all we have ever seen or known, spirits evaporate, bodily debility creeps on palsying every limb, and so faculty after faculty quits us, and where then is life?”

Jefferson’s experience—living into such advanced age—was relatively unusual in his own generation, but it will be the normal and normative experience of millions now living. As Cohen and Kass understand, previous generations saw so many persons die “in the nursery of life or at the peak of their flourishing.” In other words: “Living to old age was the dream of the vulnerable many; living with old age was the problem of the fortunate few.”

The “fortunate few” of previous generations is now the “vulnerable many” of our own day, who, along with their loved ones and the larger society, must come to terms with what it means to age and to be a part of a society in which so many others are also aging.

As the authors report, the average life expectancy in the United States is now seventy-eight years and rising. As recently as 1900 the life expectancy of the average American was only forty-seven. Those over the age of eighty-five represent the fastest growing segment of the American population.

The good news is that many of these older Americans are living fulfilled and relatively healthy lives, extended into many years of retirement and continued contributions to society. Accordingly, “On balance, it is a wonderful time to be old, and the democratization and expansion of old age are among modernity’s greatest achievements.”

But this is not all there is to the picture. Cohen and Kass warn that we are now witnessing the development of a “mass geriatric society” which will present this country with massive economic, social, medical, political, and ethical challenges.

Cohen and Kass have both been deeply involved in the President’s Council on Bioethics. Kass served as chairman of the Council, and Cohen currently serves as senior research consultant. Thus, their essay should be read in light of the Council’s recently-released report, Taking Care: Ethical Caregiving in Our Aging Society. For any number of reasons, most having to do with the fact that the news media generally do not see this issue as adequately sensationalistic, the report has not received the attention it demands.

Cohen and Kass see a coming “perfect social storm” represented by a fast-growing proportion of the elderly and a shrinking number of younger adults who will be able to care for family members, loved ones, and others. Americans are living longer, but the process of death now often involves an extended period of enfeeblement and, in all too many cases, dementia. The authors cite a recent Rand study that indicated that approximately forty percent of current deaths in the United States are now preceded by a period of physical, and often mental, debility that may last as long as a decade. Of course, this may include the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. At present, an estimated four million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. Cohen and Kass report that the number is expected to rise to over thirteen million by the middle of this century, “all of them requiring many years of extensive, expensive, and exhausting full-time care.”

One of the benefits of the analysis offered by Cohen and Kass is the focus on how the rise of a “mass geriatric society” is complicated by the decline of the natural family. Put bluntly, Cohen and Kass recognize that “precisely as the need is rising, the pool of available family caregivers is dwindling. Families are smaller, less stable, and more geographically spread out.” Beyond this, most women are now employed outside the home, and there are already shortages of trained medical personnel available to tend to those who can’t afford such assistance.

Thus, an explosion in the number of older Americans needing assistance and care comes at the very moment that finds the family weakened by ideological, cultural, economic, and social forces. The problems of old age are now routinely assigned to institutions, nursing homes, hospitals, and other settings – a far cry from when most Americans aged and died at home surrounded and aided by family members.

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“Do Not Cast Me Off in the Time of Old Age”—The Christian Worldview and the Challenge of the Aged, Part 2 (Mohler, 060110)

In the January 2006 edition of Commentary, bioethicists Eric Cohen and Leon R. Kass offer a compelling essay on the challenge represented by millions of the aged among us. In “Cast Me Not Off in Old Age,” they warn that we are now witnessing the development of a “mass geriatric society” which will present this country with massive economic, social, medical, political, and ethical challenges.

Recognizing that, many Americans argue that there must be some better way to confront these challenges, and all too many appear willing to redefine human dignity in terms of quality of life, autonomous choice, and the competing interests of generations.

Indeed, some are ready to argue for a “duty to die” that assumes a responsibility for the elderly to get out of the way. Far more are ready to assume that the death of the elderly is at least preferable to long-term debility and decline. Both of these assumptions run into direct conflict with the Christian worldview and the Bible’s teachings regarding reverence for life and respect for the aged. Confronting these assumptions will require Christian courage as well as keen Christian thinking. This challenge will not wait.

In light of these challenges, Cohen and Kass suggest two false “solutions” that may appeal today to Americans who take opposing sides on these issues.

First, the authors dismiss the argument that the problems of old age can simply be solved by medical technology. They cite Dr. Mark B. McClellan, the top official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who claimed last July that “Medicare can do so much more than give you dignity in old age.” Dr. McClellan claimed that Medicare can actually extend life, improve health, and save money by preventing and curing the diseases of old age.

Cohen and Kass dismiss this as “the medical gospel of healthy aging.” While accepting that persons can do much to make themselves healthier and to extend active and vigorous life, Cohen and Kass understand that life itself, even with medical treatments, involves limitations. It is foolish, they suggest, “to act and speak as if medical progress (whether in prevention or in cure) will liberate us from the realities of decline, debility, and death or from the unavoidable duties of caregiving at the end of life.” The authors insist that the paradox in modern aging is this: we are vigorous longer and we are incapacitated longer.

Most tellingly, Cohen and Kass criticize much of the propaganda about old age now commonly advertised in our society. “Finally,” they note, “there is something weird about treating old age as a time of life when things should always be ‘getting better.’ While aging affords some people new possibilities for learning and ‘growth,’ it also means—eventually and inevitably—the loss of one’s vital powers. Some people may ride horses or climb mountains into their seventies and eighties, just like in the commercials for anti-arthritis medication, but such idealized images offer a partial and misleading picture of the realities of senescence, that series of small dyings on the way to death.”

The second “solution” Cohen and Kass rightly dismiss is the “legal gospel of the living will.” Returning to the case of Terri Schiavo, Cohen and Kass lament the fact that the significance of this tragedy for so many Americans was, as so many in the media insisted, the moral lesson that one should always have a written living will or “advance directive” to guide medical decisions once one is no longer in a capacity to speak for oneself.

With keen insight, Cohen and Kass point to the worldview of individual autonomy as the driving force behind the development of living wills and the current confidence in these documents as the “solution” to difficult issues at the end of life.

In the first place, Cohen and Kass recognize that living wills simply do not live up to their reputation. The documents are often legally unsustainable, and medical personnel are often unaware of such documents or unable to make decisions that are in any sense clearly based upon the desires of the patient who framed the document. They cite a study that indicated that decisions made by surrogates using living wills “were no more likely to reflect the patient’s prior wishes than decisions made by family members judging on their own.”

Most important, Cohen and Kass understand that the inevitable bottom-line issue is the dignity of human life. While our society holds a general consensus concerning equal human worth when it comes to the healthy, Cohen and Kass argue that “this general agreement regarding equal human worth can disappear in some cases.” Specifically, “Although many continue to believe that every human life, regardless of debility, possesses equal dignity, others now argue openly that equal treatment for all is best advanced by not diverting precious resources to the severely disabled. Still others believe that the indignities of old age—especially dementia—belie all sanctimonious talk of ‘equal worth.’”

In the end, Cohen and Kass argue for Americans to understand that there are better and worse ways to understand the challenge of aging. The worldview of personal autonomy corrupts the question by placing moral confidence in the real or perceived intentions of the patient, generally without regard to the larger moral context or to enduring moral principles.

As they argue, “The better way begins in thinking of ourselves less as wholly autonomous individuals than as members of families; in relinquishing our mistaken belief that medicine can miraculously liberate our loved ones or ourselves from debility and decline, and instead taking up our role as caregivers; and in abjuring the fantasy that we can control the manner and the hour of our dying, learning instead to accept death in its proper season as mortal beings are replaced and renewed by the generations that followed.”

This is a statement of moral insight that is deeply based in a biblical worldview and in an understanding of human dignity that is rooted in something larger than individual autonomy. The Christian worldview adds the absolute affirmation of human dignity at all stages of life, and in all conditions of life, whether young or old. Furthermore, the Christian worldview insists upon the respect due the aged as honored members of the family and of the larger society.

Without doubt, the rise of the “mass geriatric society” described by Cohen and Kass will present all Americans with a dramatic series of challenges. The church faces an even greater challenge—to develop a theology of aging that is deeply rooted in the riches of Scripture and is directly relevant to the real-life challenges of growing old. Inevitably, a genuinely Christian vision of aging and the aged will represent a counter-thrust against the spirit of the age.

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Discovering My Purpose Driven Principles (Christian Post, 060302)

Rick Warren

In 1974, I served as a student missionary to Japan. I lived with a Southern Baptist missionary couple in their home in Nagasaki. One day, while rummaging through the missionary’s library, I picked up an old copy of HIS, a Christian student magazine published by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

As I thumbed through its pages, a picture of a fascinating older man with a goatee and sparkling eyes caught my attention. The article’s subtitle said something like “Why is this man dangerous?” As I sat there and read the article on Donald McGavran, I had no idea that it would dramatically impact the direction of my ministry as much as an earlier encounter with W.A. Criswell had.

The article described how McGavran, a missionary born in India, had spent his ministry studying what makes churches grow. His years of research ultimately led him to write The Bridges Of God in 1955 and a dozen more books on growing churches that are considered classics today.

Just as God used W.A. Criswell to sharpen the focus of my life mission from ministry in general to being a pastor, God used the writings of Donald McGavran to sharpen my focus from pastoring an already established church to planting the church that I would pastor. Like Paul declared in Romans 15:20, “It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.”

McGavran brilliantly challenged the conventional wisdom of his day about what made churches grow. With a biblical basis and simply but passionate logic, McGavran pointed out that God wants his church to grow; he wants his lost sheep found!

The issues raised by McGavran seemed especially relevant to me as I observed the painfully slow growth of churches in Japan. I made a list of eight questions that I wanted to find the answers to:

• How much of what churches do is really biblical?

• How much of what we do is just cultural?

• Why do some churches grow and others die on the vine?

• What causes a growing church to stop growing, plateau, and then decline?

• Are there common factors found in every growing church?

• Are there principles that will work in every culture?

• What are the barriers to growth?

• What are the conventional myths about growing churches that aren’t true anymore (or never were)?

To design the right strategy you must ask the right questions

The day I read the McGavran article, I felt God direct me to invest the rest of my life discovering the principles - biblical, cultural, and leadership principles - that produce healthy, growing churches. It was the beginning of a life-long study.

In 1979, while finishing my final year at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, I decided to do an independent study of the 100 largest churches in the United States at that time. First, I had to identify these churches, which was no small task. I was working as a grader for Dr. Roy Fish, professor of evangelism at Southwestern. My study confirmed what I already knew from Criswell’s ministry: Healthy, large churches are led by pastors who have been there a long time. Others I found by searching through denominational annuals and Christian magazines.

I then wrote to each of these churches and asked a series of questions I had prepared. Although I discovered that large, growing churches differ widely in strategy, structure, and style there were some common denominators. I found dozens of examples. A long pastorate does not guarantee a church will grow, but changing pastors every few years guarantees a church won’t grow.

Most healthy, large churches are led by a pastor who has been there a long time. Can you imagine what the kids would be like in a family where they got a new daddy every two or three years? They would most likely have serious emotional problems. In the same way, the longevity of the leadership is a critical factor for the health and growth of a church family. Long pastorates make deep, trusting, and caring relationships possible. Without those kind of relationships, a pastor won’t accomplish much of lasting value.

Churches that rotate pastors every few years will never experience consistent growth. I believe this is one reason for the decline of some denominations. By intentionally limiting the tenure of pastors in a local congregation, they create “lame duck” ministers. Few people want to follow a leader who isn’t going to be around a year from now. The pastor may want to start all sorts of new projects, but the members will be reticent because they will be the ones having to live with the consequences long after the pastor has been moved to another church.

Knowing the importance of longevity in growing a healthy church I prayed, “Father, I’m willing to go any place in the world you want to send me. But I ask for the privilege of investing my entire life in just one location. I don’t care where you put me, but I’d like to stay wherever it is for the rest of my life.”

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Many Americans Unbalanced in Faith, Lifestyle, Says Study (Christian Post, 060315)

Americans are largely committed to family – what more than half listed as their top priority, according to a recent study – but commitment to faith falls well under half the population who listed it as the most important priority in their life.

The latest Barna Group survey found that 51 percent of adults identified family as their first priority and only 16 percent listed faith, making it a runner-up. Among the different people groups measured, evangelicals were twice as likely as non-evangelical born again adults and almost five times more likely than notional Christians to place faith at the top of the list.

Further in the study, however, the small percentage who placed faith as their highest life priority were among Americans who largely think of themselves as being highly spiritual. According to the survey, 59 percent of adults described themselves as a “full-time servant of God” but only 25 percent listed faith as their most important priority. And only one out of every four who consider themselves “deeply spiritual,” ranked faith first.

“Spirituality is in vogue in our society today,” said George Barna, founder of the research institute that bears his name. “It is popular to claim to be part of a ‘faith community’ or to have a spiritual commitment but what do Americans mean when they claim to be ‘spiritual?’”

In a more specific breakdown, people over the age of 40 were two times as likely than those under 40 to make their faith their highest priority; Protestants were more than three times as likely as Catholics; Protestants associated with a church not part of the mainline denominations were more likely to prioritize faith than were those aligned with a mainline church; African-Americans were nearly twice as likely as Caucasians and almost three times as likely as Hispanics or Asians to rank faith at the top; and those who define themselves as being “mostly conservative on social and political issue” were nine times more likely than those who describe themselves as “mostly liberal” on such matters.

The March survey follows an earlier Barna study that found only 15 percent of adults placed their faith in God at the top of their priority list, although pastors, on average, contended that 70 percent of the adults in their church consider their personal faith in God to transcend all other priorities.

“It seems as if God is in, but living for God is not,” said Barna. “Many Americans are living a dual life - one filled with good feelings about God and faith, corroborated by some simple religious practices, and another in which they believe they are in control of their own destiny and operate apart from Him.”

The researcher further noted that only one out of four who say their faith has “greatly transformed” their life placed their faith practices and pursuits as their highest life priority. Many deem themselves spiritual and greatly transformed by their faith, but have yet to put their faith into practice.

“It certainly seems that millions of Americans are fooling themselves into thinking that they have found the appropriate balance between God and lifestyle,” said Barna.

The survey was conducted on 1,003 adults aged 18 years and older from across the nation in January 2006.

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A Profane Faith (townhall.com, 060527)

by Doug Giles

Hey Christian, why don’t you go public with your faith? Why don’t you work what you supposedly believe into your sphere of influence, huh, PC JC man? Come on, Dinky, true faith is resilient. It can handle scrutiny. It has answers for tough questions. It has solutions for societal pollution. It wants to go play outside.

God designed Christianity to be a 4WD spiritual vehicle with mudders, a truck that brings life to the outback. It is not a sensitive hybrid that must be preserved from going off road and into the bush. Quit treating the truth claims of the scripture, the power of the Holy Spirit and the compassion of the Creator like they are some fragile little eggs that must be coddled, kept in the sanctuary and never exposed to the mean world.

Yes, the following four points were common denominators, fundamentals that Christians have joyfully lived for hundreds of years around the globe, principals that eventually caused the land in which they dwelt to be changed for the better. If you live, eat, sleep and breathe these four things for a few decades, history states that you’ll watch their positive impact on the course of your life, your church and your nation.

Are you ready for this? I knew you were.

1. Incorporate what you believe into your daily grind.

2. Bump up the quality of your spiritual experience.

3. Get a passion for effective action.

4. Labor for personal, ecclesiastical and national reform.

* BTW: 1-4 have been borrowed from J.I. Packer and abused by me.

Incorporate what you believe into your daily grind. Look, we’re not going to change our nation if we compartmentalize our faith and relegate our Christianity to once a week ditty. Where Christianity has historically rocked, its adherents saw no incongruities between their sacred worship and their secular work.

 Your Christianity with culture,

 Your contemplation with achievement,

 Your worship with work,

 Your labor with rest,

 Your fasting with a Fosters,

 Your love of God with love of neighbor and self,

 Your personal identity with social identity,

 Your wide spectrum of relational responsibilities with each other in a thoroughly conscientious and considered way.

Try that next week, next month and the next few years, and watch your influence spread like butter.

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Three Ways to Apply Scripture (Christian Post, 060526)

Rick Warren

When we preach and teach, we have to make sure that we are helping our congregations apply God’s Word to their lives. So what does it mean to provide our congregations with biblical applications?

Application answers two questions:

• So what?

• What now?

If your preaching doesn’t ever answer these two questions, you haven’t applied the Bible to the lives of your listeners. Many of us struggle in this area. In seminary, we were taught to find the central idea of a passage, but many of us weren’t shown how to apply this truth to the lives of our hearers.

I’ve found the following three ways of applying Scripture to be very helpful:

The application pyramid

I adapted this from Dave Veerman, the senior editor of The Life Application Bible. He suggests you ask nine questions of the text:

1. People: Who are the people in this passage and how are they like us today?

2. Place: What is the setting and what are the similarities to our world?

3. Plot: What is happening? Is there any conflict or tension? How would I have acted in that situation?

4. Point: What was the intended message for the first people to hear this passage? What did God want them to learn or feel or do?

5. Principles: What are the timeless truths?

6. Present: How is this relevant in our world today?

7. Parallels: Where does this truth apply to my life? At home, at work, at school, in church, in the neighborhood?

8. Personal: What attitude, action, value, or belief needs to change in me?

9. Plan: What would be my first step of action?

These are nine questions you can ask of any biblical text that will help you see the application.

The application window

The next tool is the application window, which I borrowed from my friend, Bruce Wilkinson, the founder of Walk Through the Bible and author of The Prayer of Jabez.

He believes 2 Timothy 3:16 describes this application window, showing you four kinds of application. In this passage, Paul says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (KJV)

Simply put, the Scripture is given to change our beliefs and our behavior. When you find answers to these four questions, you’ll have an application:

Doctrine: What should I believe?

Reproof: How should I not behave?

Correction: What should I not believe?

Instruction in righteousness: How should I behave?

The application acrostic

A third way of looking at application is what I call my application acrostic. I ask 12 questions related to the text.

Is there an Attitude to adjust?

Is there a Promise to claim?

Is there a Priority to change?

Is there a Lesson to learn?

Is there an Issue to resolve?

Is there a Command to obey?

Is there an Activity to avoid or stop?

Is there a Truth to believe?

Is there an Idol to tear down? (That’s a big one.)

Is there an Offense to forgive?

Is there a New direction to take?

Is there a Sin to confess?

Remember, for most people the sermon is the only pastoral care they ever get in their life. They’re not going to get one-on-one time with you. What you give them in a message and how you help them with their problem ends up being pastoral care from the pulpit. That’s why it is so critical that you deal with the personal application.

But you also need to make a corporate application, where you deal with the implications of how the Bible relates to the church as a body. Fewer pastors do this. They’ll make the personal application, but they won’t make the corporate application to the church.

If you want your church to grow, you must learn to do both at the same time. You need to make both personal application and corporate application in the same message.

Revelation 2:11 says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” You don’t have to separate these, rather integrate them together.

Application and seekers

How do you make corporate application when you’re doing evangelistic preaching or a seeker service? You just tell seekers, “Folks, this is what you’re getting into: Today, I’m going to give you an inside look at what the church is all about.” You just tell them right up front what you’re doing.

Every personal problem also has a corporate application. For instance, if you’re talking about loneliness and you’re dealing with how people are lonely, you say, “By the way, that’s one of the purposes of the church. God created the church so that we could grow together and we could develop. It’s called fellowship.” Then you spend three or four minutes talking about fellowship.

If you’re talking about the need to be the best God meant for you to be, then you might say, “By the way, that’s why God gave us the church. It’s called spiritual maturity. And the Bible says God has given pastors and teachers to help you grow spiritually and become all that God means for you to be.”

When you talk about purpose in life, you say, “By the way, that’s what the church is here for. We’re here to help you find your purpose.”

No matter what personal problem you’re dealing with, you just keep coming back to the corporate implications. It’s kind of like a little ad for the church on the side. I’ve seen a lot of pastors who are pretty good at helping Christians grow, but they’re bad at helping their church grow. They don’t understand that with every personal application there’s also a corporate application that you can teach, one that will teach “body life” at the same time.

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Profane faith: Part II (townhall.com, 060603)

by Doug Giles

Jesus’ faith was not afraid of the mean old nasty world. Yukon … I could be wrong, but I’m pretty certain about this: part of his whole reason for showing up 2000 years ago was to embrace, grace and change people whom most religious folks would spit on.

Christ carried his work off road and away from the Lysol-disinfected “sacred” surroundings that all the religious indoor boys must have in order to subsist, and instead took his hearty convictions beyond the pavement and was “kinda” successful.

Imagine that!

Jesus, minus funky religious hats, robes, wands, bumper stickers and a friendly environment, effectively revolutionized the planet via his robust out-of-the-orthodox-box faith. And guess what, Christian? You can too. It will not necessarily be that easy, but it is, necessary.

1. They incorporated what they believed into their daily grind.

2. They bumped up the quality of their spiritual experience.

3. They had a passion for effective action. 4. They labored for personal, ecclesiastical and national reform.

* These points were originally taken from J.I. Packer and then mangled by me.

Now having covered the first point, incorporate what you believe into your daily grind, in my last column, here’s my non-steroid-enhanced swing at point two: Bump up the quality of your spiritual experience.

Imagine the impact such a body of believers would have upon this nation and the world. The only way to accomplish the above, the only way to get to that place of amazing grace, is to buy my latest book for $12.95 on Amazon.com. I’m joking. Seriously, the only way to accomplish the above is to increase the quality of our spiritual understanding.

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Spiritual Warfare in Ministry (Christian Post, 061006)

By Rick Warren

If you were to come to my office, you’d find five full-length filing cabinets, lined up one after another. Each of them is full of files: Bible studies, ideas, sermons, messages, research, and such. One of the most important files I have is a yellow one labeled, “Warnings – Lessons to be Learned.” The file is full of fallen Christian leaders. Some of them I knew personally; some of them I didn’t know. But I review the file at the end of every year, just to warn myself.

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Rick Warren

We are in a spiritual battle. That’s why that kind of stuff happens. If you don’t take the Christian life seriously, if you don’t take ministry seriously, the Devil’s going to. You may not mean business, but he does.

The most often used analogy for Christians in the Bible is of soldiers. The words that are often used to describe the Christian life are war terms – fight, conquer, strive, battle, overcome, victory. We are living in enemy territory when we live in the world. Scripture makes it very clear.

If you are in ministry, you are going to face opposition from the Devil. If you get up in the morning and you don’t face the Devil head on, right at the start of the day, it means you’re going in the same direction. He is opposed to everything you stand for. He hates anybody who’s sold out to Jesus Christ. He will do anything he can to defeat you.

So how do we fight this spiritual battle? Here are six essential steps.

1. Acknowledge the adversary. Realize Satan is real. Peter tells us, “Be alert, be on watch. Your enemy the Devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be firm in your faith and resist him because you know that your fellow believers in all the world are going through the same kind of suffering.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Whenever you’re being spiritually attacked, just remember: Welcome to the club. It’s proof that you’re a believer. It’s proof that you’re making an impact. The more of an impact you’re making, the more the Devil is going to fight you. You never outgrow it. It just gets more intense.

2. Accept Jesus’ authority. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 16:19) The Bible says if you are a believer, you are given the authority of Christ in spiritual warfare. You have the right to fight back. You have the right to bind and to loose.

3. I put on the armor. The famous passage on armor is Ephesians 6:11-17: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. Have the belt of truth buckled around your waste and the breastplate of righteousness and have your feet fitted with the Gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” You’ll notice six pieces of armor in the passage.

Truth

Righteousness

Gospel of peace

Faith

Salvation

The Word of God

Every piece of this armor is mental preparation for battle. That’s what the armor is all about. You need to put on truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God mentally before you do ministry – whether you’re preaching, leading a Bible study, leading worship, or counseling a grieving member of your community. Why? You expect that you are going to be attacked, so you need your armor on first.

4. Aim the artillery. Spiritual warfare takes place primarily in our thought life. When somebody is opposing you in your ministry, they’re not the real problem. The problem is the thoughts the Devil’s giving them to oppose you. The problem is not that person. The problem is what they’re acting on. You always act on what you think. They’re getting thoughts from the wrong source. There are only two sources for thoughts. When we get thoughts from God, we call it inspiration. When we get thoughts from the Devil, we call it temptation.

We have four weapons in these battles against evil thoughts.

1. The Truth. The truth, God’s Word, is our sword. It cuts through all the mustard. It gets right to the point. When you are in a conflict, the question you want to ask yourself is this: What does God say about this?

2. Humility. The more you humble yourself before God, the more power you will have in your life (James 4: 6-7). That’s just the way it works. As we minister to others, we need to continually acknowledge God’s hand in what we are doing. He’s the one who empowers our ministry. We’re simply his vessel. In humility, we find real and lasting power in ministry.

3. Faith. Without even talking to you in detail, I can tell you exactly what God is doing in your ministry. He’s doing what you expect him to do. Faith is a powerful, powerful tool. (1 John 5:4) I don’t know why, but when I preach and I expect people to respond, they do.

4. Praise. Revelation 12:11-12 says, “They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who inhabit them.” How did they overcome the Devil? By the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. They were praising God. The Bible says when people praise God, “[he] inhabits the praises of his people.” Sometimes after a particular worship service, I honestly feel like Mickey Mouse could preach and people would come to know Christ. The praise has cleansed the air. There’s power in the praise of God.

5. Call on the Holy Spirit. You need to say, “God, fill me with your Spirit as I’m about to do this.” Whether you’re preparing a message, preaching, counseling someone, training your leaders – whatever you’re doing – ask God to fill you with his Spirit.

6. Avoid all distractions. If you’re going to be effective in ministry – in battle – you’ve got to focus yourself. You know what’s important in life. There are so many things that want a piece of your time. The good can be the enemy of the best.

I have one person to please and only one – the Lord Jesus Christ. And if I’m pleasing him, that’s what is going to count at the end of my life. Avoid the distractions. If you get distracted, the enemy is going to catch up with you.

So what’s distracting you from ministry?

_______________________________________________

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

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By Their Books We Shall Know Them (Mohler, 061006)

Jay Parini, a poet and professor of English ay Middlebury College has written an elegant essay for The Chronicle of Higher Education, noting his penchant for looking at personal libraries of friends and acquaintances.

in “Other People’s Books,’ Parini writes:

It’s not only the physical aspects of books that attract me, of course. In fact, I rarely buy first or elegant editions, however much I like to glance at them; good reading copies, in hardback or a decent paperback, are just fine. But seeing some of the editions in my living room reminds me of that wonderful house in Surrey, which stirred my imagination as a young man and was part of the reason I became a writer myself.

What interests me about other people’s books is the nature of their collection. A personal library is an X-ray of the owner’s soul. It offers keys to a particular temperament, an intellectual disposition, a way of being in the world. Even how the books are arranged on the shelves deserves notice, even reflection. There is probably no such thing as complete chaos in such arrangements.

Parini, author of biographies on William Faulkner and John Steinbeck, writes of visiting in the homes of authors such as Graham Greene and Anthony Powell. Of Powell’s library, he writes:

He lived deep in the English countryside, in Somerset, in an old stone manor on many green acres. We had tea in his sitting room, which had floor-to-ceiling shelves on every wall. There were first editions by his good friend Evelyn Waugh, and countless volumes culled from his decades as a reviewer. “I can’t give a book up, if it’s a book that meant something to me,” he said. “I always imagine I’ll go back to it one day. I rarely do, but the intention is there, and I get a warm feeling among my books.” I wished I could have spent days wandering in that house, as he had books in nearly every room.

Book lovers know exactly what Powell meant. We do get a warm feeling among our books. Furthermore, true bibliophiles understand the problem in the Powell house — the books spread themselves to every room.

Finally, he notes:

Other people’s books draw my attention, of course. They excite curiosity about their owners and the worlds they inhabit. But it’s finally my own books that matter, as they tell me about where I’ve been, and where I hope to go.

When truly read, a book becomes a part of us. That is why we are afraid to part with even the physicality of it. The book becomes an aid to memory and a deposit of thought and reflection. Its very materiality testifies that we once held it in our hands as we passed the pages before our eyes.

Parini observes that libraries are mirrors into our minds and souls. The books we collect, display, and read tell the story about us.

This may be especially true of Christian ministers. Books are a staple of our lives and ministries. When the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to bring the books and the parchments, he was writing with the kind of urgency any preacher understands.

To a great extent, our personal libraries betray our true identities and interests. A minister’s library, taken as a whole, will likely reveal a portrait of theological conviction and vision. Whose works have front place on the shelves, Martyn Lloyd-Jones or John Shelby Spong? Charles Spurgeon or Harry Emerson Fosdick? Karl Barth or Carl Henry? John MacArthur or Joel Osteen?

How serious a Bible scholar is this preacher? The books will likely tell. Are the books all old or all new? If so, the reader is probably too contemporary or too antiquarian in focus. Are the books read? If so, the marginalia of an eager and intelligent mind adds value to the book. It becomes more a part of us.

Is this person a Christian intellectual, feeding the mind and soul by reading? For too many pastors, the personal library announces, “I stopped reading when I graduated from seminary.”

When I think of my closest friends, I realize that I am most at home with them in their libraries, and they are most at home with me in mine. Why? Because the books invite and represent the kind of conversation and sharing of heart, soul, and mind that drew us together in the first place.

By their books we shall know them. And by our books we shall be known.

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Opposition Grows Against Church Tithing Mandate (Christian Post, 061027)

Amid debates over whether Christians should tithe to their local church, a Christian author says churches that teach tithing as a mandate is a “growing scandal.”

In his new book Should the Church Teach Tithing?, Russell Early Kelly insists that biblical tithing was never commanded as an eternal moral principle of the New Covenant to the Church. Although he supports freewill-offering, he clearly stated that a mandatory 10 percent is unscriptural.

His statements come as a recent study - “The State of Church Giving Through 2004” - revealed church members giving less of their income. The figure decreased from 3.11 percent in 1968 to 2.56 percent in 2004, which are both well below the 10 percent tithe.

Tithing, as Kelly describes in four ways, is the tenth part of produce or other income, free-will offerings, ten percent of gross income, or, on a specific biblical note, an ordinance of the Mosaic Law for the use and benefit of national Israel under the Old Covenant. In any case, Kelly stresses the “biblical fact” that the poor did not pay any tithes.

“Circumstances are different from household to household. God understands. Let us not forget the saying ‘little is much if God is in it,” said Kelly in his book. “The grace principle of ‘equality giving’ refers to giving as much as one is able. This does not mean that everybody is to give the same percentage.”

Kelly references the apostle Paul, indicating that giving to the churches is “voluntary” and that there is no set percentage.

“Compulsory giving cannot possibly produce the level of giving which is

prompted spontaneously by the Holy Spirit when the gospel is preached with power and authority!”

Kelly goes on to criticize churches for teaching tithing out of context as a biblical mandate.

“No Christian is under any curse of the Old Covenant Law! It is simply un-ethical to preach out-of-context proof texts about tithing sermons only from Malachi and Genesis 14.”

Research among clergy and laity earlier in the year found that while most ministers say Christians are under a biblical mandate to tithe, most people in the pews do not believe the same.

Ellison Research released a study in March that also revealed mixed responses on what the 10 percent should be figured on. Churchgoers were nearly equally split on whether tithe should come from net income or gross income while clergy agreed more on the “gross income.”

Both groups were also mixed on where tithing should go, whether it’s limited to religious organizations or open to any organization regardless of religious connection or lack thereof.

A Barna Group study last year found that most Americans donated money to non-profit organizations but few tithed in 2004. According to the research group, 23 percent of evangelicals gave tithe and only 9 percent of born again adults tithed to churches.

As giving to churches continues on a downward trend, Kelly urges, “We simply request a close re-examination of God’s Word concerning tithing.”

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Study: Clergy & Laity Differ on Tithing Mandate (Christian Post, 060304)

Most Protestant clergy say Christians are biblically mandated to tithe to the local church, but less than half of the laity in Protestant churches agree, a new research study released Thursday revealed.

Ellison Research conducted two studies on Protestant church ministers nationwide and people who attend Protestant churches at least once a month. Released for the first time on Facts & Trends magazine, findings showed some clergy believe in the 10 percent mandate to the local church, others believe in the mandate but not necessarily to the local church, and still others believe Christians are under no mandate to give anything. People in the pews largely do not believe in giving the 10 percent.

Among all Protestant ministers, 56 percent believe Christians have to tithe to the local church. On a denominational level, 92 percent of Pentecostal clergy agree along with over half of Southern Baptist and Baptist leaders. Less than half of the ministers in other denominational groups agree.

Similar but smaller proportions were seen in laity attitudes on tithing to the local church with 55 percent of Pentecostals, 51 percent of Southern Baptists, 30 percent of Presbyterians agreeing and 25 percent of Methodists agreeing.

“What’s really sad is that six out of ten churchgoers told us they believe the Bible commands them to tithe 10 percent or more of their incomes, yet other studies have consistently shown that under one out of ten actually do that,” said Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, according to the report. “In other words, at least half of all Protestants are clear on what they believe they’re supposed to be giving, but consistently don’t give it.”

More than heads from other denominations, Presbyterian ministers believe tithing does not necessarily have to go to the local church and very few Southern Baptists say the same. However, among congregants, more Southern Baptists hold the same belief while few Presbyterians do.

The study also surveyed Christian heads and laity on giving with most saying that support does not have to be limited to religious causes or organizations. Only 3 percent of clergy and 1 percent of laity feel that Christians should only support Christian causes. And three out of ten clergy believe giving should be directed toward Christian causes or organizations.

More than half of each group surveyed has given money to a non-religious organization in the last 12 months. According to the study, 55 percent of all churchgoers feel Christians should be free to support any type of cause or organization, regardless of whether it has a religious connection, and 33 percent of all clergy feel the same way.

“When we work with individual charitable organizations, there’s often an assumption that Christians support Christian ministries over non-religious organizations,” said Sellers. “This study conclusively shows that assumption to be false, and that in fact over half of all Protestant churchgoers don’t even give any preference to Christian organizations in their giving decisions. It’s critical that Christian organizations really understand this about their target market.”

Much of the giving was directed toward the slate of disasters that hit America this past year. Americans’ contributions to last year’s hurricane relief efforts reached a record number of over $3 billion. Eight out of ten ministers and a little over half of laity have personally supported an organization working in disaster relief. Other causes popular among clergy are evangelism, denominational causes or programs and specific schools, colleges or universities. Less popular causes include individual political candidates, veterans’ causes, cultural, the environment and animal welfare.

Laity has supported fewer causes outside their own church over the past year than their church leaders. Disaster relief is the only cause that received support from a majority of Protestant churchgoers. Behind disaster relief are evangelism, veterans’ causes, denominational programs, health and educational causes.

The study on clergy took a representative sample of 811 Protestant church ministers nationwide. The other was a companion survey of 1,184 people who attend Protestant churches at least once a month.

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Study: Americans Tune More Into Indulgence; Christians No Different (Christian Post, 070206)

A new Barna Group survey measured the type of lifestyle Americans live. Results showed they live one of sacrifice and of self-indulgence. And the story is not that much different for born again Christians.

Among 20 lifestyle elements, the most common activity Americans do in a typical month is recycling some used product or material. The survey showed that 74 percent of Americans have recycled in the past month. Also, nearly half said they have helped a poor or homeless person in their community in some other way than handing them money.

The differences, however, between the self-oriented behavior of born again Christians and that of national norms were small. Although born again Christians are more likely to volunteer for their church, they are no more likely than average to help the poor or homeless, the survey found. And they are also one of the least likely groups to recycle.

When measured for other moral behaviors, born again believers are not much different from non-born again adults. One quarter of born again believers are less likely to view sexually explicit movies and magazines, to use profanity in public and to buy a lottery ticket compared to roughly one third of non-born again Christians.

Overall, 28 percent claims to have said mean things to others about someone else when that person was not present; 13 percent admits to having told someone something they knew was not true; and 10 percent of adults say they have gotten even for something someone did to hurt or offend them.

Inappropriate sexual gratification was another self-indulgent behavior measured. The survey found that 28 percent say they have read a magazine or watched a movie or video that contained explicit sexual images in the past month; 10 percent visited a website that showed explicit or uncensored sexual content; and 14 percent say they had an intimate sexual encounter during the past 30 days with someone they were not married to.

Additionally, 16 percent of adults say they have consumed enough alcohol to be intoxicated or considered legally drunk at least once during the last month. Drug use is lower with about 3 percent saying they used illegal, non-prescription drugs.

Also in the past month, 5 percent of Americans say they consulted a psychic or medium for spiritual guidance.

Age proved to be a strong factor in behavior. Adults under 40 and especially those ages 18 to 22 were more likely than average to engage in many of the morally questionable activities, including the use of profanity. The younger age group also shows lower than average levels of volunteerism to churches and other non-profits and to helping the poor. The 18-22 age group is also least likely to recycle.

Unmarried single adults are more likely to have consumed sexually explicit content. Nearly half say they did so in magazines or movies and one fifth had done so online. Two out of five single adults who have never been married also say they had an intimate sexual encounter in the last month. This group of singles is also most likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, use profanity, take something that doesn’t belong to them, illegal download music, and get payback on someone.

Men are more likely than women to view sexually explicit movies and magazines by 35 to 19 percent and websites, 14 to 2 percent. Men and women, however, were had an equal proportion of sexual encounters outside of marriage.

On a partisan level, liberals are more likely to recycle; to use sexually explicit material; to have a non-marital sexual encounter; to steal music; to use profanity; to gamble or buy a lottery ticket; to use an illegal drug; to say mean things about others; and to get payback than political conservatives.

Americans in the West and Northeast recycle more than those in other parts of the nation. Northeastern residents are more likely to use profanity, illegally download music and watch sexually explicit movies. Adults in the West are most likely to be intoxicated. And residents in the Midwest are most likely to gamble.

“Americans are a unique blend of contradictions,” said David Kinnaman, director of the study. “Mosaics want to be known as activists, but their recycling pales to that of older adults. People think of themselves as engaged in assisting needy people, but the vast majority of Americans merely dabble in helping others.

“Individuals who have financial means are no more likely than others to assist the poor. Never-married adults envision themselves as independent and self-sufficient, but their levels of substance abuse and sexual behaviors suggest otherwise. Political liberals want to be known for their open minds, but their profanity, cutting remarks, and frequent use of ‘payback’ undermines their attitudes of acceptance. The respect, patience, self-control and kindness of born again Christians should astound people, but the lifestyles and relationships of born again believers are not much different than others.”

Such self-oriented behaviors and contradictions, Kinnaman added, will become even more apparent. “Americans will become even less aware of who and what they are. As people become more interested in the latest diversion and more tuned into personal satisfaction, their capacity and energy for connecting with others - or understanding themselves - will diminish.”

The Barna study was conducted in October 2006 on 1,003 adults, age 18 and older.

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Study: Mothers Spiritually Active; Fathers Lag Behind (Christian Post, 070507)

Mothers are among the most spiritually active segments of the America population, a new study found. They also outpace fathers in spiritual activity and commitment for the most part.

The Barna research group revealed that three-quarters of women who are raising children said faith is very important in their life while only two-thirds of fathers agreed. The majority of mothers also said they have been greatly transformed by their faith compared to less than half of fathers.

Additionally, mothers were more likely than fathers to be born-again Christians, to say they are absolutely committed to Christianity, and to embrace a personal responsibility to share their faith in Jesus Christ with others.

“Whether they are a parent or not, women in America have high levels of spiritual sensitivity and engagement. Men generally lag behind the spirituality of women and particularly so if they are not a father,” said David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group and director of the study in the report. “In other words, having children intensifies the spiritual commitment of men, but even so most fathers still do not measure up to the spiritual footprint of their parenting counterparts.”

In a typical week, mothers are more likely than are fathers to attend church, pray, read the Bible, participate in a small group, attend Sunday school, and volunteer some of their time to help a non-profit organization, the study showed. Fathers were only equally active with mothers when it came to volunteering to help at a church.

The Barna study further measured differences between younger and older mothers. Moms from the Buster generation (ages 23-41) show less passion for spirituality and less commitment to Christianity than moms from the Boomer generation (ages 42-60). Young moms are less likely to volunteer to help at a church, to read the Bible or to attend worship services at a church and they are less inclined to describe their faith as very important in their life compared to Boomer moms.

“One of the trends we have been monitoring is the erosion of commitment among young Americans toward Christianity and traditional expressions of faith,” said Kinnaman. “Buster moms are in the crux of that challenge, being much more spiritually minded than young dads, but still wrestling with the Christian faith in ways Boomers did not. If moms are the spiritual backbone of families today – and they often are – it is imperative to find new approaches that help moms connect faith and family, especially for young mothers.”

Most Buster moms are currently married, but three out of ten are not and one-sixth have never been married, which is double the proportion found among Boomer moms. On a further note, the study found that among even younger moms – ages 18-22 – four out of five are not married. That shows how millions of young moms do not have the support of a husband when parenting, the study noted.

“Still, moms of every generation deserve an enormous amount of credit for empowering the spiritual pursuits of their family and, in turn, energizing faith in America,” Kinnaman stated. “Compared to men, women are more likely to communicate about faith, prioritize activities that develop their faith and that of their children, and they are more vulnerable about their needs and emotions.

“There is still room for growth among moms,” noted the report director, however. “Church leaders and parents still need to focus on outcomes and the depth of their parenting efforts. Yet our nation would not be the same without the significant spiritual influence of mothers. Imagine the impact on our society if fathers were to simply match the intensity of their parenting peers.”

An earlier study by the research group showed that parenting based on one’s faith in God produced the most desired outcomes for Christian children exemplifying Christian morals and attitudes.

The latest Barna study is based on ten nationwide surveys on 10,035 adults, age 18 and older, conducted from January 2005 through January 2007.

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Survey: Reasons Why Young Adults Quit Church (Christian Post, 070808)

Gone are the days when young adults attended church because they’re “supposed to,” said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research.

New research has confirmed speculation that young adults are leaving the church in droves.

LifeWay Research released study results that showed that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church stopped attending church regularly (at least twice a month) for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.

While many do return and attend church at least “sporadically,” 34 percent said they had not returned by age 30.

“Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts,” said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, in the study. “We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them.”

Most of the young adults who stopped attending church had not planned in advance on quitting the church. Only 20 percent of the church dropouts said that while attending church in high school, they planned on taking a break from church once they finished high school.

Almost all church dropouts were related to life changes. The top reason in this category young adults listed was “I simply wanted a break from church” (27 percent).

Transitioning into college was also a major reason for quitting church (25 percent); 23 percent said “work responsibilities prevented me from attending;” and 22 percent said they “moved too far away from the church to continue attending.”

“It seems the teen years are like a free trial on a product. By 18, when it’s their choice whether to buy in to church life, many don’t feel engaged and welcome,” said McConnell, according to USA Today.

“When life changes, reshuffle priorities and time in young adults’ lives, church doesn’t make it back on that list for a lot of them and I think that maybe tells us where we’ve prioritized those things,” commented Stetzer in a LifeWay podcast.

Two out of three young adults reported attending church at least twice a month through the age of 16. The percentage drops sharply at ages 17, 18, and 19, with only 31 percent attending at age 19. And attendance remains low through age 22. Attendance rises slowly afterward.

Although some still wanted to attend church, 22 percent said they “became too busy” and 17 percent “chose to spend more time with friends outside the church.”

More than half (52 percent) said “religious, ethical or political beliefs” contributed to their departure from church. More specifically, 18 percent said “I disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues;” 17 percent said “I was only going to church to please others;” 16 percent no longer wanted to identify with a church or organized religion; and 14 percent disagreed with the church’s teachings about God.

On church or pastor-related reasons for leaving, 26 percent said they left because “church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical” and 20 percent said they “didn’t feel connected to the people in my church.”

The research poses some great cause for concern, said Stetzer who recognizes the frequent criticism toward youth leaders regarding the high dropout rate.

“People have been beating on youth ministry like a low-hanging piñata on cinco de mayo for a few years now. I think we’ve got to ask some hard questions and I think it’s okay to ask those hard questions,” said Stetzer in the podcast.

“This research should not just say ‘Oh, the sky’s falling,’ but ‘What do we need to do differently?’”

Why some return

Most church dropouts, however, aren’t gone for good. Among those who stopped attending church regularly and who are now ages 23-30, 35 percent currently attend church twice a month or more. Another 30 percent attend church more sporadically.

The primary reason church dropouts eventually return to church is because of encouragement from family or friends. Thirty-nine percent returned as a result of their parents’ or family members’ encouragement and 21 percent attribute their return to their friends or acquaintances.

On a more personal note, 34 percent return because “I simply the desire to return” and 28 percent said “I felt that God was calling me to return to the church.”

Other reasons for returning include “I had children and felt it was time for them to start attending” (24 percent); and “I got married and wanted to attend with my spouse” (20 percent).

Some stay

Some still decide to remain in the church through ages 18-22. Most (65 percent) said “Church was a vital part of my relationship with God” and more than half (58 percent) said “I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life” as reasons for staying in church.

Half said they felt the church was helping them become a better person; and 42 percent said they were “committed to the purpose and work of the church.”

Those who stuck with the church during their young adult years largely remain a churchgoer. Only 6 percent of young adults who stayed do not currently attend church.

“When, by God’s grace, young people see the church as essential in their lives and choose to continue attending, their loyalty remains strong,” McConnell said in the study.

Stetzer noted, “Teens are looking for more from a youth ministry than a holding tank with pizza.

“They look for a church that teaches them how to live life. As they enter young adulthood, church involvement that has made a difference in their lives gives them a powerful reason to keep attending.”

LifeWay researcher directors stressed the importance of relationships that can keep people in the church and parents in passing a robust Christian faith to their children.

LifeWay conducted the survey in April and May 2007 on more than 1,000 adults ages 18-30. Each indicated that they had attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year in high school.

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Survey: Christians Worldwide Too Busy for God (Christian Post,070730)

Christians worldwide are simply becoming too busy for God, a newly released five-year study revealed.

In data collected from over 20,000 Christians with ages ranging from 15 to 88 across 139 countries, The Obstacles to Growth Survey found that on average, more than 4 in 10 Christians around the world say they “often” or “always” rush from task to task.

Busyness proved to be the greatest challenges in Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Indonesia. Christians in Uganda, Nigeria, Malaysia and Kenya were least likely to rush from task to task. But even in the less-hurried cultures, about one in three Christians report that they rush from task to task. In Japan, 57 percent agreed.

The busy life was found to be a distraction from God among Christians around the globe.

About 6 in 10 Christians say that it’s “often” or “always” true that “the busyness of life gets in the way of developing my relationship with God.” Christians most likely to agree were from North America, Africa and Europe. By country, Christians in South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, Philippines, the United States, and the United Kingdom, are more distracted from God, respectively, than those in other countries.

While across gender lines, busyness afflicts both men and women, the distraction from God was more likely to afflict men than women in every surveyed continent except North America, where 62 percent of women reported busyness interfering with their relationship with God compared to 61 percent of men.

By profession, pastors were most likely to say they rush from task to task (54 percent) which adversely also gets in the way of developing their relationship with God (65 percent).

“It’s tragic. And ironic. The very people who could best help us escape the bondage of busyness are themselves in chains,” said Dr. Michael Zigarelli, associate professor of Management at the Charleston Southern University School of Business who conducted the study.

Managers, business owners, teachers and salespeople were among Christians most likely to say they rush from task to task. And professionals whose busyness interferes with developing their relationship with God include lawyers (72 percent), managers (67 percent), nurses (66 percent), pastors (65 percent), teachers (64 percent), salespeople (61 percent), business owners (61 percent), and housewives (57 percent).

“The accelerated pace and activity level of the modern day distracts us from God and separates us from the abundant, joyful, victorious life He desires for us,” said Zigarelli.

While the study does not explain why Christians are so busy and distracted, Zigarelli described the problem among Christians as “a vicious cycle” prompted by cultural conformity.

“[I]t may be the case that (1) Christians are assimilating to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload, which leads to (2) God becoming more marginalized in Christians’ lives, which leads to (3) a deteriorating relationship with God, which leads to (4) Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to (5) more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload. And then the cycle begins again.”

Zigarelli, who believes busyness and distraction may be a global pandemic, suggested breaking the cycle by “re-ordering our thinking,” including “the way we think about who God is and how He wants us to live our lives.”

The Obstacles to Growth Survey was conducted on 20,009 Christians – the majority of whom came from the United States, from December 2001 to June 2007. With small sample sizes (less than 30 people) used in Germany, Ireland, Mexico and Japan, Zigarelli urges caution when drawing conclusions about those countries.

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Study Finds Tension Between Religion And Psychiatry (Christian Post, 070904)

Family practice doctors are the most religious among u.s. doctors. Psychiatrists are the least, a new study revealed.

Psychiatrists are less likely to be protestant or roman catholic and more likely to be jewish or have no religious affiliation compared to other types of doctors, according to the study released on monday in the journal psychiatric services.

The study found that 39 percent of all the doctors surveyed were protestants, 22 percent were catholics, and 13 percent were jewish. Among psychiatrists, 27 percent were protestants 10 percent were catholics, and 29 percent, jewish.

Moreover, while 10 percent of all doctors reported having no religious affiliation, 17 percent of psychiatrists listed their religion as “none.” Psychiatrists were more likely to consider themselves spiritual but not religious (33 percent) compared to other doctors (19 percent).

“religious patients who prefer to see like-minded psychiatrists may have difficulty finding a match because their religious group is under-represented among psychiatrists,” stated the researchers in the study.

Psychiatrists were less likely to attend services frequently, believe in god or the afterlife, or cope by looking to god “for strength, support and guidance,” according to the survey.

Physicians who were not psychiatrists and who were religious were more willing to refer patients to clergy members or religious counselors and less willing to refer patients to psychiatrists or psychologists. The doctors were asked to whom they would refer a patient with continued deep grieving two months after his wife’s death.

Overall, 56 percent of doctors said they would send patients to a psychiatrist or psychologist, 25 percent to a member of the clergy and 7 percent to a health care chaplain.

“these findings suggest that historic tensions between religion and psychiatry continue to shape the care that patients receive for mental health concerns,” according to the study.

“there certainly is a long history in psychiatry of issues of spirituality and religion being taboo,” said Dr. Michael torres, who serves on the american psychiatric association’s committee on religion and spirituality in psychiatry, according to reuters.

“at the same time, I believe there’s a growing number of psychiatrists who find faith important in their individual lives and who seek to address issues of spirituality and religion in their practices,” he added.

An earlier study this year by the university of chicago found that nearly 6 out of 10 physicians believe religion and spirituality have much or very much influence on health

Both studies were led by Dr. Farr curlin, a university of chicago medical professor. Findings from the latest study were based on a nationwide 2003 survey of 1,144 u.s. doctors, including 100 psychiatrists.

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Emerging Pastor to Young Believers: Ask Anything (Christian Post, 071217)

Emerging pastors who cater their ministries to young people and those traditionally not found in the pews have opened the pulpit to questions boggling young believers today.

At Mars Hill Church in Seattle, congregants are itching to address the controversial regulative principle.

1. “Do you believe that the Scripture not only regulates our theology but also our methodology? In other words, do you believe in the regulative principle? If so, to what degree? If not, why not?”

Mars Hill founding pastor Mark Driscoll opened the “Ask Anything” floor in October, encouraging congregants to submit any questions they wanted addressed in next year as part of a sermon series.

Over 893 questions were asked on the church’s website and over 300,000 votes were cast to narrow the list down to the top nine questions. Each member was allowed up to 10 votes per day.

Over 25,000 votes went to the regulative principle, making it the number one question, according to a final tally. The controversial principle is a teaching shared by Calvinists that says whatever is not specifically set out by God in Sripture should not be included in worship services. Proponents of the principle have appealed to it to bar the use of contemporary praise songs in public worship and to eliminate musical intruments.

Praise at Mars Hill is led by an indie rock worship band which projects music from speakers to a crowd of mostly 20-somethings.

The second most popular question asked by Mars Hill attendants was: 2. “What can traditional/established churches learn from ‘emerging’ churches?”

The megachurch has grown to about 6,000 people on six different campuses, appealing to young people as a technologically savvy and culturally relevant church. But beyond the cultural attraction, many have been drawn by the church’s conservative theology.

“We take the Bible as literally true,” Driscoll has said to The Associated Press. “If the Bible doesn’t forbid something, we believe there’s a lot of freedom in cultural issues.”

On issues that the Bible does speak against, such as sex before marriage and homosexuality, the church leaves no room for wavering on the biblical stance.

Driscoll’s “Ask Anything” sermon series, slated to begin in January 2008, comes after popular emerging church Vintage Faith in Santa Cruz, Calif., concluded its series on questions churchgoers were wrestling with. A church survey found many Vintage Faith attendants were struggling with problematic Bible passages or “ones which seem really crazy reading them,” said lead pastor Dan Kimball. The “Hot Theology” sermon series at Vintage Faith wrapped up last month with a long message on hell - what is hell and would a loving God send people to hell?

The preaching to questions posed by young believers comes at a time when Christians are increasingly addressing the failure of churches and seminaries to equip believers with the truth and how they can defend their faith. In a culture where truth is relative, more Americans are abandoning a traditional view of God and the Bible, according to The Barna Group, with only nine percent of the “born again” population holding a biblical worldview.

Focus on the Family launched The Truth Project last year to introduce believers to the Truth claims of Christ and tackle the pervasive problem ill-equipped Christians. Also, more Christian authors and leaders have published books answering some of the most common questions both believers and nonbelievers have about God and Christianity.

Driscoll of Mars Hill Church is slated to release Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions in February 2008, taking readers on a theological journey chasing Jesus through Scripture and pop culture. Some questions addressed include “Is Jesus the only God?” and “What will Jesus do upon His return?”

Mars Hill continues to thrive in a region considered the most “unchurched” in the country. Outreach magazine ranked Mars Hill second in its 2007 list of the top 25 multiplying churches in America.

The other top seven questions to be addressed from the Mars Hill pulpit:

No. 3: How does a Christian date righteously; and what are the physical, emotional, and mentally connecting boundaries a Christian must set while developing an intimate relationship prior to marriage?

No. 4: If salvation is by faith alone (Romans 3:28), then why are there so many verses that say or imply the opposite, namely that salvation is by works (James 2:24, Matthew 6:15 & 7:21, Galatians 5:19-21)

No. 5: How should Christian men and women go about breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin?

No. 6: Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What’s hardest for you to believe?

No. 7: Why does an all loving, all knowing, and all sovereign God will into creation people He foreknows will suffer eternal condemnation? Why does Romans 9:20 feel like a cop-out answer?

No. 8: Why do you make jokes about mormon missionaries, homosexuals, trenchcoats wearers, single men, vegans, emo kids and then expect these groups to come to know God in the same sermon?

No. 9: There’s no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn’t seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black and white topic, or does it fall under liberties?

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Africans vs. Americans: Christianity Not Part Time in the South (Christian Post, 071217)

WASHINGTON – African Christians regard their Christian faith as their whole life and not just a part-time activity, said the head of the World Council of Churches on Sunday.

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia’s response was to a question posed by Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III of the famed Washington National Cathedral about why Christianity was exploding in Africa whereas Christian denominations in the United States have been reporting declining membership.

“Religion is seen not as a part-time occupation, but it permeates the whole life,” WCC General Secretary Kobia answered. “There are many Africans therefore that think their future will be much more hopeful if they embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is projected that by 2025 there will be 700 million African Christians in the world – a phenomenal increase from about 10 million in the early 20th century.

Current Anglican Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, for example, has more people in his church pew on any given Sunday than all of the Anglican churches in the United States and Europe combined, according to Kobia.

“They (Africans) don’t know who else [can] provide that kind of hope that the Gospel provides,” Kobia added. “It is not politics, not economics - many of them have given up listening to political leaders or any other leaders other than those who say faith in Jesus Christ does give you hope.”

The WCC leader noted that churches in Africa respond to the needs of the people in physical, mental, and spiritual ways that the political body has failed.

“Christianity in Africa, sub-Saharan Africa especially, is seen not only as a religion, but this is the opportunity of people to contribute to national building, to peace and reconciliation, to development,” said Kobia. “Therefore the church becomes the center of activity.”

In contrast, the general secretary recalled witnessing the decline of churches in the north, particularly in Europe, during his extensive travel around the world. Magnificent gothic cathedrals in Europe have fewer and fewer people worshiping inside them, Kobia lamented.

The WCC, now for the first time, has more member churches from the global south than from the north.

“For the first time we see this shift of what has been seen as a North Atlantic ecumenical organization to a truly global Christian fellowship,” said Kobia, who is the first African WCC general secretary.

The Kenyan church leader also spoke briefly about Pentecostalism in Africa, the Anglican Communion’s division over homosexuality, and globalization.

Kobia was an invited guest at the Washington National Cathedral’s “Sunday Forum,” a 50-minute discussion hosted by Lloyd. The session addresses critical issues in the light of faith. The forum takes place every Sunday before the main service.

The WCC representative has been visiting the United States since last Wednesday to attend a two-day retreat with heads of churches in Washington, D.C.; a meeting with young ecumenical leaders; a preaching engagement at Bethesda Baptist Church; and a Pan-Orthodox gathering in New York hosted by Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America. His stay is scheduled until Tuesday.

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