“We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.”
This bold statement comes from a recent article at The Christian Science Monitor entitled, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.” Sound outrageous? I’m not too sure about that.
For so many Christians today, faith is simply a matter of just that….faith. In many cases, this faith is the result of being nurtured in an environment that leaves little other option other than to follow in one’s parents footsteps. One generation believes in and accepts Jesus Christ because their parents raised them in the church and that is all they have ever known.
Making the connection between belief and action should be such a simple thing. In every day life, it plays itself out. You believe the stove is hot, so you avoid touching it. You believe that you’ll get in trouble if you’re late for work, so you get out of bed earlier. So, why is it so hard to do the same thing with Christ?
It seems that around the world, Christ’s reputation among non-Christians is getting more and more negative. More and more among secular society, Christians are being viewed as narrow-minded, anti-gay, hateful, holier-than-thou, condescending and negative. Is this really a good representation of Christ?
October is Clergy Appreciation Month, a time when parishioners have the opportunity to recognize the contribution their leader makes in their life and community. This of course should be done year-round but it is nice to have a special time of the year that focuses specifically on them and their ministry they provide.
Every since I became a Christian in 1988, I have loathed the Halloween holiday. While I love some horror movies, a good haunted house and even monsters, gouls and ghosts in general, something about celebrating a holiday that is steeped in pagan rites and rituals just doesn’t sit right with me as a follower of Christ.
While the United States may have been originally founded as a Christian nation or at least based on Christian values, to say that the U.S. is a Christian nation today is to fool ourselves. As God becomes less evident in our schools, our government, our money, the media, and even our homes, this country continues to move further and further away from traditional Christian values.
I was having an interesting discussion with a Christian brother and very good friend a few days ago. He mentioned an individual at his work who claimed to be a Christian due to the fact that he believed in God, went to church on a regular basis and didn’t cuss. However, my friend observed some “not so Christian-friendly” traits in this guy including the fact that he was very lazy, had a very short fuse when it came to managing his anger and was very pessimistic.
There is a new television series airing in the United Kingdom this month that aims to challenge non-believers to become Christians through a number of Bible studies and mentoring from an ecumenical team of church leaders. Thirteen people in all will volunteer to give up their normal lives and attempt to live like Christians.
I heard an excellent message this past weekend by my Pastor entitled “Hearing God’s Voice” in which he explored the various ways Gods speaks. Does God still speak in this day in age? You bet he does! In fact, God has never stopped speaking not only to those who love and serve him but to those who don’t as well.
