Sometimes it is necessary to be in hell to fully appreciate the bliss and wonders of heaven.
Such was the experience of this author and his companion as they, with nineteen other dedicated professionals, most of whom were Christians, recently spent eight days in the devastated city of Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti.
The invitation to participate in the mission had come through Hope International Ministries (HOPE) of Florida after encouragement had been received from a government official in the neighboring Dominican Republic. This official was well-acquainted with the medical mission emphasis of HOPE, and he had deep concern for his neighbors on the Island of Hispaniola.
The team eventually arrived in Santo Domingo, normally 7 hours drive from Port-au-Prince. However, road conditions, patrols, and confusion at the border, extended the trip to eighteen hours in the equivalent of an open cattle truck through mountains replete with brigands and bandits.
Upon the fortune of securing an armed United Nations’ escort for part of the journey from the Haitian border to the capital, we arrived weary and exhausted near curfew, bone tired, in Delmas, a section of Port au Prince.
Excited and at the same time dismayed at the carnage and desolation all around us, we were thrilled by the prospects of being able to demonstrate the love of Christ to so many in need.
And this we did, working together as a team for eight days, in sweltering heat, lying on the hard ground, living on granola bars and warm, bottled water…all the time being personally energized by the Spirit, in the milieu of Christian fellowship.
We were overwhelmed and awed at the words of appreciation and thanksgiving expressed by patients who survived the disaster but who were abandoned with absolutely nothing except their faith.
There has been much reported in the national and local media as well as on the Christian Courier website on this dimension of our experience, but it pales to adequately render a full picture of this nation which had so little before the earthquake, and now suffers with even less.
It was a humbling experience to hear songs rising from a group of raggedly clothed Christians, living in the squalor of the remains of a filthy street, as they praised God and thanked Him for all the blessings that He had bestowed on them. The effect on the team members was to produce self-examination and personal scrutiny as to how often one might have complained about the inconsequential and relatively unimportant things of a privileged life in the US, when all the while, we should been full of thankfulness for the overwhelming abundance of our Father through His provisions.
Everywhere we cast our eyes we observed the rubble and remains of a forlorn and desperate city, beholding apocalyptic scenes on a magnitude rarely witnessed since the blitzkriegs of World War II.
Buildings were flattened like cardboard with ponderous concrete roofs lying on the ground like giant concrete sandwiches. Unfortunately these broken structures still entombed thousands of unfortunate Haitians.
The smell of death and dust permeated the air as rats as big as cats prowled the rubble to gnaw on decaying flesh. Daily survivors and corpses were extricated from the piles of stones, bricks, walls, twisted steel, and timbers.
Tenderly prepared graves were not observed but pits and mounds had been filled to capacity in the days following the quake. Bodies lay in the streets, intermingled with an accumulation of garbage until other depositories or outdoor crematoria could be arranged.
The total experience in some of us evoked a vision of just how the world might appear after the rapture of Christ’ church, but differed now from then in the Haitians’ dependence on faith.
Catatonic-esque frozen faces stared at us with unseeing eyes. Emotionally paralyzed responses were the norm for most Haitians. Many patients had not eaten nor drank water for two or three days. Children were terrified to sleep in case worse things happened and greater losses incurred, like loved ones suddenly gone.
Palpable despair filled the air and yet patient after patient attempted to lift their hands in the air and proclaim Jesus as Lord.
One patient had been found alive after spending four days in a makeshift morgue in which he had been consigned, considered dead from all appearances.
Another terrified child, having lost every living relative, clung tenaciously to team members, refusing to let go.
Everyone was requesting pastoral members of the team to pray for and with them.
A pastor who had lost his wife, his three children his church, his job and his home, left only with was his personal injuries and an infant, offered a heart-wrenching scene. One can hear the pathos of the experience in the agony of this man as he asked me if he could give the baby to me because he had no way to support himself or the child and no place to go when he left the tent hospital facility.
Another pastor asked for counseling and prayer as he struggled with overwhelming grief. One minute he had a church of 2500 members and the next he had 200 members, losing his associate pastor and indeed a close friend.
The magnitude of the stress and grief with which we on the mission team struggled every day was immeasurable. Team members were not exempt from traumatic stress. They became exhausted through lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, and the ambience of emotionally-charged agony, pain and suffering which surrounded them.
It became increasingly difficult to sleep on the hard ground and even the night hours suffered from persistent intrusion of the horrendous experiences of the day. Cognitive slowing and affective freezing as well as physical fatigue became the order of the day. The use of hastily dug and not very hygienic latrines added to the discomfort.
Yet, as we gathered to begin the weary journey home, one and all of the team members reported an increased appreciation for the plight of others, more careful self-examination, and an increased thankfulness for the blessings we all receive from our bountiful Lord. He has persistently and continuously deluged us with such a plethora of evidence for His love and care that we often take it and Him for granted.
At the end of the mission trip, as we all wended our way homeward, we were in agreement that we will never be the same again, gaining a renewed sensitivity for the less fortunate and for those who are hurting. We have a personal testimony of bottomless need and increased dependence on the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who loves us as none other. We are grateful for the safe travel, the opportunity of service, and the joy of being available and used in His plans.
I have been asked “What is God’s purpose in Haiti?” and I am compelled to answer, “His purposes are as numerable as the lives affected by the earthquake, and just as diverse.”
Visions of heaven penetrated the Stygian darkness of physical and emotional hell in Haiti, and eventually won the day, erupting into an exhilarating and brilliant glorious praise and worship.
MILW - Just published this month, The Holman QuickSource Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls provides one of the best overviews of the Dead sea Scrolls and their relative importance for Christianity from Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament and director of the graduate program at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. A widely recognized expert on the Bible and Archaeology, and Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, Evans also authored Jesus, the Final Days (with N. T. Wright) and Fabricating Jesus and is regular guest on Dateline NBC.
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Public Museum has announced a series of educational lectures on the Dead Sea Scrolls which will run from now through June 3, 2010.
Feb 18 5:30 & 7:30 PM Shalom Paul, PhD
Chair of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation and Professor Emeritus/Bible Dept at Hebrew University – Birth of Christianity
Mar 4 7:30 PM Lawrence H Schiffman, PhD
Edelman Professor of Hebrew 7 Judaic Studies at New York University – Israel at the Time of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Mar 18 7:30 PM Jodi Magness, PhD
Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Dept of Religious Studies at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill – Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls
Mar 25 7:30 PM Martin G Abegg, PhD
Co director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute and Ben Zion Professor of Dead Sea Scrolls Studies at Trinity Western University – The Stories of the Milwaukee Public Museum Dead Sea Scrolls
Apr 15 7:30 PM Wesley Williams, PhD of the Michigan State University – God among the gods: Divine Plurality in the Quran and in the Light of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Mythic Tradition
Apr 29 7:30 PM Brent Sandy, PhD
Chair & Professor of Biblical Studies at Grace College – In Search of the Holy Grail: How much difference would it make if we found the original handwritten copies of the New Testament?
May 6 7:30 PM Andrew Teeter, PhD
Asst Professor of Hebrew/Old Testament at Harvard Divinity School – The Scriptures and their interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls
May 27 5:30 & 7:30 PM Emanual Tov, PhD
Mahnes Professor of Bible at Hebrew University – The Scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Jun 3 7:30 PM Deirdre A Dempsey, PhD
Assoc Professor in the Theology Dept at Marquette University
For tickets or more information contact the Milwaukee Public Museum at 414.278.2728.
DEAD SEA SCROLLS AND THE BIBLE EXHIBITION TEACHER GUIDE
Teachers of archeology, history, language, religion, art, anthropology and other various subjects will find Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible an excellent supplement to their curriculum. The link is http://www.mpm.edu
POETRY COMPETITION
The Museum is hosting the American Institute for Archaeology(AIA)-Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) Archaeology Fair on March 5 and 6, 2010 MPM and is sponsoring a poetry competition for Wisconsin elementary and high school students from grades 3 through 12. This program will encourage creative expression and the development of written language skills while providing teachers with a context within which to meet the WMAS for English Language Arts. (B4.1, 4.2, B8.1, 8.2; B12.1, 12.2.)
Theme: Archaeology: the study of past human life and culture through the things—pottery, tools, mummies, buildings and tombs, among others—that people leave behind.
Deadline: February 16, 2010 (see http://www.mpm.edu/education/special/poetry-competition for more submission details)
Who is eligible: The competition is open to all Wisconsin students in the following three grade categories: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12.
Criteria: Entries will be judged on creativity, originality, imagery, artistic quality, and sense of poetic expression.
Poetry reading at the Museum: The winners will be invited to read their poems at the Museum during the AIA fair on Saturday, March 6, 2010.
LANCASTER CA - The mayor of Lancaster has urged its residents to approve Christian-specific prayers at public meetings in an effort to “grow” the sixth-largest city in Los Angeles County into a “Christian community.”
Lancaster residents were urged by Mayor R. Rex Parris in a state-of-the-city speech to support a city ballot measure that would authorize daily prayers at city council meetings.
“We are growing a Christian community, and don’t let anybody shy away from that,” he said in his speech, according to the Antelope Valley Press.
In a later interview with the Daily News, Parris expressed surprise that some religious leaders object to prayers to Jesus at city meetings, and blamed opposition on activists who “want a fight,” the newspaper reported. “They want their 15 minutes of fame.”
The Lancaster mayor is running for re-election and supports the prayer ordinance, the newspaper reported. The city council has already placed a large “In God We Trust” motto across the wall in the city council chambers.
"The real message of this film is to try and offer help to people that are in trouble," says Josh Weigel, who plays a youth pastor. (New Song Productions / January 20, 2010)
Jake (Randy Wayne) and Jonny (Sean Michael Afabel) share an easy laugh in the quad.
LA – On the surface, “To Save a Life” doesn’t sound that different from a host of indie films — a drama involving a teen coping with the aftermath of a student’s suicide who finds solace in a group of outsiders.
The film, which opened last Friday (Jan 22, 2010), deals with myriad real-life issues facing teens such as drugs, sex and social acceptance. The plot focuses on star athlete Jake Taylor, who seemingly has it all; he has a basketball scholarship, good looks, a cheerleader girlfriend and hangs with the in-crowd. But when a loner, an old friend from his past, shoots himself at school, his world is turned upside down and he seeks answers on how he could have made a difference.
“To Save a Life” is meant to be uplifting and appeal to a wide audience. Which is part of the reason that the filmmakers don’t want to make too much of the fact that this is a faith-based film.
“The real message of this film is to try and offer help to people that are in trouble,” said Josh Weigel, who plays the role of a youth pastor in the film. “I don’t know what that kind of movie is called, movie with a purpose, a positive film, inspirational or redemptive film. It doesn’t really matter.”
The film is being distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, which had a breakout hit in 2008 with the Christian film “Fireproof.” With a budget well under $1 million, the film, which starred Kirk Cameron, grossed $33 million thanks in large part to grass-roots marketing to church audiences.
Like “Fireproof,” “To Save a Life” is produced by a church-based production company, in this case New Song Pictures, a division of New Song Ministries in Oceanside California. But that’s where the similarities with the more overtly Christian “Fireproof” end. In fact, the new film may have more in common with Fox’s “Glee” than it does with previous Christian films, including a rainbow-colored cast of misfits and a good-looking mentor who guides them through the chaos of high school life.
According to LA Times reporter, Liesl Bradner, screenwriter and producer, Jim Britts, wrote the screenplay after learning that the top influence on teen behavior is not parents, school or even church, but movies.
“I work with troubled teens every day and see the severity of the poor choices they make,” said Britts of his 10 years as a youth pastor at New Hope Church. “Movies are a powerful way to illustrate the consequences of making the wrong choice while reinforcing positive actions. “Not a day goes by without talking to a kid going through some kind of pain.”
Many of those associated with “To Save a Life” are understandably nervous about being typecast as “Christian” filmmakers. It’s not that they are embarrassed by their beliefs, but the track record of faith-based films has been spotty. “To Save a Life” used Hollywood professionals to upgrade the quality of the film, but that was not always an easy task.
“It’s hard to commit to being in a film with any kind of Christian undertones, as most actors don’t want to be pigeonholed,” said casting director Liz Lang. “Christian films can be risky. You can believe in all sorts of things, but when you start talking about God and Jesus, people turn away.”
Initially, Randy Wayne, who plays Jake, passed on auditioning for the role because it was a faith-based movie with a low budget.
“I was afraid it would look really cheesy and I would too,” said Wayne, who changed his mind after reading the script. Jake’s struggles are the heart of the film but the guiding light is Youth Pastor Chris Vaughn, played by actor Weigel. Casting the role of a spiritual leader is crucial especially in faith-based films. “Pastors are depicted as being really preachy,” said Britts. “I knew Chris had been a youth pastor and he came in and nailed it.”
“To Save a Life” is co-produced by Outreach Films, which handled the marketing campaigns for “Fireproof.”
“The grass-roots marketing, especially on the Internet, is a significant part of reaching our teen audience,” said Meyer Gottlieb, president and chief operating officer of Samuel Goldwyn Films, which plans to distribute two faith-based films a year. “We want entertaining films that resonant with people, make them feel good and change their life for the better.” Among the marketing strategies is a Facebook page that also offers tools for at-risk kids, such as suicide hotlines, art contests and other creative outlets.
“We want to empower teens to be a messenger of hope by reaching out and befriending someone in trouble,” said Britts.
Synopsis…
Ever since Jake Taylor was a kid, he was the type of guy you couldn’t help but like. For Jake, life is good. He has friends, fame, a basketball scholarship, a future and the hottest girl in the school. Not much to get down about, right? Enter Roger Dawson. He’s Jake’s childhood best friend before Jake’s popularity goes into high gear. Miserable and mad over being on the outside of Jake’s, or anybody’s inner circle, he’s tired of being pushed aside by everyone. He walks onto campus with a gun in his pocket and pain in his heart, and makes a tragic move. Jake is devastated at what Roger has done. And something in him changes. In seeking answers in his own life, one question plagues him the most: Could I have saved him? He is now deeply compelled to reach out to the students who are on the fringe of acceptability by the school’s upper crust. But he finds reaching out to the undesirable threatens his world. He may lose his own friends, his scholarship, his dreams and even his reputation to do it.
Cast and Crew
Produced by Jim Britts, Steve Foster, Nicole Franco Written by Jim Britts Directed by Brian Baugh Starring: Randy Wayne, Robert Bailey Jr., Kim Hidalgo, Deja Kreutzberg, Joshua Weigel
(Source: LA Times, New Song Productions, Internet)
NY – Pro-God ads have begun to appear on some 1,000 subway cars throughout New York City since last week Friday (1/15/2010), announced the New York church sponsoring the campaign.
Times Square Church, located in the heart of Times Square in New York City, will launch its ad campaign in hundreds of subway cars and on 50 platform posters in Manhattan stations at the end of this week.
Ads will boldly feature the words “God is” in the center,surrounded by words describing God’s qualities in colorful fonts. Among the “God is” attributes are: with you, willing to help, able to protect, a father, a husband to the widow, your friend, aware of your struggle, a good listener, the one who loves you, power to change, incredible, ready to forgive, there when no one else is, looking at you, Jesus.
“We want to encourage people to seek God and prove that indeed He is,” explains Carter Conlon, senior pastor of Times Square Church. “The ads describe God in just a few of the infinite ways He proves His presence to us every day.”
Bringing God into the public square is nothing new to Times Square Church. In September, the church hosted “Prayer in the Square” that attracted as many as 60,000 people representing over 300 churches and 65 youth organizations for an hour of prayer in Times Square.
In its latest attempt to get people talking about God and religion, the church hopes to not just draw unbelievers, but also former believers.
“We are praying that people who don’t know God and would like to know Him, would be moved by these ads to visit Times Square Church or any Bible believing church in New York City and find God through the forgiveness freely offered through His Son, Jesus Christ,” Conlon said. “And to those who once knew God and need to get back to God, we want to say simply this: His arms are open wide always ready to welcome you home.”
Times Square Church is an inter-denominational,multinational congregation founded by best-selling author, the Rev. David Wilkerson, who wrote The Cross and the Switchblade. More than 8,000 people, representing more than 100 different nationalities, gather to worship each week at Times Square Church.
ORLANDO - Tim Tebow will appear in a 30-second Super Bowl ad on Feb. 7 on behalf of the Christian group Focus on the Family, the organization announced on its Web site. His mother, Pam, also will appear in the ad.
Focus on the Family, a non-profit Christian organization, is not elaborating on the commercial’s message, but the story is expected to detail the Tebows’ pro-life message in line with Christian faith.
Pam Tebow contracted amoebic dysentery while on a Philippines mission, and the bacterial infection sent her into a coma. Upon recovery, doctors urged Pam to have an abortion because of the damage to her body. Tebow was born healthy on Aug. 14, 1987.
Tebow has been outspoken about his faith and inscribed Bible verses on his eye black on game days.
Jim Daly, Focus on the Family president and chief executive officer, said in a statement that the Tebows’ message about family comes at the right moment in the culture because “families need to be inspired.”
“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Daly said. “Focus on the Family is about … strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values.”
Super Bowl ads are expected to run around $2.8 million dollars for the 100 million viewers. But the Tebows produce financial draw.
“Every cent for this ad was paid for by generous donors who specifically gave for this project because they are excited about this opportunity for Focus to show who we are and what we do,” spokesman Gary Schneeberger told the Denver Post.
Focus on the Family’s message is to “strengthen, defend and celebrate the institution of the traditional family and to highlight the unique and irreplaceable role that it plays in God’s larger story of redemption,” according to its web site.
NEW YORK – Brit Hume had some evangelistic advice for Tiger Woods on Fox New Sunday, in a segment in which panelists predicted the future of the golf sensation after his notable “transgressions.”
Hume forecasted Woods would recover as a golfer but
“…Whether he can recover as a person depends on “his faith. He’s said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, “Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”
This fits with the interview he had with The Hollywood Reporter (Nov 4, 2008) when Hume retired from Fox News in 2008. Asked what he’d like to do in his free time, Hume said enjoying his family came first but then, he said:
Brit Hume
“I certainly want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have done. I’m not claiming it’s impossible to do when you work in this business. I was kind of a nominal Christian for the longest time. When my son died (by suicide in 1998), I came to Christ in a way that was very meaningful to me. If a person is a Christian and tries to face up to the implications of what you say you believe, it’s a pretty big thing. If you do it part time, you’re not really living it.”
Other unsolicited advisors for Woods? A. Larry Ross, a spokesperson for Billy Graham and Rick Warren, penned a column at the Huffington Post on grace and the God of “second chances.” Rabbi Irwin Kula is quoted in the Jewish Journal that the Nike spokesman — and the rest of us — should learn from the patriarchs that you can’t “just do it” when “it” is wrong. Kula suggests that this is a teaching moment, illustating the point ”because someone is great in one area in their life does not mean they are great in every area.”
(Source: Fox News, USAToday/Faith & Reason, JerusalemJournal.com, The Hollywood Reporter)
NASHVILLE – The Gospel of John poetically declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“The Word” refers to the Son, who since eternity past has lived in heaven. The Word for a brief 33 years also “tabernacled” among us.
John explains, “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
During the Christmas season, Christians around the world read the Gospel narrative recounting how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem where Christ, the Messiah, was born in a humble stable some 2,000 years ago.
Christians accept, by faith, the truths recorded in the birth account. Jeremy Howard, editor of Bibles and reference books for the B&H Publishing Group of LifeWay Christian Resources and Ph.D. graduate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, points to many reasons Christians can be sure the Christmas story is true.
CHRIST & THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament contains verses that point directly to Christ’s virgin birth, Howard noted.
The strongest evidence comes from Isaiah 7-9: The Immanuel prophecy begins in Isaiah 7:14 when the Lord speaks to Ahaz through Isaiah and says, “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign; The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.”
Micah 5:2 also points to Christ’s birth, Howard continued. The verse reads, “Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me. His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.”
“God is speaking about His future plans to bring peace and righteous rule to His people,” Howard said. “This is how He’s going to do it: A ruler is going to come from Bethlehem. What is peculiar about this verse is that it says, ‘His origin is from antiquity, from eternity.’ Clearly, this birth is pointing beyond the natural. It extends to the supernatural. The evidence shows that the Messiah will be more than a mere man.”
MESSIANIC EXPECTATIONS
Christ’s birth was not just a random event, Howard said; in fact, first-century Jews were looking for Messiah, literally “the anointed one.”
“We see evidences of the expectation of Christ in several extra-biblical resources,” Howard said. The first evidence is the Dead Sea Scrolls, documents that originated about 100 B.C. “Throughout the Dead Sea Scrolls, you see references to the coming Messiah,” Howard said.
The second set of evidence, Howard said, comes from the writings of Josephus and Philo, first-century scholars who discuss the expectation of Messiah.
Finally, the rabbinic literature from the second century A.D. onward reveals that Jews were waiting for Messiah.
“The first-century Jews mostly seem to be awaiting a political figure,” Howard said. “The 400 years before Christ’s birth, Israel was a subjected nation, so Jews were looking for a political kingdom.”
By and large, Jesus did not fulfill the expectations of the Jewish people, Howard said. “Mostly, they had the wrong expectations,” he said. “We see that even the disciples did not have a clear perception of Jesus. They struggled when Jesus accepted the faith of Gentiles and associated with sinners. These were expectations that confused the disciples and onlookers.”
CHRIST & THE NEW TESTAMENT
The early date of the Gospels and the eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus are both key to validating the birth narrative, Howard said.
“We know that the Book of Mark was written 20 years after the ascension of Christ, and Luke might have followed about 10 years later,” Howard said. “So 30 years from the time Christ was crucified, resurrected and ascended to heaven we have at least two of the Gospels written and starting to circulate. That puts the disciples at about 60 years of age, assuming they were contemporary with Jesus.”
Living and intact memory, Howard explained, confirms the validity of the birth account.
“Intact memory means that from the time Jesus ascended into heaven, guys such as Matthew, Mark, Luke and Peter devoted themselves to spreading the message of Christ,” Howard said. “They did not have the opportunity to forget what happened. They told the stories day in and day out.”
Living memory refers to the eyewitnesses of the events of Christ.
“If the Gospel writers tried to fabricate the stories of Christ, there would have been many eyewitnesses who would have called them into account,” Howard said. “The fact that the Gospels were penned and helped spread Christianity so quickly is proof that the writers were telling the truth.”
CHRIST & THE 21ST CENTURY
Faith is substantial and sustainable, Howard said, concerning the reliability of the birth narrative.
“I’ve spent many years studying Scripture and asking the hard questions of the faith,” he said. “What I’ve discovered, time after time and case after case, is that there is no criticism, no fact or reality that calls into question what we believe. We stand firmly on the Word of God. It has survived many criticisms for many centuries and in this day and age, I think more than ever before, we are equipped with solid answers for the challenging questions that come against us.”
CA – The Barna Group has just released four themes they see from their research in 2009. Barna Research Group was founded by George and Nancy Barna in 1984. As a marketing research firm, it primarily served Christian ministries, non-profit organizations and various media and financial corporations. During its quarter century of service, TBG has carefully and strategically tracked the role of faith in America, developing the nation’s most comprehensive database on spiritual indicators.
Theme 1: Increasingly, Americans are more interested in faith and spirituality than in Christianity.
“Faith remains a hot topic in America these days,” George Barna commented, expanding on the theme. “Politicians, athletes, cultural philosophers, teachers, entertainers, musicians – nearly everyone has something to say about faith, religion, spirituality, morality, and belief these days. But as the fundamental values and assumptions of our nation continue to shift, so do our ideas about faith and spirituality. Many of our basic assumptions are no longer firm or predictable.
…
“Our studies consistently demonstrate – as explained in unChristian, the book by my colleague, David Kinnaman – that being a Christian or associating with the Christian faith is not as attractive to Americans as it used to be…
…
Some of the related survey results Barna cited from this year’s studies included:
Just 50% of adults contend that Christianity is still the automatic faith of choice in the US
Nearly nine out of every ten adults (88%) agreed either strongly or somewhat that their religious faith is very important in their life
74% said their faith is becoming more important in their life
Substantive awareness of other faith groups is minimal; even simple name awareness of some groups, such as Wicca, is tiny (only 45% have heard of Wicca)
Most self-identified Christians are comfortable with the idea that the Bible and the sacred books from non-Christian religions all teach the same truths and principles
Half of all adults (50%) argue that a growing number of people they know are tired of having the same church experience
Theme 2: Faith in the American context is now individual and customized. Americans are comfortable with an altered spiritual experience as long as they can participate in the shaping of that faith experience.
“Now that we are comfortable with the idea of being spiritual as opposed to devoutly Christian,” Barna pointed out, “Americans typically draw from a broad treasury of moral, spiritual and ethical sources of thought to concoct a uniquely personal brand of faith. Feeling freed from the boundaries established by the Christian faith, and immersed in a postmodern society which revels in participation, personal expression, satisfying relationships, and authentic experiences, we become our own unchallenged spiritual authorities, defining truth and reality as we see fit.”
Some of the survey findings that related to this theme included:
About half of all adults (45%) say they are willing to try a new church or even a new form of church
71% say they will develop their own slate of religious beliefs rather than accept a package of beliefs promoted by a church or denomination
Barely one-third of self-identified Christians (36%) strongly agree that it is important for followers of Christ to maintain positive relationships with people who are not Christians
Two-thirds of adults (64%) are willing to experience and express their faith in new or different environments or structures than they have in the past
Only one-third (34%) believe in absolute moral truth
Theme 3: Biblical literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S.
Barna’s findings related to Bible knowledge and application indicate that little progress, if any, is being made toward assisting people to become more biblically literate.
“Bible reading has become the religious equivalent of sound-bite journalism. When people read from the Bible they typically open it, read a brief passage without much regard for the context, and consider the primary thought or feeling that the passage provided. If they are comfortable with it, they accept it; otherwise, they deem it interesting but irrelevant to their life, and move on. There is shockingly little growth evident in people’s understanding of the fundamental themes of the scriptures and amazingly little interest in deepening their knowledge and application of biblical principles.
…
Some of the survey-based results that led Barna to his conclusions included the following:
Less than one out of every five born again adults (19%) has a biblical worldview, which is unchanged in the past 15 years
Just half of all self-identified Christians firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles (not the facts, just the principles) that it teaches
Barely one-quarter of adults (27%) are confident that Satan exists
An overwhelming majority of self-identified Christians (81%) contend that spiritual maturity is achieved by following the rules in the Bible
Theme 4: Effective and periodic measurement of spirituality – conducted personally or through a church – is not common at this time and it is not likely to become common in the near future.
“There are two levels on which evaluation of where we stand spiritually can take place,” noted the California-based author. “There can be external measurement, such as that conducted by pastors, teachers, coaches or peers, and there can be self-evaluation. At the moment, we’re seeing very little of either form of review related to a person’s spiritual condition.
“Not surprisingly,” he continued, “our research found that a majority of churchgoing adults are uncertain as to what their church would define as a ‘healthy, spiritually mature follower of Christ’ and they were no more likely to have personally developed a clear notion of such a life.
“It may well be that spiritual evaluation is so uncommon because people fear that the results might suggest the need for different growth strategies or for more aggressive engagement in the growth process. No matter what the underlying reason is, the bottom line among both the clergy and laity was indifference toward their acknowledged lack of evaluation. That suggests there is not likely to be much change in this dimension in the immediate future. In other words, as we examine the discipleship landscape, what we see is what we get – and what we will keep getting for some time.”
(Source: The Barna Group – The Barna Group (which includes its research division, Barna Research Group) was started in 1984 by George Barna. It is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna conducts and analyzes primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.)
