A Post-Christian America?

Apparently the recent findings of a survey have caused quite a stir in the evangelical community.

"According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent."

This quote came from another article I saw in Newsweek about the effects this survey has had on America. Since this survey has come out, there has been an uproar about America becoming less Christian and more secular, mainly by Christians. I talked about my initial reaction to these finding's in a recent post. In the Newsweek article, Meacham talks about how many Christian conservatives are labeling the present as a post-Christian time. Of this he writes,

"Let's be clear: while the percentage of Christians may be shrinking, rumors of the death of Christianity are greatly exaggerated. Being less Christian does not necessarily mean that America is post-Christian. A third of Americans say they are born again; this figure, along with the decline of politically moderate-to liberal mainline Protestants, led the ARIS authors to note that "these trends … suggest a movement towards more conservative beliefs and particularly to a more 'evangelical' outlook among Christians." With rising numbers of Hispanic immigrants bolstering the Roman Catholic Church in America, and given the popularity of Pentecostalism, a rapidly growing Christian milieu in the United States and globally, there is no doubt that the nation remains vibrantly religious—far more so, for instance, than Europe."

I'm going to have to agree with Meacham on this. It is very much so an exaggeration to conclude that a 10% drop in religious affiliation, from 85% to 75%, signifies a post-Christian age.

I'm also reading Donald Miller's book Searching for God Knows What and have found his examination of Religion very insightful into the current response of American Christians, and certainly my own responses, to the recent religious survey.

Donald Miller writes, "It is true people need Jesus, not religion. And yet at times I am concerned our most passionate missionary endeavors are more concerned with redeeming our identity as Christians within the {fallen culture} than with presenting Jesus to a world looking for a God." In an earlier chapter on Morality (a very good chapter) he writes:

"I assure you, once we leave the fight over our country's future and enter the spiritual battle for the hearts and souls of the lost, the church will fourish, and the kingdom of God will grow. God is not in the business of brokering for power over a nation; He is in the business of loving the unloved and pulling sheep out of crags and bushes."

So I guess the question I'm asking myself is why do I care if a survey says there are less people affiliated with churches in America now than ever before? When has that ever mattered to Jesus?

Something to think about...

Rethinking the Gospel

Have you ever tried to recreate a moment for a picture? Like that time your friend tripped down the stairs into the man walking on stilts or the time you opened up your big Christmas present when you were five or the first time you looked at your future wife and knew she was the one. Whenever these once in a lifetime moments happen, the camera never seems to work fast enough. So we try to reenact it, try to recreate it so that we can capture that memory on film forever, to show our friends and family and future children.

But the truth is, those pictures are never as good as the original moment. We always show those pictures and qualify it by saying, "You should've seen it in real life, this picture just doesn't do it justice." It's just a stale imitation of what it originally was.

Sometimes I think the way we present and think about the gospel is a lot like a reenacted picture. The story and picture we show our friends doesn't come close to the profound experience of it.

John 17:3 says, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Although I had read this verse before, the impact of what Jesus said had never really hit me. When I think of the gospel I always think of the Romans road, or the giant canyon with me on one side and God on the other and the cross being the only bridge across. But when I read this verse, I get the impression that there is something more to the gospel than just the facts.

Eternal life is knowing God, and Jesus whom He sent. Eternal life isn't knowing the facts or the belief systems. It's the difference between looking at a picture of the Grand Canyon and driving through northern Arizona to experience it for yourself.

I think this helps me to understand the lack of impact the gospel can have on people here in America. All I present to people most of the time is just a reenacted picture of the real thing. I'm not bringing them with me to meet God and see for themselves, I'm not showing them how it feels to be completely loved and redeemed and walking in the presence of the ever-mysterious, infinitely majestic, and joyfully frightening God.

And that's why much of the world responds to the gospel with, "Maybe if I had been there..."

A Charge to Worship Leaders

As someone involved in worship leading, I'm always trying to better understand the role worship leaders play in the church. In my first year of college I did a lot of research on the role worship plays in the church and you can read about it by downloading the Worship Chapter of We Who Have Ears.

Sometimes I can't help but feel like the role of the worship leader in a church is not much more than the leader of pep-rally before a big game. Worship leaders are usually not expected to be involved in the scriptural shepherding of the congregation and generally do not have much pastoral connection with the congregation apart from the Sunday services.

I understand that each person in the church has their role and that the worship leader is not the same as the teaching pastor or pastor of counseling. At the same time, I think many worship leaders have forgotten that their first responsibility, like any other person in leadership in the church, is shepherding the congregation.

I know as a worship leader I have been guilty of putting the music planning and service flow before other responsibilities. Many times, I didn't even consider things like discipleship and scriptural shepherding as my responsibility. They were just added bonuses if I had time to get around to them.

The more I experience the church and the way it functions, I think that worship leaders, in an attempt to free them up to perfect the music and flow of the service, have been marginalized to a role that is much smaller than it was intended to be. Why aren't worship leaders active in discipling? Why aren't we active in teaching? Why aren't we active in counseling members of the congregation? Why aren't we expected to understand the Bible in a way most other pastors are expected to understand it?

I want to challenge my fellow worship leaders to see their role in a new and bigger light. We are not just band leaders and our main responsibility isn't to the music or the service flow or even the other band members, choir members, and orchestra members. Our main responsibility is to shepherd the flock and build the spiritual depth of our community.

Modern Day Indulgence: The Prayer Cross

I just saw another commercial for the Prayer Cross, and I was once again outraged by it. Martin Luther renounced the selling of indulgences in his 95 Theses:

"The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men."

The Prayer Cross is a disgusting exploitation of Jesus that preys upon poor or lonely people searching for hope. They are wolves in sheep's clothing seducing the flock into buying a cheap piece of jewelery all the while promising peace and joy.

It is through Christ and Christ alone that people are saved and given hope. I hope this company shuts down, and I hope they can find Christ in the midst of their own lies.

"For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water."
Jeremiah 2:13

The Audacious Gospel of Jesus

I am sometimes blown away at the lengths we go to make Jesus seem cool to everybody else.





But Jesus isn't trendy, not in the way we desperately want him to be. Every attempt our culture makes, including Christians, to portray Jesus as cool and acceptable plays down the truth that he is the only way to salvation.

In reading through John, it is unmistakable that Jesus claims to be the only way to the Father. Which, despite how true and necessary that claim is, is not a cool thing to say.

I wonder what would happen if we stopped putting our efforts into making Jesus cool, and just preached the audacious gospel that Jesus requires. We probably wouldn't be popular, Jesus probably would be hated by more people, but at least Jesus wouldn't be just another cool commodity on our multi-pathed spiritual journey.

The Calm Before the Storm

I will begin my time at Dallas Theological Seminary on June 1st. I will start with Greek for the summer and then hit the fall semester with a pretty full load. I've been out of an academic setting for about two and a half years, and I'm pretty excited to get back into it. I'm one of those rare dorks that really likes school, and I can wait to smell the perfume of used textbooks mixed with coffee while I pour over a paper in the middle of the night.

As I prepare for this next stage in Lauren's and my life, it hits me that a lot is going to change in a few months. My time and priorities will have to be re-organized, my sleep patterns will shift, my work schedule will be revised, and my knowledge will hopefully be challenged and expanded deeply.

But there are a few things that I'm committed to keeping the same. And here they are:

1. I will maintain a growing love for my wife, no matter how tired I am, no matter how distracted I am with school. It is amazing how much love grows when you're married and making the marriage a priority. It's like everyday I get to find another reason to fall in love with Lauren, and I will stay committed to that.

2. No matter how academic a pursuit theology may be, my view of the Godhead will always be full of wonder and mystery. I think one of the greatest offenses we can commit towards God is approach thinking we understand Him. I know that studying at DTS will give me a lot of knowledge about the Bible and history and expository techniques, but I am committed to letting God become more mysterious the closer I get to Him.

3. I will not live outside of our means, including seminary. Right now we are in a position (through careful budgeting and saving) to afford seminary. But I don't want seminary to ever become more important than living financially responsible.

4. Date Lauren regularly.

I'm sure there are other things, but those are the ones I was musing over. I'm excited about the next phase, but during this calm before the storm, I feel it necessary to get my priorities straight.

Sigur Ros Take Away Show

Take Away Shows will suck you in if you are not careful. Here is Sigur Ros playing in a small Paris cafe. It's amazing!


Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.