Good stuff
I'm now reading "UNchristian, What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters", written by David Kinnann & Gabe Lyons.
"Despite the challenges facing Christianity, there is good news. This research project led Gabe and me to discover thousands of young people who want nothing more than to elevate the relevance of Jesus to our culture. These young believers are very concerned with how Christianity looks to outsiders. They see holes in present day Christianity, but they do not want Jesus to be hijacked, either by reinventing Him or by those whose lives and words do not adequately represent a holy, just, compassionate, and loving God. These young Christians feel disconnection between their lives and the way Jesus lived --a mission to bring the kingdom of God into sharp focus for all people, especially those who have the deepest needs. These young adults worry that the unChristian message has become one of self-preservation rather than one of world restoration."
"One thirty-five year old believer from California put it this way: 'Christians have become political, judgmental,intolerant, weak, religious, angry and without balance. Christianity has become a nice Sunday drive. Where is the living God, the Holy Spirit, an amazing Jesus, the love, the compassions, the holiness? This type of life, how I yearn for that.'"
THOUGHTS??
posted by Bob Carder @ 10:02 AM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I have been reading this book as well. Although I had to put it down recently and have not yet finished it.
I would say, with reference to the comment from the 35-year-old, that this is the PERCEPTION he has based on not only his own experiences, no doubt about that, but fostered and nurtured by much of modern media (film, music, TV, news, etc.) that has a vested interest in hastening what they see as Christianity's demise.
What I don't like about the 35-year-olds' statement is that it, like much of what appears in the media, is painting all Christians with the same brush. Maybe we've earned it, or at least part of it, but for every Bakker or Haggard or (insert name here) there are more Christians who are desperately trying to get it right in a society that willfully denies that we ever do.
Does this mean we can ignore his comments? Absolutely not, because as we all know, perception is reality -- especially in marketing. And that is what our society is reduced to. We must categorize and market everything into a niche -- or else it would take too long to really fully research and understand a topic before we open our mouths about it.
And God knows we love to spout off.
I have found myself too busy with a focus on...building my relationship with Christ, dealing with my own daily sin and doing the very best I can to allow God to prepare my heart for service in a given day.
To focus so much on where the church is getting it wrong is a waste of time. Christians need living examples of where they are getting it wrong, not just someone telling them there wrong.
Don't get me wrong, I have been hurt a great deal by "the church" as it is today here in America, but I found peace with God when I let that go and turned to my personal relationship with Christ.
The Holy Spirit showed me a better way to focus my energy simply through the way Christ walked, thought and performed ministry.
Christ could have spent all his time fixing and righting the religous system of His time, but He went about His Father's work despite there disfunction and snare. He did address it on occassion, but nothing more.
Love never fails guys and the number one issue here with Christians is the absence of REAL and Authenic "Relationship"...with Christ, those directly around us, family, friends, neighbors and those of whom Christ associated with that consequently made him appear to be a drunkard and a sinner.
In my own experience, after I spent several years suffering from severe depression that consequently sent me to the emergency room in fear of taking my own life, God went with me to the bottom depths of depair and in the midst of it opened my eyes to whom Christ died for and where my attention should be focused in ministering the message of the gospel.
Millions of people in America, including Christians, suffer from depression, anxiety, chemical imbalance and addictions of all kinds. Every morning while I was in a secular hospital our groups ironically addressed the "Spiritual" area of our lives and the need for us to have something to turn to or believe in greater than ourselves. Every person male or female in that group and consequently every person coming through the hospital system each day was either Christian or they were "still searching". Does this suprise you? It did me, because Satan had me believing I was alone, but God showed me I'm definately not!
Recently on TV there was a program entitled "Prostitution in America". I'm sure I will be outed..., ha, ha for watching it, but this program confirms God's truth. Not one female or male involved in this life-style wanted to be there, but was forced or held captive in some way (be it emotional, mental or physical)through Satan's lies, fear and addiction.
The "masks" WE Christians wear to "appear" to have it all together and to have all the answers while are lives are literally falling apart, will cost those who are hurting their very souls.
We must drop our pretences and pride, remove our "masks" and be willing to be an authentic, genuine and vulnerable Christian. First and foremost with our own relationship with God. As a result it will flow directly into those lives around you and consequently into effective, genuine church relationships as well as relationship building ministry. Isn't that what God created us for, relationship?
Who knows, maybe the person you are talking to right now has a horrifying past of abuse, maybe they are just bored or are RICH yet empty inside...the reality is, if Christians are unwilling to take the first step and be vulnerable for the sake of the Gospel, we will continue to die slowly in the Church, through our denial and selfish pride while non-Christians turn elsewhere for their answer to their own pain and suffering.
My prayer is that God will open all of our eyes more and more each day to continue to see the "great need/harvest" that is right in front of our noses and to be willing to be vulnerable and obedient to "go" and share our lives in relationship to those who are hurting and let God handle the repution of the "American" church.
If we are doing our part as soldiers and ambassidors of Christ, then everything will take care of itself until Christ returns and that's really all we are accountable for.
Think about it, the Gospel started out with only a few willing servants and look at the fruit of that labor today.
The answer has always been "One day at a time" and "one soul at a time" and the flame will be fanned by our own "relationship" with Christ through the Holy Spirit.
These use to be just "words" to me in the past, but now they have become my life's desire in Christ.
Praise God for all He will do through a vulnerable, genuine and willing soul!
Great responses.
I agree with you guys in large part. However, I do believe we must face the music and realize all is not well in the church of North America. We are losing our younger generations and until we face it we may never see why.
When a 35 year old speaks, we should listen because whether right or wrong they (he/she) has a perspective we need to hear. It's easy to discredit the source of any source. I just believe we should look more broadly at what and why they are saying what they say. We have lost or are losing the 20-30 somethings as a whole and we must look at why/how before we lose the next generation.
While I agree we have enough to do to keep ourselves holy, we do have a responsibility to address/confront the ills of the church present. To ignore and focus on myself is not enough when souls are at stake for eternity. Although keeping myself in shape is a full time job, ask Michelle.
I do appreciate the above comments and mostly agree with the content and spirit of the discussion but would offer a few more comments for further consideration here.
It more or less comes down to ones calling from what I am hearing. I certainly was not advocating spending selfish fleshly time on yourself, but God did call us to abide in him, the main resource of life as a Christian as well as being the hardest and most important thing to do as a Christian.
I have been taught many times by the spirit that if what I do doesn't flow out of my time with God it will end up being a self sacrifice, an effort of the flesh and will lead to spiritual frustration and exhaustion.
As you know, God desires obedience not sacrifice and it's very easy for humans to become comitted to a cause rather than abiding in Christ and being led by the spirit (Not that I am saying you are not being led by the Spirit to confront the church).
If your calling is to address the church in America with where they are going wrong, I would be obedient to that call as it appears you are doing. I will pray fervently for God to give you the strength of "a hundred men" to address this current HOT TOPIC, because it will not be an easy task.
Quite frankly, an impossible one without the supreme GUIDENCE and POWER of the Holy Spirit to break the bondage through years of deception.
Again, I think focusing on disciplship and the lost as we are dicussing would be a better use of resources and spiritual energy.
Christians will continue to leave the Mega churches in droves as the Mega churches continue to neglect the spiritual needs of their flock and soon enough we will come full circle with them concerning the truth.
Also, we ourselves will need to be "ready" and "spiritually strong" to address this flood of hurting and neglected Christians that will come from these failing movements, so hang tight and let's get our own ship straight first, so when the time comes, and has come, to invite these wandering brothers and sisters into a authenic and genuine fellowship of believers to heal from the Mega churches and the other smaller churches that support the same things.
In closing, the word explains that Peter was called to deal with the Jews etc. and Paul was called to deal mainly with the gentiles. Two separate callings, but of the same spirit, right?
Even though Paul loved his fellow Jews very much, even to the point where he said if it were possible, he would switch places with them, they rejected the gospel and were abusive to him, so he wiped off his feet and moved forward to the gentiles with a clear concience.
Anyway, I wish you God's speed in this endevour and I will pray for God through his spirit, to use you to make a tremendous impact with the church in America to see the truth and repent.
yeah, we absolutely need to listen and respond to comments like those in "unChristian." But, in order to understand them and respond well to them, we also need to understand all of the reasons why those perceptions are out there. Much of the "blame" can be laid at our own feet, but not all of it.
We also need to look at the "culture of celebrity" that is America and the very real bias against Christianity that exists.
Why do we put people (even in the church) up on pedestals? Is it so we can knock them off? Why do they agree to go up on those pedestals? And why does the media want Christianity margnialized in the national marketplace?
All fascinating questions to look at. But we also need to look at the efficacy of our own relationships with Christ. And we need to look at that first.
Mike, I'm with you. Thanks for taking us deeper.
Anon, it's not my calling to address the failures of the church, but to understand how we can make mid-course corrections or change ineffective measures to turn things around. Remember I am not pointing fingers, I'm part of the church and problem.
I didn't write the article, I just posted it because from time to time we need those moments of serious reflection. That's my prophetic leadership gifts coming through
I do however, believe that God is calling the church (us) to a life of obedient sacrifice. We claim obedience without sacrifice which is only comfort in the camp. In our comfortable missionary camp we do the things that keep the camp running smoothly. We cook, wash, stand guard, teach the children and do whatever being in camp entails. Sacrifice is when we go out into the dangerous world to meet the hostile enemy in order to reach them for Christ. God does call us to obedient sacrifice.
Our move to St Louis going on 3 years ago required obedient sacrifice in order to begin a mission district of disciple making church communities.
Our call is for a willingness to stay on the field with no guarantee that our salary will be met from month to month depending on our missionary support. We join with hundreds of thousands who live that way because we are called to.
I'm with you, the church in America will likely not turn around as far as she needs to in order to be a disciple making church where all Christ followers make disciples. The years of deception have taken their toll. We must support the church or the bride of Christ and her ministry. God is still working there. I love the church, but we would be amiss to argue that she has not been deceived with reference to the Great Commission.
So I now have been called to begin new disciple driven church movements where every new believer is taught correctly that they are personally responsible for making disciples by leading them into a Christ relationship and by walking with them in a discipling relationship in order that all may grow in Christ and that a continued line of disciple making continues through each one.
We are seeing this work. We teach them their responsibility and then we show them how to engage the task and souls are being saved by new believers and they are being disciples by the same.
That's awsome! It sounds like God's work is being accomplished one soul at a time as I stated above!
The ministry that I have the awsome privilage to be a part of also focuses on discipling, building relationships with my churched brothers and sisters and the lost, sharing the gospel & helping in the process of each child of God healing from past hurts (setting the opressed & captives free) and helping each person to understand the love and forgiveness of God on a deep personal level.
What an awsome privilage we all have to be a part of God's work, no matter what it may be!
See, the Mega churches etc. will come full circle to face the truth eventually as we continue to be faithful to our called parts of the functioning body of Christ.
Keep up the great work for the kingdom guys! I'm out.
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