Christian Unbelief
However, according to the recent data from Barna, boy was I
stupid. I have been really, really wrong with some of you, perhaps
most of you, and I can't apologize enough. According to the survey,
Barna found that most people, "born again" or not, do not believe in
absolute truth (about 3 out of 4, or 78% of the population). I would
have thought that the "Church" had a higher percentage of people
seeking truth gathered under one roof, but apparently that is not
true.
Born Again Just a Doctrinal Statement
According to the survey only about three in ten people who claim
"born-again status" believe in absolute truth. As a matter of fact
the "born again-ers" hardly differ at all from the non-born again
(there's another article in that statement somewhere). The majority
of people right now, this instant, are convinced that "truth is
relative," and they make their decisions based on what "feels right"
or "would produce the most personally beneficial results."
The Waning Strength of the Church
So all this time I have been mistaken, because I assumed that I
was talking to a group of people who pretty much wanted to
understand and apply absolute truth. I made this mistake once
before, a couple of years ago, when I was teaching publicly. I had
thought that the people I was speaking too were like "the Bereans"
(Acts 17:10-12), and I made some statements intended to promote
discussion. But I was wrong, because out of every ten people I
talked with then, or write to now, only about two believe in
absolute moral truth. It's almost like I was (or am) speaking in
tongues.
Now, I'm not saying that disagreement with me is the same as
rejecting absolute truth. But if we're going to disagree, we should
at least base it in the truth rather than opinions. Though come on
guys, let's face it, let's be real, those of you who have disagreed
with me, who have silently listened to or read what I was trying to
say and refused to respond, or responded second hand through other
people, we haven't really disagreed on the Word, have we? We've just
been arguing from two different belief structures. The thing is, we
should be trying to understand the Word Of God, and not arguing over
feelings, opinions, or what will "produce the most personally
beneficial result" as some people do.
In the survey, Mr. Barna goes on to say, "Christian families,
educators and churches must prioritize this matter if the Christian
community hopes to have any distinctiveness in our culture. The
virtual disappearance of this cornerstone of the Christian faith -
that is, God has communicated a series of moral principles in the
Bible that are meant to be the basis of our thoughts and actions,
regardless of our preferences, feelings or situations - is probably
the best indicator of the waning strength of the Christian Church in
America today."
More of the Same Not The Answer
And more of what we already have is not the answer, either.
George says, "Continuing to preach more sermons, teach more Sunday
school classes and enroll more people in Bible study groups won't
solve the problem since most of these people don't accept the basis
of the principles being taught in those venues. The failure to
address this issue at its root, and to do so quickly and
persuasively, will undermine the strength of the church for at least
another generation, and probably longer."