Some snippets from a report issued by The Barna Group, summarizing 2009 data . . ."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."
". . . 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."
"71% say they will develop their own slate of religious beliefs rather than accept a package of beliefs promoted by a church or denomination."
"Three-quarters of adults (75%) believe that God is motivating them and others to connect with him through different means and experiences than were common in the past."
"Only one-third (34%) believe in absolute moral truth."
"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."
"The problem facing the Christian Church is not that people lack a complete set of beliefs; the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights."
"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."
"An overwhelming majority of self-identified Christians (81%) contend that spiritual maturity is achieved by following the rules in the Bible."
The current state of evangelical Christianity is definitely in trouble, which can be seen in this data. Further, it explains the cultural collapse that we are currently witnessing, as truth and godly principle are all but forgotten on average persons. May God have mercy on us, especially his failing church.
1 comment:
"...the problem is that they have a full slate of beliefs in mind, which they think are consistent with biblical teachings, and they are neither open to being proven wrong nor to learning new insights."
- I think we can work to change this mindset right here in our local church, starting with clear expositional preaching of God's Word, challenging the flock, who I think are largely unaware their beliefs and/or worldview are unbiblical. At least, I think we need to work at this, and then leave God to change hearts.
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