Change usually happens slowly in the Church. But a review of the past year's research conducted by the Barna Group provides a time-lapse portrayal of how the religious environment in the U.S. is morphing into something new.
Analyzing insights drawn from more than 5,000 non-proprietary interviews conducted over the past 11 months, George Barna indicated that the following patterns were evident in the survey findings.
-The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
What used to be basic, universally-known truths about Christianity are now unknown mysteries to a large and growing share of Americans--especially young adults. For instance, Barna Group studies in 2010 showed that while most people regard Easter as a religious holiday, only a minority of adults associate Easter with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Other examples include the finding that few adults believe that their faith is meant to be the focal point of their life or to be integrated into every aspect of their existence. Further, a growing majority believe the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God's presence or power, but not a living entity. As the two younger generations (Busters and Mosaics) ascend to numerical and positional supremacy in churches across the nation, the data suggest that biblical literacy is likely to decline significantly. The theological free-for-all that is encroaching in Protestant churches nationwide suggests the coming decade will be a time of unparalleled theological diversity and inconsistency.
This is why we need to pray like never before and teach the truth from the Word of God like never before.
Paul said 2 Timothy 4:2-4 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
People need 3 things from the Word of God today:
a. Understanding-Don't just get stuck on the KJV. We don't talk like they did back then. Find a translation that upholds the truth and that even the simplest mind can understand. It may not be the one you like the best, but our job is to get the Word into the hearts and minds of the people.
b. Faith-People today need to see us live what we preach and preach what we live. The time of doing one thing and saying another is past. Things have got to change and change now if we are going to survive as a church and continue as a Christian nation. The reason there are so many questions about the reality of God and His Word is because there is very little eveidence today to support it. We need a revival of doing good and living right.
c. Trust-We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, it is the lack of trust that people have in Christian leaders and people in general that has stolen away the purity and divinity of God and His Word. The only way we can gain that back again is to right our vessel and do the best we can to promote His Kingdom and His agenda and walking circumspectly in the world around us. Does that mean you won't stumble now and then? No...but it means that when you discover you do that you correct your mistakes and press on. That's what God expects and what the world needs to see.
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