An Encouraging Study

-

This is an encouraging report from the Barna Group regarding the rising rate of church attendance for young people. I am glad to see church attendance rising statistically since attendance at church has many benefits for both society and the individual, not the least of which is the opportunity for a person to hear the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us and trust Him with their lives and their eternal futures.

Many research reports critical of Christianity's impact on society determine if a person is a Christian or not based on whether they claim to be a Christian in response to a single question, independent of their religious practice. Many of the conclusions reached in those studies reverse or disappear when adjusted for church attendance. The most famous example is the 50% of marriages end in divorce statistic often quoted from pulpits. Research cited by Shaunti Feldhahn is several of her books shows that those who attend religious services only have about a 35% divorce rate over the same time base and criteria used in the study which showed a 50% divorce rate.  ( I should also not that there is a dearth of studies which measure religious impact in this way.)

Church attendance is a basic measure of whether a person is actually doing what the Christian faith requires. Just claiming to be a Christian is not enough, you have to practice your faith, and church attendance is one measure of how faith is practiced. We have good reason to question whether a person who claims to be a Christian who does not practice their faith is a Christian at all when we look at what the Bible says.

I am a bit skeptical of the report's recommendations for the church's response to this turn of events, however. The Bible tells the church what to do, including everything from how to conduct a worship service to how to conduct discipleship and evangelism. Churches should stick to the plan the Bible lays out.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Face of Terror

-
Osama Bin laden is dead. Since the rest of the internet is buzzing with opinions on that death, I thought I would weigh in. First, this is not the end of global terrorism. Like the Hydra of old, when one head is chopped off, two more take its place. We still need diligence in our fight against global terror. U. S. and allied Armed Forces still need our prayers. We still need a strong military and intelligence community. We have not yet cut off the Hydra’s immortal head. Second, the way to get to the ‘heart of the matter’ is with Christian missionary efforts. We must reach the people who make up those societies and population segments that produce terrorists . To tell a story I have told here before : Early in the twentieth century, Baptist evangelists preached through rural Mississippi and Alabama with such effectiveness that moonshiners could no longer sell their whiskey: All their customers were getting converted! In desperation, the whiskey sellers hired two men to murder on...
Read more

The Canons of Dort

-
I believe that the Canons of Dort are true. This is a statement that came out the Synod of Dort, held from 1618-1619. The Canons of Dort outline the system of theology known today as the “five points of Calvinism.” The problem I have with most “five-point Calvinists” is that the Canons of Dort contain much more than five points. Many explanations of the TULIP (total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints) are gross simplifications of the Canons of Dort. [This is especially true of explanations given by those who oppose Calvinism. It is easier to knock down a straw man than it is to knock down a real man, and so it is easier to criticize an oversimplified Calvinism that the more robust form.] Some of those who teach the “five points” leave out some of the quotes below: This death of God's Son is the only and entirely complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; it is of infinite value and worth, more than ...
Read more

Nine Reasons Why Christianity is The Only True Religion, Part 2: God is Who He Is

-
There are some problems that can be solved intuitively. As an engineering major I was often faced with complex problems in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and other engineering disciplines that required much thought to solve. I was often guided by my intuition, a kind of problem-solving method best describe by the phrase “AH-HA, now I see it.” I was often able to see the answer without consciously thinking through the problem. Of course, I had to go back to the beginning, reason through my answer and provide that line of reasoning to get credit for the problem on an exam. The “AH-HA method” guided me through many problems and exercises. It guides me through many decisions I make today as a manager and consultant. Of course, I have to go back to data and facts derived from observation to make my case. I must still justify my actions to others. Does this mean the “AH-HA method” is inferior? Yes, it does. Decisions should be made based on facts. We must explain the real world as we f...
Read more