‘Christian’ Is Now a Generic Label’ – George Barna

Stephanie Martin’s recent article, as published on churchleaders.com, titled with a quote from George Barna – ‘Christian’ Is Now a Generic Label’ – raises serious concern for contemporary Christianity.

She wrote…

Courtesy: church leaders.com

According to a new report from Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center (CRC), just 9% of self-identified American Christian adults hold a biblical worldview. Even fewer (6%) hold a biblical worldview and consistently apply biblical principles to their lives.

The CRC says findings from its latest American Worldview Inventory show the need to nurture what the center calls “integrated disciples” of Jesus. “‘Christian’ has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ,” says CRC research director George Barna. “Too often, it seems, people who are simply religious, or regular churchgoers, or perhaps people who want a certain reputation or image embrace the label ‘Christian,’ regardless of their spiritual life and intentions.”

Self-Identifying as Christian Isn’t Very Telling

Of the 2,000 U.S. adults surveyed, 69% self-identified as Christian. Yet of that group, 72% say people are basically good, 64% say all religious faiths have equal value, 58% say people can get to heaven by performing good works, and 57% believe in karma. The broader group of self-identified Christians also tends to reject several biblical teachings; for example, only 46% say God’s plan for marriage involves one man and one woman, and only 32% say premarital sex is morally unacceptable.

About one-third of survey respondents identify more specifically as either born-again or evangelical Christians. “Despite using different terminology to identify themselves,” Barna says, “self-identified born-again and self-identified evangelical Christians possess nearly identical views on most of the beliefs evaluated.” Yet even among those believers, 62% say the Holy Spirit is symbolic, not real; 61% say all faiths are equally valuable; and 60% say people can get to heaven by performing good works.

Only the 6% of “integrated disciples” can be described as having a biblical worldview, says Barna. These believers “assimilate their beliefs into their lifestyles” and most closely reflect “biblical principles into their opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and preferences.”

Almost all (99%) of integrated disciples “believe that the Bible is the accurate and reliable words of God, believe that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and just Creator of the universe who still rules,” and “say they have a unique, God-given calling.”

Takeaways of These Findings

Inventory results show that U.S. adults tend to “dilute and distort the cultural understanding of what constitutes Christianity,” Barna says. Labeling people broadly as Christians becomes problematic for politics, for example. “Political polling, in particular, may mislead people regarding the views and preferences of genuine Christ-followers simply based on how those surveys measure the Christian population,” he says. Integrated disciples who truly possess a biblical worldview tend to be more conservative than the broader group of self-identified Christians.

Len Munsil, president of Arizona Christian University, says survey results emphasize the urgency of training young Christians in integrated discipleship. And outreach opportunities abound, he adds. “Fragments of biblical truth are still embraced by the overwhelming majority of American adults, which means that each of the estimated 176 million self-identified Christians has a starting point of belief that can be built upon and refined into a mature, consistent biblical worldview.”

We Cannot Forget Our History Because of Our Situation

The contemporary church should not forget history. We are not an existential church that is autonomous with its teachings and policies. Our existence and operations are based on the truth once for all delivered to the saints. 
What did Jesus teach us to do while facing persecution? 

How did the apostles respond when faced with persecution? 

They actually faced it from the beginning. The government was not not friendly with them. Yet they grew mightily and prevailed with the gospel. 

Power, not just spiritual, belonged to Peter when they came to arrest him and his peer at the temple. He only needed to speak to the people who were awe struck with the words and the miracles. They could have mobbed the temple soldiers that came to arrest them. They chose rather to follow them like the sheep to its slaughter. 

Situation did not change Peter’s opinion. Little wonder decades down the line, he presented the death of christ not just as expiatory, but also as exemplary. 

He left us an example that we should follow in His steps – 1 Peter 2:20-23

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

“He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

If any teaching or response leads us away from what the Lord says, we might need to decide to whom our allegiance is. 

We are disciples only to Christ; we were won for Him and to Him is our allegiance. 

If ours is a living faith, our obedience to it is our defence of it. 

He who sits in the heavens, did not at any time order us to take to arms to defend his cause. We are not savages. 

What kept the Christian faith till date was not the defence of arms, but the obedience and the resilience of the saints who would not forget that He promised that He will build His church and gates of hell shall not prevail. 

What caused the faith to be overrun wherever if happened in history was not the failure of the promise but the nominal religion that they reduced the faith to in those places. 

This is what we should contend against; and to the great commission, we should commit ourselves. 

When Peter drew the sword, Jesus told him that those who live by the sword shall perish by the sword. 

He later taught his generation to be peaceful when faced with persecution. 

THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS IS THE SEED OF THE CHURCH.

The valiant in faith never resorted to sword in the history of the church. 

Our defence of the faith is ideological and spiritual. If we resort to sword, it is not for the faith, maybe for our space and for our lives. 

He called us to take up our cross and not our sword.

For those who were not nominal in history, they sustained in obedience to Christ. 

Matthew 16:24-26

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

They choose to die willingly in the early church, knowing it was part of the package

Not all who says Lord, Lord shall have the attention of the master on that day, in spite of the accomplishments, only those who do (not those who rewrite) His will. 

We must sharpened each other in these trying times; we must uphold one another not to forget where our river flows from. 

To him who overcome, there is a crown. 

We Cannot Forget Our History Because of Our Situation

Our Cause or the Cause of Christ

I have been musing in recent times as I have done in the past about the energy and time believers are putting into campaigning against purported islamisation of Nigeria instead of devotion to evangelism and prayers for the will of God to be done on earth. I am asking myself which one will be better.

Regional failures of Christians in history were not so much as a result of being overrun by other religions, but as a result of failing CHRIST while still feeling cool about themselves being busy with self interest. We wouldn’t have known this if not for the letters to the churches in Revelation.

I often ask myself what would Christ do if He were here now. Will He be busy with reactions or with taking right actions, those that He came for.

I ask my self what was the church’s disposition when Emperor Nero was haunting them. Check what Peter wrote in his first epistle.

The only way we can fight for the cause of Christ is through obedience to the charge He gave us. I think in these agitations we are rather fighting for ourselves and not for Christ.

What did Christ teach on how to live under persecution and what did the Apostles affirm after Him?

Christian living and response cannot be synonymous with civil activism. It is either we are preaching Christ or saving our heads.

He that will find his life will loose it and he that will loose his life will find it. Read across the Gospels and see what Christ wrote.

The perpetuation of Christ’s work on earth will never depend on these agitations. No one can wipe out the cause of Christ on earth. He promised to build His church; He promised that the gate of hell shall not prevail. They were not busy agitating in Jerusalem; they rejoiced when they suffered for Christ.

Christians in certain parts of India are going through tough times. They are facing the heat while still winning souls even among their detractors. Christian are not called to campaign against persecution.

I have to keep checking if my Bible is not different. I have to keep asking myself why my friends will keep sending the same message from years ago to me over WhatsApp either ignorantly or to promote agitations.

Can I plead with you to spare me of being copied in these Biblically baseless campaigns. I have taken my stand 27 years ago and I am not changing it in being an obedient disciple of Christ. I have children and I have not shun to show them what the bible says to us on such things.

I am not holier than thou, sincerely. I am also not given to religious campaigns that make enemies or opponents out of those I was sent to minister to.

I am Isaac Boluwatise. Not as if I am already perfect, neither will I be involved in what Christ did not send me to do. I haven’t lost my sense of reason and neither will I rationalise on clearly defined biblical matters.

I have the fear that those who fight to keep their head in relatively peaceful times are doing injustice to the believers’ choice when they will be directly confronted in evil days. How many will stand if they are offered options.

We are here for the cause of Christ and not to save our lives. May the Lord help us all.

Shalom.