President Obama recently stated while in Turkey that, "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation; we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."
A few years ago Obama said this, "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation - at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."
Is the United States still a Christian nation?
In my opinion, no.
Does the United States have a rich heritage and beginning foundation under the banner of Christianity?
Yes, absolutely.
Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and in a recent poll, 83% of Americans identified themselves as Christians.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/beliefnet_poll_010718.html
Can this be right? Basically 8 out of 10 people are Christian?
No - There is no way.
This may be the only thing Obama and I will ever agree on; America is no longer a Christian nation.
How can it be?
Look at a poll that just came out today from Barna:
Almost 6 out of 10 'Christians' either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," the survey found. Forty percent strongly agreed with the statement while 19 percent of American Christians somewhat agreed.
Likewise, most 'Christians' in the United States do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force. Fifty-eight percent strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God's power or presence but is not a living entity."
More than one-fifth (22 percent) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17 percent agreeing somewhat.
Half of all Christian marriages end in divorce.
There are plenty more polls out there to show even more alarming statistics of what 'Christians believe within the 'Christian' community.
Look at our country folks. If this were really a Christian nation would our country look like it does today?
*America sees more than a million abortions per year.
*There are more than 16,000 murders per year (not counting abortions of course).
*The tolerance and boldness of the homosexual movement.
I live in the 'Bible belt' and more times than not when I'm sharing the Gospel it's the first time a person has ever heard anything about sin, judgment, Hell and what Christ did to save us.
Folks, this country is far from the title 'Christian Nation' and looks more like a biblical Sodom and Gomorrah.
But there is good news!!
This means that the fields are even whiter for witnessing the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ!!
So get out there and tell someone this week!
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3 comments:
A friend of mine said that Christianity truly flourishes when times are bleak. As true as this might be, I don't want to purposely usher in dark times. It will only get easier to identify the wheat from the chaff. I hope that as we continue down this path we unite under God's love instead divide over endless ideas on theology and doctrine.
"I hope that as we continue down this path we unite under God's love instead divide over endless ideas on theology and doctrine."As long as we can keep arguing about evolution & creation, I don't mind!
Wayne,
Do you think the Founding Fathers had a similar take on Christianity that you do? By that, I mean, do you think that America was founded as a Christian nation with sound Christian doctrine (hell, sin, the Law, repentance etc)?
If not, then it doesn't really matter either way, because it was never really a Christian nation to begin with, right?
American "christianity" is 3000 miles wide and 1 inch deep.
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
I Corinthians 15:1-4
A writer or preacher would be hard pressed to produce a better introduction to the Gospel of Jesus Christ than that which is given here by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. In these few lines, he gives us enough truth to live on for a lifetime and to bring us home to glory. Only the Holy Spirit could enable a man to write so much, so clearly, and in so little space.
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel… I Corinthians 15:1
In this simple phrase, we find a truth that must be rediscovered by all of us. The Gospel is not merely an introductory message to Christianity. It is “the” message of Christianity, and it is not only the means of salvation, but also the means of continued sanctification in the life of the most mature believer.
The Apostle had already preached the Gospel to these people! He was their father in the faith! Yet he sees the greatest need to continue teaching the Gospel to them, not only to remind them of its essential ingredients, but also to expand their knowledge of it. At their conversion, they merely began a journey of discovery that would encompass their entire life and carry on through the endless ages of eternity – the discovery of the glories of God revealed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we look through the annals of Christian history, we see men and women of unusual passion for God and His kingdom. We long to be like them, and we wonder how they came to have such enduring fire. I have studied the lives of quite a few of them, and I find one common denominator among them. They all seem to have caught a glimpse of the glory of the Gospel, and its beauty kindled their passion and drove them on. Genuine and enduring passion comes from an ever-increasing, ever-deepening understanding of what God has done for His people in the person and work of Jesus Christ!
Today, there are so many conferences and such, especially for our youth, which are designed to excite the believer’s passion through fellowship, music, eloquent speakers, emotional stories, and impassioned pleas. Yet, often whatever excitement they create quickly vanishes. In the end, little fires have been built in little hearts that burn out in a few days. We have forgotten that genuine, enduring passion is born out of one’s knowledge of the truth, and specifically the truth of the Gospel. The more one comprehends its beauty, the more one will be apprehended by its power. One glance of the Gospel will move the truly regenerate heart to follow. Every greater glimpse will quicken its pace until it is running recklessly toward the prize. Such beauty, the truly Christian heart cannot resist. This is the great need of the day! It is what we have lost—the preaching of the Gospel.
A Gospel To Be Preached
…which I preached to you, I Corinthians 15:1
It seems that for the most part, impassioned preaching has gone out of style. It has been deemed by many to be lacking the refinement and sophistication that are necessary to be effective in this modern era. The passionate preacher proclaiming truth boldly and unapologetically is now considered an obstacle to the post-modern man who prefers a bit more humility and openness to other points of view. The majority argument is that we simply must change the way we preach because it just looks foolish to the world.
Such an attitude toward preaching is proof that we have lost our bearings in the Evangelical community. It is God who has ordained the “foolishness of preaching” to be the instrument of bringing the saving message of the Gospel to the world. That is not to say that preaching should be foolish, illogical, or outlandish, but the standard by which all preaching should be compared is the Scripture and not the contemporary opinions of a fallen and corrupt culture that is wise in its own eyes.
The theory is often put forth that our present culture cannot tolerate the type of preaching that was so effective during the great awakenings and revivals of the past. The preaching of George Whitefield, John Wesley, and other like-minded preachers would be ridiculed, lampooned and laughed to scorn by modern man. Yet, this theory fails to take into account that these same preachers were ridiculed and lampooned by the men of their own day! True Gospel preaching will always be “foolishness” to every culture. Any attempt to remove the offense and make preaching “appropriate” diminishes the power of the Gospel. It also defeats the purpose for which God chose preaching as the means of saving men – so that men’s hope might not rest in refinement, eloquence, or worldly wisdom, but in the power of God.
We live in a culture that is bound in sin like bands of iron. Moral stories, quaint maxims, and life lessons shared from the heart of a beloved pulpiteer have no real power against such darkness. We need preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who know the Scriptures and are enabled by the grace of God to face any culture and cry out, “Thus saith the Lord!”
- HeartCry Missionary Society, Volume 54
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