By working with the numbers of the surveys I was able to come up with a chart that showed how Americans have been changing from their childhood faith to their current faith. One of the key findings was that Christian denominations are losing adherents though the back door so to speak than they are gaining new believers through the front door. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, please check out the original post, as it will help you understand some of the ideas behind this post, as well us understand the magnitude of the changes.
Today I wanted to focus on the “when” and the “why” this hemorrhaging was occurring, but as I have been pondering the data, the “when” seemed to really stand out as being important. I was reminded of my preaching classes back in seminary, when our professor, Dr. Peter Ralph, would constantly remind us to find the “big idea” that needed to be communicated from the biblical text. I think the same holds true when looking at survey data. Here is the “big idea” that jumped out at me when going through the Flux survey data and reports:
Most religious life decisions, even among those who have been open to change, has been set by age 23. Read the rest of this entry »
This post was originally published at Internet Monk.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
- Bob Dylan 1963
For years I have heard about the many changes that have been taking place within the Christian World. Churches and denominations growing, churches and denominations shrinking. We have had a pretty good idea of who has been growing, and who has been shrinking, but with birth rates, death rates and other factors, it has been pretty hard to pin down the source of the growth and decline. Have Evangelicals been growing? If so, has the growth come from the non religious, Catholics, Mainline Protestants, or other religions? What sort of outflows have they experienced that have offset the inputs? Is the back door larger or smaller than the front door? How are the Catholics, the Mainline Protestants, the non religious and others doing?
I have been busy in the last week doing a bit of reverse engineering on the numbers to represent the shifts in belief as best and as clearly as I can. Here is the resulting chart. You can click on it to see the full sized version.
I had previously posted that because of the busyness of life, both for myself and Joshua Hearne, that posting to Eclectic Christian is going to be quite limited for the next few months. However, I am going to be posting infrequently at Internet Monk and I will repost those items here.
Ike made a comment on my recent piece on Recession and Church growth that I think deserves some further attention. Ike begins by quoting from Thomas Kelley who wrote:
The deepest need of men is not food and clothing and shelter, important as they are. It is God. We have mistaken the nature of poverty and thought it was economic poverty. No, it is poverty of soul, deprivation of God’s recreating, loving peace. Peer into poverty and see if we are really getting down to our deepest needs, in our economic salvation schemes. These are important. But they lie farther along the road, secondary steps toward world reconstruction. The primary step is a holy life, transformed and radiant in the glory of God.
Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion, page 123.
Ike continues by writing:
Our economic recession began in a recession of the soul. If our hearts were filled with the Holy Spirit, we would be so freed from financial foolishness that we would not have established lifestyles, personally and nationally, that we now know are practically unsustainable, politically divisive, economically backward and perhaps even militarily risky.
The most relevant message to our nation today, and to ourselves, is personal repentance, confession of sin, newness of life and hope in the gracious promises of God in Christ.
Over the last few days I have been thinking about this, particularly as it relates to this blog. I don’t won’t to get so wrapped up in other statistics and other thing that I forget the focus that this blog was supposed to be about. It is about the good news of Jesus Christ, and how that is lived out throughout Christianity. Sure I find the numbers interesting and I am going to continue to put up posts along those lines. As much as possible though I want to try and tie them back to what it means concerning the good news of Jesus.
As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.
Two blogs that I have been reading quite a bit recently are Girl in a Glass House and Willohroots. I don’t really care for either of the blogs’ artistic layouts, (sorry guys) but that is not why I go there. Girl in a glass house in an excellent writer who has written some wonderful stuff on her relationship with God. She has a wonderful way of weaving in quotations from other Christian writers. Willohroots tends to have interesting stories about being called into ministry in a small church. I feel a sense of kinship with him as he talks about how he is ministering to others.
Both of them have been a great encouragement to me and are among the most frequent Eclectic Christian commentators. If you haven’t had a chance to visit their sites please do so. I am adding them both to my blogroll.
The following post was originally published at InternetMonk.com.
Michael Spencer recently republished an article which looked at the problems that wealth creates for discipleship. He writes:
Have you ever thought about this? We are living in the most fabulously wealthy, excessively entertained and unimaginably prosperous nation in the history of the world. We have a standard of living, and a level of comfort, that much of the rest of the world cannot imagine…
The Jesus of the Gospel proclaims the promises of prosperity, real estate and parking places to be empty. If we will listen. He’s just as discomforting now as ever, unless we render him the harmless servant of our desires.
Rather than telling us about your best life now, Jesus talks over and over about persecution, sacrifice, voluntary poverty and laying down the images and symbols of success for the lasting worth and influence of the Kingdom of Jesus.
In the story of the rich young ruler, Matthew 19:21-24, Jesus makes it clear that it is very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is so very true. When people are content in their present circumstances it is very difficult for them to hear the challenges of the gospel, and the demands of the Kingdom of God. This goes for both people with and without faith in God. For those with faith, it is a question of discipleship. For those without faith it is a question of evangelism.
I have been posting on Eclectic Christian now for just over a year. This post is the amalgamation of two of my very earliest posts and is revisited now as Easter is just about upon us.
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:8-9
22″What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23″Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Matthew 27:22-23
What a difference a week makes! In one week, the people have gone from shouting “Hosanna” to shouting “Crucify him!” Unfortunately, in almost every sermon I have heard on the topic, the pastor gets it wrong. (Not picking on any particular pastor here, I have heard this preached badly six or seven times.) The Pastor assumes that the crowd in Matthew 21 is the same as the crowd in Matthew 27. But this is not the case. Read the rest of this entry »
Roughly twenty five years ago, Peter Heath and I started writing songs together. We took a hiatus of twenty years, but for the last year we have been collaborating on songs again. Peter, as you may know is an occasional contributor to Eclectic Christian, who now lives half way around the world. Through the miracle of modern technology we have been able to work together on five new songs. Peter is very much the driving force on the songs, and the primary contributor. I am honored that he puts my name on them as co-writer.
Read. Listen. They are not yet professional recordings but are still very listenable. I have put our most recent song, and my personal favorite, first. We have also included chord charts for all the songs should you wish to play them yourself or introduce them to your worship team. If you would like to use them for your church, simply let us know that you are doing so. In any case, please let us know what you think, we would love your feedback.
Your Will Be Done
Peter Heath & Michael Bell Chord Chart
1. With His hands He carved the wood
Blessed the children, broke the bread
Healed the sick, Touched the outcast
Carried my cross, the hands of God
My hands are His, To work, to serve
My hands are His, To bless, to heal
My hands are His, for the glory of His name
His perfect will be done
2. With His voice He calmed the sea
Blessed the poor, prayed for you and me
Called the dead from the tomb
Said, “It is done,” the voice of God
My voice is His, to bless, to praise
My voice is His, in any – way
My voice is His, for the glory of His name
His perfect will be done
3. With His feet He traveled the land
From temple courts, to Samaritans
Strode the waves, bowed in the Garden
Walked out of the tomb, the feet of God
My feet are His, to go, to stay
My feet are His, any – where
My feet are His, for the glory of His name
His perfect will
My life is Yours, I give it all
My life is Yours, for any call
My life is Yours, for the glory of Your name
Your perfect will be done
Everything I Want
Peter Heath & Michael Bell Chord Chart
You are perfect, holy,
Infinite love and mercy
You are purest of light
I am a shadow of You,
You are perfect, holy,
Wonderful grace and beauty
You are purest of light
Glorious, awesome God
You are everything I want,
Everything I need
You’re beyond my reach
Until you reach for me.
You are everything I want,
Everything I need
Oh, draw me in
Till you are all I see.
Follow
Peter Heath & Michael Bell Chord Chart
1. You lift me up to the mountain
Overwhelm with Your wonders
You rescue me from the pit
And give me strength to stand
Day by day You have met me here
Day and night You have held my hand
So lead me on, lead me on
CH1. God of David, God of Joseph
I will follow, I will follow You
God of Heaven, Lord of my heart
Lead the way, I will follow You
2. You bring me water in the desert
Cool streams for my soul
You call my name in the storm
And trade my chaos for peace
Day by day You have met me here
Day and night You have held my hand
So lead me on, lead me on
CH2. God of David, God of Joseph
I will follow, I will follow You
God of Heaven, Lord of my heart
Lead me on, lead me on (go to CH1)
Tag. Lead the way, Lead me on
I will follow You (repeat)
Never Alone
Peter Heath & Michael Bell Chord Chart
1. If You lead me away to the farthest side
Of heaven and earth, You are still my guide
You are there, You are there
2. Anywhere for the sake of Your holy name
I will joyfully go, trusting in the claim that
You are there, You are there
CH. Where can I go without You?
There is no hidden place
Where can I go beyond You?
The compass can’t erase
Your love for me
You are ever near
3. From the blessing of home to the farthest land
I am never alone, I am in Your hand
You are there, You are there
God So Loved
Peter Heath & Michael Bell Chord Chart
Ch. God so loved (God so loved)
God so loved the world
Boundless love (Boundless love)
God so loved the world
You so loved (You so loved)
You so loved the world
1. You gave us light and gave us life
Created us a home
Met every need beyond belief
Poured blessing down like rain
2. You’ve chosen us for royal priests
To pass the blessing on
Till every tribe and nation falls
In worship at the throne
3. You sent Your Son to live a life
Of sacrifice for us
To heal our hurts and set us free
And die upon that cross
The ransom paid, forgiveness made
Grace and justice one
Sin and Death and Satan crushed
And Life Eternal won
Why is it so important that we believe that Jesus is God? Does it make a difference? The answer comes when we look at what it means to have our sins forgiven. This is I believe the most important article in the whole series.
The Forgiveness of Sins
Twice in the Bible Jesus makes the direct claim to forgive sins.
Luke 7:48 (NIV) – Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:5-7 (NIV) – “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Why did the Jews believe that only God can forgive sins? It can be explained like this: A sin is an offense which is committed against God. An offense can only be forgiven by the person against whom it is committed. Therefore a sin can only be forgiven by God. since sinning is the action which sparates us from God (Romans 3:23), and God is the only one who can forgive sins, we must conclude that it can only take an action of God to bridge this gulf between each one of us and God. If it was some mere man or angel who was crucified what would that prove? It would show that God was unjust, making a third party suffer for a two party transaction. But God is not unjust and thus we must conclude that God took human form, to die, and to bridge the gap between human beings and himself. Read the rest of this entry »
Much to my surprise, the decline in evangelicals in the U.S. has already begun. The Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA) lets you generate maps to visibly see the changes. The maps shown here show the difference in Evangelicals between 1990 and 2000. Note how the colors have lightened over 10 years, particularly in the south-east.
You can visit the ARDA site to create your own maps on a national, regional, and/or denominational level.
When we look at the age composition of churches in the data from the American Religious Identity Survey (ARIS), it is clear that those who will be impacted the most will be those denominations who call themselves Baptist. The most significant growth is coming from those Christians who say they have no denominational affiliation. Two thirds of these are under the age of fifty. It is clear from the data that there is and will be a move away from denominational identification.
In order to emphasize the centrality of the gospel, we are committed to reaching beyond the borders of our own churches and denominations. The graphic at the top of the page represents where we are in ministry around the world. Click on "About Eclectic Christian" to learn more.
Named after Luis de Molina, a 16th century Jesuit theologian, Molinism is a proposed reconciliation of the problems introduced in the tension between human freedom and divine sovereignty. Molinism seeks to retain both a true libertarian freedom without sacrificing divine providence or sovereignty by introducing the idea of “middle knowledge.” In […]
By working with the numbers of the surveys I was able to come up with a chart that showed how Americans have been changing from their childhood faith to their current faith. One of the key findings was that Christian denominations are losing adherents though the back door so to speak than they are gaining new believers through the front door. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, please check out the original post, as it will help you understand some of the ideas behind this post, as well us understand the magnitude of the changes.
Posted by Eclectic Christian 
By Michael Bell
Michael Bell
Joshua Hearne
Tim Melton
Joel Black
