From Baptist Press comes news of a survey conducted by LifeWay Research of unchurched people.
Here is just a little of what they found:
"A full 72 percent of the people interviewed said they think the church 'is full of hypocrites,'" Stetzer said. "At the same time, however, 71 percent of the respondents said they believe Jesus 'makes a positive difference in a person's life' and 78 percent said they would be 'willing to listen' to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity."
Concerning the biblical understanding about God and Jesus among unchurched Americans, Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research, recounted, "While 72 percent of those surveyed said they believe God -- a higher or supreme being -- actually exists, only 48 percent agree there is only one God as described in the Bible, and 61 percent believe 'the God of the Bible is no different from the gods or spiritual beings depicted by world religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. At the same time, 66 percent of adults ages 18-29 agree that Jesus died and came back to life, compared to 54 percent of adults 30 years and older."
As the article goes on to say, these misunderstandings aren't surprising, given today's culture of tolerance, moral relativism and "all roads lead to heaven" mentality.
Also, if they're not going to church, why should they understand much about Christianity? You wouldn't expect most people to know much about science if they never went to science class, would you?
2 comments:
There is churchianity and there is Christianity.
This difference is Christ!
Churchianity can't help fooling itself.
Bruce -
hwbbroWell said, Bruce. I agree that church attendance and involement do not a Christian make, but a Christian without a church family is denying him/or herself the joy of fellowship and support that most of us need to deal with the world we face. But first, one has to find a church that is true to Scripture with as little second-hand interpretation as possible. Pray for guidance and discernment.
So many people want God in their lives, but their hearts are hardened by the secular world and they end up with a hazy, mushy, non-specific theology that asks little and gives little. Christians need to witness to these souls in word and deed and pray that God will call them to Himself.
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