Reformation Spirit

Joseph Stalin once observed, “When we hang the capitalist they will sell us the rope we use.” I think Stalin accurately predicted the posture of many Americans and unfortunately many Christians living in the 21^st century. If the current economic woes are any indication Americans are coming to terms with the excesses of corporate greed and consumer debt. This philosophy has now produced a bill which has come due resulting in a $700 billion bail out, with the promise that other creditors are standing at the collective door of the American economy. This culture of consuming has also plagued the American Christian Church and not just in economic terms. Consider that the best-attended churches in America are “Mega-Churches” which resemble Wal-Mart, where every day items are stocked high and sold cheap. This is often duplicated in the church where congregants are told that they should feel better about themselves, by pastors who write books with titles like Love your life.  Lest I am misunderstood, I have no disagreement with success and I do believe that Christ’s church should be a growing and thriving one, my disagreement is with the misrepresentation of what it means to be a Christian. Too often Christianity in America has been identified with patriotism, nostalgia and prosperity instead of the tenets of Biblical Christianity. I love my country and value my childhood as much as the next person, but this does not identify me as a Christian. Furthermore, just because it is part of my culture to attend church on Sunday, this does not identify me as a Christian. The Bible reports that followers of Christ were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26), a derisive term of mockery because they so resembled Christ. I wonder could the same be said of 21^st century disciples? First century disciples were characterized by their love for the Word of God and their love for one another. Modernity has produced a very different kind of Christian. When examining the modern counterparts of Christianity some statistics may be helpful, according to the Gallup Organization, most Americans own a Bible, but Bible ownership does not equal Bible literacy. A study conducted in October of 2000 indicated that 59% of Americans read the Bible occasionally, down 73% from the 1980s. Taking it a step further only one in seven Americans report an involvement that goes beyond just reading the Bible.  Granted this particular study did not measure Bible literacy among confessing Christians, but the fact remains that Biblical ignorance is widespread. Consider that according to Gallup,

• Only half of adults interviewed nationwide could name any of the four Gospels.
• Just 37% of those interviewed could name all four Gospels.
• Only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments correctly.
• Seven in ten were able to name the town where Jesus was born, but just 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

Even more amazingly, Christian researcher George Barna points out “twelve percent of adults believe that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc, and seventy-five percent believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves.” Some might deem this insignificant due to the trivial nature of the information, but I wonder if Americans are mistaken when it comes to material that should be taught in Sunday school how would they be expected to respond to the more complex themes of Scripture such as justification, penal substitution and the nature of God?  As to the second characteristic of early Christians, their love for one another, even a cursory survey of the Christian landscape reveals churches and Christians still persistently divide along racial, political and denominational lines.  Perhaps a new reformation is needed, where Christians are challenged to return to acts of service for one another and systematic study of the Bible. As Christians we do not want to be guilty of weaving the tapestry of our own demise. We must answer the call to return to a relationship with God that is centered in a clear understanding that the Bible is the final arbiter of truth and as such must be read, understood and lived. Too easily many have adopted the attitude of the man applying for church membership, when the gentleman was asked what he believed, he responded, “I believe what my church believes.” Naturally he was then questioned as to what his church believed, to which he responded,  “They believe what I believe.” America is currently paying an economic price for a generation that attempted to finance the excesses of today on the promises of tomorrow, we must not make the same mistake in the church, attempting to sustain a spiritual existence with a depleted diet of junk food masquerading as solid food for the soul.