Call for Comments: An Indictment of the Church

[jpholding]

The church I'm currently attending is starting a series on the Christian world view using a DVD set produced by Focus on the Family. It basically starts at the philosophical ground level (i.e. "Why do I exist, and if I don't exist, why do I think I exist?") and works its way up from there to help people develop a Biblically grounded world view. They showed a trailer for it a couple of Sundays ago, and it looked pretty good from what I could tell. I appreciate the idea, and the fact that my church even considers this worth doing was encouraging.

I can't remember what the series is called exactly, but I was wondering if anybody else knows what I'm talking about and what their opinion of it is. JP, does it ring a bell?

Edit: Found it. It's called The Truth Project.

Good thing, because I'd never heard of it.

[energyman]

I wouldn't doubt it, but he seems to think his field is just about everything.

Indeed. Whenever people like Richard Dawkins do stuff like this, I am reminded of Plato's Apology. In one section of the dialogue (it's actually more like a monologue in this case), Socrates describes himself talking to a man who knows a very great deal about his trade, but then he starts shooting off his mouth about things he doesn't know anything about and Socrates considers himself the wiser, for he does not presume himself to know the things he does not.

[Cynic Sage]

The church I'm currently attending is starting a series on the Christian world view using a DVD set produced by Focus on the Family. It basically starts at the philosophical ground level (i.e. "Why do I exist, and if I don't exist, why do I think I exist?") and works its way up from there to help people develop a Biblically grounded world view. They showed a trailer for it a couple of Sundays ago, and it looked pretty good from what I could tell. I appreciate the idea, and the fact that my church even considers this worth doing was encouraging.

I can't remember what the series is called exactly, but I was wondering if anybody else knows what I'm talking about and what their opinion of it is. JP, does it ring a bell?

Edit: Found it. It's called The Truth Project.

I dunno about that. Focus on the Family always seems to be more interested in getting people to vote yes/no on bill/proposition "gays v. fetus" than providing solid arguments for the faith.

That and I have trouble trusting an organization, Christian or not, that misrepresents statistics and keeps flip-flopping on whether or not it is a politcal organization.

[Bill the Cat]

My Boss is teaching The Truth Project at his church for the second time and he loves it. I'd also like to see if JP has any knowledge of it. Ravi is part of it, so I am tentatively a fan.

[R. Hoeppner]

In too many churches (and I visit plenty of them in my travels) the Sunday Morning sermons are generally geared to a type of 'how you should live' seminars.
My desire is that of those in Bible times who said: "We would see Jesus." Jesus the standard by which all of us are measured, and by which all of us fall far short. We christians are too concerned with our selves, "what can God do for me" so it's no wonder the world with all of it's skepticism measures the church by us. We've set it up that way - a kind of 12 step christianity--you know, 12 steps to a better marriage, 12 steps to god's blessings, 12 steps to deliverance etc. Nothing more than formulaes that mainly the authors themselves profit from. Show the world the Jesus of the Bible. Preach Jesus, teach Jesus, confess Jesus and you will see revival!

[jpholding]

Hokey smokes. I could have written this:

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blo...emic/#comments

....One fascination, obsession, and focus (neurotic pulse?) I have in my life and ministry is with regard to those, like this young lady, who leave the faith. You may have noticed this. I have over a dozen books giving autobiographical sketches of those who once proclaimed to be Christian and are now evangelistic atheists, agnostics, or skeptics, with their goal to convert or, rather, unconvert others. I have been in contact with many people who either have already left or are on the verge of leaving. I get emails, phone calls, and visits from the same.

No, it is not a neurotic pulse. I believe that it is the recognition of an extremely serious issue that we are facing today. We are facing an epidemic in Christianity—an epidemic of unbelief among our own. Crowding our churches are those who are somewhere in the process of leaving. No, I am not talking about leaving a denomination. I am not talking about abandoning some institutionalized expression of Christianity. I am not talking about leaving the church (though related). And I am not even talking about renouncing religion. I am talking about those who are leaving Christ.

Over 31 million Americans are saying “check please” to the church, and are off to find answers elsewhere. Jeff Schadt, coordinator of Youth Transition Network, says thousands of youth fall away from the church when transitioning from high school to college. He and other youth leaders estimate that 65 to 94 percent of high school students stop attending church after graduating. From my studies and experience I find that leaving church is many times the first visible step in one’s pilgrimage away from Christ.

The question that we must ask is a very simple one: Why? Why are people leaving the faith at this epidemic and alarming rate? In my studies, I have found that the two primary reasons people leave the faith are 1) intellectual challenges and 2) bad theology or misplaced beliefs.

First, I want to explain this transition process, focusing on the first: intellectual challenges. You might even find yourself somewhere on this journey.

Step one: Doubt
Step two: Discouragement
Step three: Disillusionment
Step four: Apathy
Step five: Departure

Step One: Doubt

Here is where the person begins to examine his or her faith more critically by asking questions, expressing concerns, and becoming transparent with their doubt. This doubt is not wholesale, but expresses an inner longing to have questions answered and the intellect satisfied to some degree. Normally this person will inquire of mentors in the faith, requesting an audience for their doubt.

Step Two: Discouragement

This is where the person becomes frustrated because they are not finding the answers. They ask questions but the answer (or lack thereof) causes them discouragement. Their church tells them that such questions are “unchristian.” Their Sunday school teacher says, “I don’t know. You just have to believe.” Others simply say, “That’s a good question, I have never thought of it before,” and then go on their way on their own leap-of-faith journey.

Step Three: Disillusionment

Now the person begins to become disillusioned with Christianity in general and proceeds to doubt much more deeply. They feel betrayed by those who made them believe the story about Christ. They feel that much of their former faith was naive since not even their most trusted mentors could (or would) answer basic questions about the Bible, history, or faith. In their thinking the intellect has become illegitimized and the church is therefore an illegitimate contender for their mind.

Step Four: Apathy

At this point in the journey, the disillusioned Christian becomes apathetic to finding the answers, believing that the answers don’t exist. They are firmly on their way to atheism, agnosticism, or pure skepticism but don’t have the courage to admit it to themselves or others. Many times those in this stage live as closet unbelievers, believing it is not worth it to come clean about their departure from the faith. They want a peaceful existence in their unbelief without creating controversy. Therefore, they are content to remain closet unbelievers.

Step Five: Departure

Here is where I meet this young lady I told you about. (Really, she was somewhere in-between apathy and departure.) At this stage the fact that they have left the faith has become real to them and they are willing to announce to the world. Because of their sense of betrayal, they feel as if it is their duty to become evangelists for the cause of unbelief. Their goal and mission becomes to unconvert the converted.

“I don’t really even care what you have to say to me,” she told me that day. “I just don’t believe anymore and there is nothing anyone can do about it.” As I thought about this young lady over the last week, only one thing keeps coming to mind: how was she a part of the church for so long without the church engaging her on these issues. You see, her issues were numerous, but foundational. She doubted the resurrection of Christ, the inspiration, inerrancy, and canon of Scripture, and the historicity of the Christian faith in general. If the church had legitimized her questions during the doubting phase and truly engaged her from an intellectual front I can’t help but think, from a human point of view, things might have been different. But once she reaches the point of apathy, this seems to be a point of no return.

My life and my ministry is committed to one thing: rooting people theologically by presenting the intellectual viability of the Evangelical faith. While I understand this is not all there is to the Christian faith, it is an absolute vital part of discipleship and foundational to everything else.

Everyone will go through the doubt phase. Everyone should ask questions about the faith. If you have not asked the “How do you know . . .” questions about the message of the Gospel, this is not a good thing. We should be challenged to think through these questions early in the faith. The Church needs to rethink its education program. Expositional preaching, while important, is not enough. Did you hear that? Expositional preaching is not enough. It does not provide the discipleship venue that is vital for us to prevent and overcome this epidemic. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that it does.

The church has been on an intellectual diet for the last century and we are suffering from theological atrophy. What else do you expect when we have replaced theological discipleship with a gluttonous promotion of entertainment, numbers, and fast-food Christianity that can produce nothing more than a veneer of faith seasoned for departure?

The solution: to reform our educational program in the church. To lay theological foundations through critical thinking. To understand that the great commission is to make disciples, not simply converts. And most importantly, we must pray that God will grant a revival of the mind knowing that without the power of the Holy Spirit, no amount of intellectual persuasion can change an antagonistic heart.

Without these, the epidemic of leaving Christ will only worsen.

Heck, I did write that a year or more ago....

[Sparko]

Hokey smokes. I could have written this:

http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blo...emic/#comments



Heck, I did write that a year or more ago....

someone plagiarized you?

dang. go get him.

[jpholding]

someone plagiarized you?

dang. go get him.

He didn't, but I would gladly give permission to anyone who wanted to on this one!

[jpholding]

Got a poignant email today, to share. Used with permission, slightly altered for privacy.

Please help me. My son has left our born-again Christian church and now says that he doesn't believe that Jesus ever existed and has taken his wife and my grandchildren down this same path of destruction. I do not believe that any of them were saved before this happened but they were hearing the Word and always in our prayers.

My son also believes in every conspiracy theory that is out there - i.e. America was created to be the cesspool of the world; the world is controlled by German Jews (which includes the Queen of England and her husband) who are the elite of the Freemasons and are in turn controlled by Satan himself; Bush sacrifices babies in the basement of the White House; Bush blew up the World Trade Center with the help of his brother (not Jeb); there is an entire inhabited world in the middle of the earth, the porthole is in the South Pole; and dozens of other outragious things.

We definitely need more "Way of the Master" and singing in church, and less apologetics material in our sermons.

[Raphael]

As the saying goes, if you don't stand for anything you'll fall for everything.

That's a really sad email.

[jwarrend]

We definitely need more "Way of the Master" and singing in church, and less apologetics material in our sermons.

<Sarcasm>

Indeed. Because as we all know, advocates of the Way of the Master and singing in church also promote teachings about how German Jews control the world and that there is an inhabited world in the center of the earth. Great point, JP.

This is a fair warning to those sarcastically impaired the preceding text was written in jest.

[Sparko]

Got a poignant email today, to share. Used with permission, slightly altered for privacy.



We definitely need more "Way of the Master" and singing in church, and less apologetics material in our sermons.

wow. so he believes all sorts of inane crap without any evidence whatsoever, but doesn't think that Jesus ever existed despite 2000 years of history backing it up?

that figures.

[jpholding]

jwarrend
This message is hidden because jwarrend is on your ignore list.

Huh. Let me guess....

WHINE WHINE WHIIIINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHIIIIIINE WHINE WAY OF THE MASTER HAS DONE SOME GOOD HOW DARE YOU WHINE WHINE WHINE WHIIIINE

How close am I?

[Raphael]

Huh. Let me guess....



How close am I?

Not that close. He was just pointing out that we can't blame WoTM for that bloke believing all the conspiracy crap....being ineffective yes, conspiracy crap no.

[jpholding]

Not that close. He was just pointing out that we can't blame WoTM for that bloke believing all the conspiracy crap....being ineffective yes, conspiracy crap no.

Oh. In other words he missed the point as usual. E.g., ineffectiveness in/of the church is one of the first steps in/reasons for people falling into this kind of crap.

That's why he's on Ignore -- he can't think his way out of a paper bag. Carry on.