by Sally Matheny
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| Have You Been Labeled a Christian? Pixabay photo |
We know only God is truly able to judge a person’s mind
and heart. Since there is only one God, some humans resort to other means of
determining people’s beliefs. They conduct a survey!
Surveys are not always reliable. However several have concluded that approximately
75% of Americans claim to be Christians.
However, the majority of these “Christians” say they do
not have a “biblical” worldview.
Obviously, people have different definitions of what it
means to be a Christian.
To get a better perspective, the research organization,
Barna Group, conducted
a survey and went beyond simply checking a box labeled “Christian.”
One label term may be new to you— “post-Christian.”
According to the Barna Group’s survey, to qualify as a “post-Christian,”
people have to meet nine or more of the following factors:
1. Do not believe
in God
2. Identify as
atheist or agnostic
3. Disagree that
faith is important in their lives
4. Have not prayed
to God (in the last year)
5. Have never made
a commitment to Jesus
6. Disagree the
Bible is accurate
7. Have not
donated money to a church (in the last year)
8. Have not
attended a Christian church (in the last year, not counting weddings or
funerals)
9. Agree that
Jesus committed sins
10.
Do not feel a responsibility to “share their faith”
11.
Have not read the Bible (in the last week)
12.
Have not volunteered at church (in the last week)
13.
Have not attended Sunday school (in the last week)
14.
Have not attended religious small group (in the last week)
15.
Do not participate in a house church (in the last year)
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| How many times have you attended a Christian church this year? |
How many of these factors apply to you? How many apply
to the rest of your family?
If you relate to at least nine of these, you may have a
post-Christian worldview.
So, what does post-Christian mean?
At first, I thought the Barna Group could have asked some
of the questions regarding the timing (week vs. year) differently. After
reading their whole The
State of the Church report, I had a clearer understanding. You should click
over there and check out the info-graphics. You may find them enlightening as
well.
Do you feel a post-Christian worldview is lurking
around your home?
What can we do to protect our hearts and the hearts of
our children? I’ve included links to some helpful articles from Focus on the Family for
you to consider.
2.
Also, there are many wonderful truths in
this article, Why
Jesus Lived, to share with your children.
3.
Talk with God on a daily basis. Even if you
feel awkward or distant, He is waiting and eager to hear from you.
Gather
your family for nightly Bible reading and prayer. Take the first step and make
it a priority. Another helpful article: Prayer
and the Difference It Makes.
4.
Consider joining a Bible study group at
your church, online, or working through one on your own at home. There are many
good ones available including those by Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, and Women of
Faith. Books by Lee Strobel, C.S. Lewis, and Josh McDowell are also good. I
love using Answers in Genesis books by Ken Ham with children.
There
are numerous more! Just make sure they agree with the entire Bible. And the
only way to do that is to dig deep into God’s Holy Word yourself every day.
5.
Who do you know personally that you
consider to be a strong, all-in Christian? That’s whom you need to go to with
your questions. If you don’t know of anyone like that, then seek out a pastor
in a local Christian church. Again, look for someone who believes the Bible to
be God’s perfect and holy Word.
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| Gather your family for Bible reading and prayer. |
Understand there are no perfect churches or perfect
Christians. Every person battles sin (going against God). As Christians grow
stronger in their faith, they become better equipped for the battles. Being persistent and consistent in learning God's will is crucial.
As we grow in knowledge and wisdom, we realize we are helpless without the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We know our only hope is through Him and so we trust Him to save us and to lead us.
As we grow in knowledge and wisdom, we realize we are helpless without the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We know our only hope is through Him and so we trust Him to save us and to lead us.
Being a Christian is not just a label or statement. As
we learn to follow Christ, we allow His Truth to pierce our souls.
Believing-Christians
are practicing-Christians. The evidence of a deep-running faith is that it overflows
into every aspect of our lives.
I'd love to hear from you! What other books and resources can you recommend that will
help strengthen a family's Christian worldview?
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