FALLING AWAY "Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away
first." 2TH.2:3a
"Irrelevant to My Life" Religion Today
Christianity is having "a minimal influence on the thoughts, words, and
deeds of people under the age 40," according to pollster George Barna.
His examination of 100 indicators of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
showed that Christians are very similar to non-Christians in their
everyday behavior.
"Non-Christians expect Christians to differ in the religious realm,"
Barna said. However, "there are few instances of visible differences
outside of the religious domain." He concluded that Christians are
losing their impact despite the fact that 90% of Americans have a
positive view of the Christian faith and 84% believe themselves to be
Christians.
His study also found contradictions between the way pastors characterize
their church and the way it actually operates. For example, nine out of
ten pastors describe their churches as "evangelistic," but less than one
in three church attendees has shared his faith in Christ with a
non-Christian within the last 12 months.
Three of five senior pastors describe their churches as "seeker
sensitive," yet only one in four offers a service or meeting designed
with the needs of non-believers in mind. The consistent complaint of
visitors who never return to Protestant churches is that they found the
experience "irrelevant to my life."
