House Church Leader to Christians: Be Thankful for Decline of American Christianity
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- The most recent ARI Survey found that 15% of the adult population in America does not identify with any religion and the number is growing. House church leader Ken Eastburn says instead of mourning over those numbers, we should be thankful, "It is about time Christianity in America was on the decline. That's good news."
The American Religious Identification Survey, released in March of 2009, found that 34 million adults in the U.S. do not identify with any religion, up from just 14 million in 1990. Their numbers far exceed the combined total of all the non-Christian religious groups in the U.S. Additionally, the book unChristian, written by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons with research conducted by the Barna Group, revealed that Christianity was declining particularly among younger Americans.
"American Christianity has long been characterized by all the wrong things: partisan politics, tips for better living, the so-called 'prosperity gospel,' hypocrisy, and condemnation -- to name a few," says Eastburn, "When that kind of Christianity begins to decline, we have much to be thankful for. It means true Christianity - the kind characterized by loving one's enemies, radical giving, integrity and compassion - has room to grow."
Eastburn is a leader with The Well, a network of home- based churches in California and Colorado. After selling their building in 2005, members began meeting in each other's homes. Through studies led by elders and laypersons, members are challenged to embody the kind of faith Jesus had.
He continues, "The American Church lost her way long ago when we decided to co-opt Jesus and his message for our own personal gain. It was our doing - - not culture's, not Hollywood's, and certainly not Jesus' -- that drove away the masses. When that happens, people have no other choice but to cut ties. But when American Christianity begins to be characterized by the right things again, we can trust that God will take care of the rest."
The Well hosts 10-15 members at each of its five locations on a weekly basis. Eastburn and other members post their experiences on a blog maintained by the church, www.leavethebuildingblog.com, with the purpose of interacting with individuals from traditional and house church backgrounds.
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| anilwang | Posted: 2009/12/2 12:22 Updated: 2009/12/2 12:22 |
Just can't stay away   Joined: 2009/10/11 From: Posts: 126 |
 Re: House Church Leader to Christians: Be Thankful for De..."American Christianity has long been characterized by all the wrong things: partisan politics, tips for better living, the so-called 'prosperity gospel,' hypocrisy, and condemnation -- to name a few,"
Wel condemnation is a natural part of believing in absolutes. All people have absolutes, even the relativists. Even these leaders of the emergent church who condemn anyone who's not an emergent church. As for the rest, it simply results from churches who marry the spirit of the age. As an old saying goes, "Any institution that marries the spirit of the age will be a widow in the next age". As for the young, chasing after the youth is a big mistake. Young adulthood is a time when people question the values they grew up with and look out at the world. It's only after marriage, or after one's first baby, or after a close death, or personal tragedy, or even disillusionment with all the humanist answers that didn't pan out that one seriously starts to look towards the big answers. The key thing that needs to be a in place, is to provide a way for the prodigal son to return. It's also necessary to ensure that all the "Spirit of the Age Churches" and the Dawkins of the world don't cloud the message of "The True Church", since many youth have no clue what "The True Church" is about and the little they know is one characterized by the opponents of "The True Church". |
| CH-Discern | Posted: 2009/12/3 0:01 Updated: 2009/12/3 0:01 |
Home away from home   Joined: 2009/10/10 From: Posts: 581 |
Re: House Church Leader to Christians: Be Thankful for De... I know a number of true believers in Jesus Christ who are so disillusioned by "church" that they are either in house churches or they go to none and get their spiritual feeding through internet, TV, and their own Bible study.
As churches separate themselves out (as is happening now) between culture worshippers and true believing churches, between judgmental legalistics and gospel proclaimers, the choice will continue to become clearer, and many of these will return. How do we convince them to return? BY EXAMPLE. “They will know we are Christians...” • ... by our self-righteous judgmentalism? Surely that’s not it. • ... by our wonderful architecture and art? No, even pagans can do that. • ... by our sincerity? No, even atheists can be sincere— that is, sincerely wrong! • ... by our church organizational structure and traditions? They may be necessary,but they won’t convince a spiritually starving person. • ... by our correct doctrine? No, only discerning Christians will recognize it. There is one way Jesus taught that best reveals who we are, as His disciples and true children of God, and which will attract others: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35, NIV) “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12, NIV) “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9his is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:7-12, NIV) Isn't it about time we really worked on loving each other, especially those with different traditions and preferences for worship? Back to the essentials... |
