The Nones are Rising

I met with a guy yesterday who over the years has rejected any type of religion.  He does seem like he has moved from a hard-core atheist to a semi-open agnostic.  He has been visiting Hope with his girlfriend and has found himself being moved.  He certainly has not embraced a concept of God, but he is open to the possibility. 

It appears that this type of nonbelief is rising across the nation and even here at the buckle of the “Bible Belt”.   Here are some highlights — or lowlights — of what the survey found:

• 86% of American adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 76% in 2008.
• Even Tennessee followed that patternwith 92% of adults identified as Christians in 1990 and 83% in 2008
• The historic Mainline churches and denominations have experienced the steepest declines while the non-denominational Christian identity has been trending upward particularly since 2001.
• The challenge to Christianity in the U.S. does not come from otherreligions but rather from a rejection of all forms of organized religion.
• •The “Nones” (no stated religious preference, atheist, or agnostic)continue to grow, though at a much slower pace than in the 1990s, from 8.2% in 1990, to 14.1% in 2001, to 15.0% in 2008.

John Ortberg in an article on the blog Out of Ur asks this question:

“Are we witnessing the process of secularization here in America similar to what Europe experienced in the middle of the twentieth century? “

What are we doing to help stem the tide?  I want to reach more people like my agnostic friend and I am grateful that Hope feels like a place where questions are welcome and doubters can enter safely and hear of the life changing power of Christ.

Observation 101

A couple of weeks ago I was pulled aside by one of our members and walked to this location — the place where we usually have a Small Groups table.  I died laughing a this creative placement prank.

The sad thing is that I had walked past this trash can at least three times and never noticed that anything was out of place.

Don’t we do this all the time?  At home I walk past that same pile of junk on the floor that has been there for months.  I become oblivious of the cracked window pane or walk down the hallway and step over the large sack of dog food in stead of putting it away.

After a week I quit noticing my missing hubcap.

The list can go on and on.

We need to open our eyes around the church.  It should become second nature for all of us to look around with purpose — a ministry of observation.  Leaders should be trained to observe people and keep an eye out for out of place stuff.  How many times have we seen a wadded up piece of paper on the floor but stepped right over it and walked on.    Visitors not only notice that trash but they also notice the culture of people picking up trash instead of just walking past it.

Look for people to reach out to but as you look also notice the metaphorical garbage can trashing your small group ministry.  Let’s get it moved!

An Evangelical Manifesto Let the Dialog Begin

“Manifesto aims to make ‘evangelical’ less political” – USA Today

“‘An Evangelical Manifesto’ criticizes politics of faith” – CNN

“Christian Clerics Circulate ‘Evangelical Manifesto’ Urging Faithful to Avoid Single issue Politics” – Fox News

‘Evangelical Manifesto’ Aims to Depoliticize Religion – NPR

“‘Manifesto’ vexes evangelicals” – The Washington Times

“Evangelical leaders say their faith is too politicized” AP

These are the headlines reporting on a new document published and signed by various evangelicals entitled “An Evangelical Manifesto”. The purpose of the manifesto is stated as: “…. first to address the confusions and corruptions that attend the term Evangelical in the United States and much of the Western world today, and second to clarify where we stand on issues that have caused consternation over Evangelicals in public life.”

In the executive summary, it is stated: “First, we reaffirm our identity. Evangelicals are Christians who define themselves, their faith, and their lives according to the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth.”

The core of the Evangelical faith is stated with these basic beliefs:

1. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, as the only full and complete revelation of God and therefore the only Savior.
2. The death of Jesus on the cross, in which he took the penalty for our sins and reconciled us to God.
3. Salvation as God’s gift grasped through faith. We contribute nothing to our salvation.
4. New life in the Holy Spirit, who brings us spiritual rebirth and power to live as Jesus did, reaching out to the poor, sick, and oppressed.
5. The Bible as God’s Word written, fully trustworthy as our final guide to faith and practice.
6. The future personal return of Jesus to establish the reign of God.
7. The importance of sharing these beliefs so that others may experience God’s salvation and may walk in Jesus’ way.

With this core theological understanding in place, they state that: “Second, we wish to reposition ourselves in public life. To be Evangelical is to be faithful to the freedom, justice, peace, and well-being that are at the heart of the good news of Jesus.”

I love this statement from the Evangelical Manifesto web site:

“As an open declaration, An Evangelical Manifesto addresses not only Evangelicals and other Christians but other American citizens and people of all other faiths in America, including those who say they have no faith. It therefore stands as an example of how different faith communities may address each other in public life, without any compromise of their own faith but with a clear commitment to the common good of the societies in which we all live together.”

This seems to be pretty solid and an important statement to be made to the culture. Those who have signed it are making a statement that the way the world sees Evangelicals is not necessarily a clear representation of ALL Evangelicals. It recognizes that the Evangelical movement has lost it’s way in some ways and needs to be redirected and redefined.

I look forward to reading the complete 20 page document. To do the same, and to see who has and has not signed the manifesto, check out their web site here.