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1) The Continued "Juvenilization" of American Christianity.
Or to borrow the verbiage of another commentator, "When are we going to grow up? We are all adolescents now." This same writer goes on to describe a typical worship service in America, noting "The house lights go down. Spinning, multicolored lights sweep the auditorium. A rock band launches into a rousing opening song. 'Ignore everyone else, this time is just about you and Jesus,' proclaims the lead singer. The music changes to a slow dance tune, and the people sing about falling in love with Jesus. A guitarist sporting skinny jeans and a soul patch closes the worship set with a prayer, beginning, 'Hey God …' The spotlight then falls on the speaker, who tells entertaining stories, cracks a few jokes, and assures everyone that 'God is not mad at you. He loves you unconditionally.'
After 'worship', some members of the church sign up for the next mission trip, while others decide to join a small group where they can receive support on their faith journey. If you ask the people here why they go to church or what they value about their faith, they'll say something like, "Having faith helps me deal with my problems."
A few paragraphs later the author notes, "Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for adults. It began with the praiseworthy goal of adapting the faith to appeal to the young.... But it has sometimes ended with both youth and adults embracing immature versions of the faith. In any case, white evangelicals led the way."
A few paragraphs later the author notes, "Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for adults. It began with the praiseworthy goal of adapting the faith to appeal to the young.... But it has sometimes ended with both youth and adults embracing immature versions of the faith. In any case, white evangelicals led the way."
Said differently, Hebrews 5:12-14 characterizes far too many professing Christians today. In fact, many American evangelicals seem to wear this Text as if it were a badge of honor. The proof of our spiritual immaturity is perhaps most clearly demonstrated in the American churches utter lack of biblical discernment. How else do you explain what you see when you peruse the CBD catalog? I do not think it is an overstatement (nor is it unfair) to suggest that over half of the bestselling Christian books today are trite, shallow, and in far too many cases even unbiblical.
As one pastor said long ago, "the American church today has a serious case of spiritual AIDS." We have a deficient immune system which makes us susceptible to almost every wave of error (note Ephesians 4:11-15). God's Word clearly says believers are "no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming"
A while ago, one of the largest Christian churches in our community publicized how they were going to use "The Shack" as a discipleship resource. The Shack, really? (In the interest of time and space I direct you to this helpful book review of "The Shack" by Tim Challies).
The second disturbing trend I see is
2) The Growing Biblical Illiteracy of the American Church.
It is no exaggeration for preachers to declare a nationwide state of emergency because there's a serious famine in the land! (Amos 8:11, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD). The devastating drought conditions in California is but a microcosm of what is true spiritually throughout the United States of America (see comment section for Barna research that highlights these two trends).
In some cities famished Christians (1 Peter 2:2-3) cannot find preaching that satisfies the deepest longings of their soul. They go home, Sunday after Sunday, malnourished because of clergy malpractice (see 2 Timothy 4:1-5). Volunteers at Grace To You for example, receive phone calls every week from people who want in-depth, Biblical exposition like what they're hearing on the radio (MacArthur, Lawson, Begg), but they cannot find it. These saints long to be feed spiritual steaks from the pulpit because they understand this will help them to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Savior (2 Peter 3:17-18). They want to become mature in Christ (note Colossians 1:28-29).
In other places, faithful expositors struggle to find a "Christian" community that is really interested in establishing a Word-centered church. In places like this, churchgoers are often more interested in finding a casual atmosphere with musical styles that appeal to their personal tastes than they are in sound doctrine and the faithful exposition and application of Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). Is it any wonder then why shallowness (Heb. 5:11-14) and biblical illiteracy so dominate the landscape of American evangelicalism? This is no small problem because God's people "perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).
The father of lies rejoices when the saints below become literate in every subject but the Bible. Satan knows full well just how powerful the Word of God is ("one little word shall fell him"). Think about how the Lord Jesus successfully wielded the Sword of the Spirit against the Devil during his wilderness temptation (Matthew 4:1-11). It's why Spurgeon said, "It is better to preach five words of God's Word than five million words of man's wisdom."
Walt Kaiser provides a biblical solution of what fuels and sustains biblical reformation and revival in his helpful book on preaching. "The motto of Geneva, Switzerland in the early 1500s was "After darkness, light!" (Post Tenebras Lux). It was a bold affirmation of Calvin and his generation that "light" came to God's people through the preaching of God's Word. Therefore, in order for the darkness of that town to be dispelled, six sermons from the Bible were mandated for each citizen each week. One sermon was to come at dawn on Sunday and another at the usual hour of 9 A.M. that day. Catechism for the children followed at noon with another sermon at 3 P.M. (Apparently there no NFL football on Sunday afternoons back then!) On the working days, additional sermons came on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."
"The argument of Calvin and the city fathers of Geneva was the same as that of Proverbs 29:18. It warned that "Where there is no vision (divine revelation), the people perish (or, as translated in Exodus 32:25, 'the people run wild' or become 'ungovernable'). Can we in our day and generation recognize that the very same results come from biblical and theological illiteracy. Surely, there is a deep concern about a society that seems to have lost its moorings. Our cities and towns have become more like human jungles in which we devour each other for little or no apparent reason. Only a word from God can save us from a path of self-destruction that we seem to be on...
...It is high time that teachers and preachers return to the basics once again. Whereas many had thought that the teaching of the Word in a straightforward exposition was now too dated to be effective, it is time to repent and change the menu on the table of the teaching that we spread for the general populace, as well as for the people of God."
The biblically illiterate and the spiritually immature desperately need the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (see 3 John 1:1-8). If we're to grow and mature in the faith we need the truth Incarnate to sanctify us in the truth. It's to that end we labor (Colossians 1:29), preach (Colossians 1:28), and pray (John 17:17)! "Lord Jesus Christ, revive Your Church in this, her crucial hour! Lord Jesus Christ, awake Your Church with Spirit given power."
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JERRY CLARK posted some stats today that support this article's thesis.
George Gallup took a poll in the year 2000 that said, 92% of America households had one or more Bibles. But, the same poll also showed that ignorance about the content of the Bible has become widespread.
He was quoted as saying, “Never before in the history of the United States has the Gospel of Jesus Christ made such inroads—while at the same time making so little difference as to how people live.”
• Gallup said that over 50% of adults interviewed nationwide could not name any of the four Gospels of the New Testament.
• Only 4 out of 10 could name 5 of the 10 Commandments.
• Only 3 out of 10 people read the Bible 52 minutes per week.
Neil Postman, author of Amusing Ourselves to Death, says that television has reshaped the way we think, learn and communicate in America. It has taken us away from a “word-centered culture” like we have in the Bible to an “image-centered culture” like we have on TV and movies.
We see images today on TV and movies based on a rate of 30 frames per second. Our eyes and minds have gotten so used to rapid images coming at us that it has become more difficult for men to read and assimilate words.
It has been estimated that the average man adult man and woman in America is bombarded with 600 secular messages per day—many of them from television, movies and the internet. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the fixation on television continues to increase. This may be partly why Bible reading continues to decrease. Men and women today have become preoccupied with entertainment.
The average person in America watches TV more than 4 hours each day, which is 28 hours each week. That equals 2 months of 24-7 TV watching per year. For a 65-year person, that means they will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.
In a survey in 2000, 4-6 year-olds were asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers—54% preferred television. Part of the reason may be that the average father now spends 3.5 minutes per week with each child in meaningful conversation. 3.5 minutes equals 30 seconds a day with each child.
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