[NOTE:Once again, please remember to watch today’s broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (Orlando - Sun.-5 pm, ch. 55.1; Mon. 7 pm, ch. 52.2) or download it at www.truthinaction.org]
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Sunday Funny (c/o MikeysFunnies.com) - I still say a church steeple with a lightning rod on top shows a lack of confidence.
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- Do young people leave church because of politics…or the Bible? by Dr. Tom Askew; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/morality-in-america
Like the blind men who each gave a different report on what an elephant is like, those who analyze demographic and statistical trends ascribe all kinds of reasons for the phenomena they see.
In the “hot button” topic of religion and politics, a new work by academics Robert Putnam and David Campbell entitled, “God and Caesar in America: Why Mixing Religion and Politics Is Bad for Both,” is creating all kinds of speculation, some of which may even be supported by the evidence.
What was discovered > A recent study by the Barna Group conducted on teenagers and young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 concluded that nearly three out of every five young Christians, or 59 percent, disconnect from church life either permanently or for a long period of time after the age of 15. Those polled were active in a Christian church during their teen years. A 2007 survey conducted by LifeWay Research found that 70 percent of 23- to 30-year-olds admitted to breaking regular church attendance for at least a year from ages 18 to 22. Fifty-two percent of these dropouts attributed their departure to “religious, ethical or political beliefs.” Campbell and Putnam report that between 2006 and 2011, the proportion of the population that reported having no religion rose modestly, from 17 percent to 19 percent, but among young Americans rose five times as much.
What does it mean? > If, according to Lifeway, 52 percent of the dropouts claim “religious, ethical or political beliefs,” what is it in Christianity that these young people object to? According to Putnam and Campbell, “religion” [to these young people] means “Republican,” “intolerant” and “homophobic.” Since those traits do not represent their views, they do not see themselves – or wish to be seen by their peers – as religious.”
Putnam and Campbell make the broad assumption that “politics is more likely to determine religion than religion to determine politics.” Campbell likes to use the image of a “brand” from marketing. He asserts that “the Republican brand has been increasingly associated with religion and social conservatism due to the influence of the Christian Right, a social movement which has been a part of the Republican coalition since the 1980s. Moderates and Democrats are uncomfortable with that brand and seek to not be identified.”
That seems to be an unwarranted assumption. If Christian beliefs are based on Scripture, which does happen to have a position on homosexuality, for example, the scholars would do well to remember that these beliefs existed centuries before America had political parties. The fact that people who know and believe the Bible happen to associate with like-minded people, which on occasion leads to supporting political positions which are favorable to a biblical lifestyle, should not be a great surprise, either.
Furthermore, it should not be shocking that many young people do not want to identify with scriptural positions on homosexuality, fornication and abortion. These positions run counter to everything teenagers idolize in their role models and movies. There is little a thinking Christian can do to temper the biblical position to make it more palatable to youth who may be mesmerized by every fashionable notion that American pop culture dictates.
What’s the end result? > If a person has rejected God’s standards for worldly standards, and any individual or group (even a political party) happens to take a stand which supports the biblical standard, then those who accept God’s standard will naturally lean in that direction. It is belittling to Bible-believing Christians to characterize them as consumers who are mindlessly attracted to a certain “brand” rather than as thinkers who look for God’s wisdom in every avenue of life.
Therefore, let us pray:
◦For wisdom to see where truth lies in a world increasingly bent on manipulating other people’s opinions.
◦For faithfulness to God’s Word as your source and inspiration.
◦For discernment about the groups and causes with which you are beckoned to identify ourselves.
◦For a biblical spiritual renewal in America.
Dr. Tom Askew has been an educator in both public and private schools for 37 years, in Hong Kong, Germany, Georgia, and Arizona. He is currently doing educational consulting and instruction for Christian schools in Arizona.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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Your Comments (The following expressions and comments are from our members and do not necessarily represent or reflect the biblical or world views or opinions of the Presidential Prayer Team.)
◦Cindy Case (March 29, 2012)says:
Consideration should be given to the state of our government (public) schools where references to God has been replaced by post-modern relativistic philosophies that teach homosexuality is normal, sex is encouraged by the distribution of birth control, the family and marriage is ridiculed and the sanctity of life no longer has meaning to a generation who believes they evolved from animals. In the last 200 years we have allowed socialist ideology to creep into our schools, and the parental responsibility to educate our children has been abdicated to the government schools. Why are we surprised, then, that our youth find “religion” irrelevant????
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March 29, 2012 - Understand How We Have failed!By Larry Dozier, M.Ed.
Revival occurs when Christians influence the world.
Apostasy occurs when the world influences Christians.
The influence of the world is subtle, but very effective. It causes the love of Christians to slowly cool toward the Lord as they gradually conform to the ways to the world. God has allowed Humanism to gain supremacy in our country because we have abandoned our God-given responsibilities. Each responsibility that we have surrendered has been seized by the Humanists that are now using them against us.
We have sinned because:
1. We have delegated the responsibility of teaching our children to secular schools.
2. We have turned over the spiritual leadership of our families to our wives.
3. We have put our jobs and careers ahead of family needs.
4. We have encouraged our wives to pursue careers and work outside of the home.
5. We have separated our children from the influence of their grandparents.
6. We have been overcome by lust and sensual habits.
7. We have damaged our marriages and have accepted the error of divorce and remarriage, while pursuing the things of God, rather than the God of the things.
8. We have expected our children to make life’s major decisions without adequate counsel, training or preparation.
“We acknowledge, O lord our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee”, Jeremiah 14:20.
“If my people … will humble themselves, pray, seek…
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