Post-Christian, But With Hope

Colossians chapter 1 describes our identity in Christ:
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight-- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard...The era in which we live has been described as "post-Christian", and it's confirmed research that shows the significant numbers of people who are religiously unaffiliated.  But just because someone is not involved in organized religion or claims no faith at all doesn't mean he or she is not searching for meaning in life, perhaps looking for or sensitized to spiritual truth.   So, even though there are signs all around us of a departure from the ways of Christ, the Bible is a book that contains hope, and our lives are vessels through which hope can be displayed.   If someone hasn't found the answers or peace they're looking for, that gives us wonderful opportunities to relate the love and life of Jesus to them.

In 2nd Corinthians 5, we can get some insight about our job description as believers:
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again...      18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

We are hearing the phrase "religiously unaffiliated" or the "nones" as we process some of the data about today's culture.   The Barna Group has actually identified 15 characteristics, or metrics, of so-called "post-Christian" culture.   Allow me to quickly go down the list:
1. do not believe in God
2. identify as atheist or agnostic
3. disagree that faith is important in their lives
4. have not prayed to God (in the last year)
5. have never made a commitment to Jesus
6. disagree the Bible is accurate
7. have not donated money to a church (in the last year)
8. have not attended a Christian church (in the last year)
9. agree that Jesus committed sins
10. do not feel a responsibility to “share their faith”
11. have not read the Bible (in the last week)
12. have not volunteered at church (in the last week)
13. have not attended Sunday school (in the last week)
14. have not attended religious small group (in the last week)
15. do not participate in a house church (in the last year)

People can be identified as post-Christian if they meet at least 60%, or 9 out of the 15 factors.  Someone is described as "highly post-Christian" if he or she meets at least 80%, or 12 out of 15.

The coverage on the Christianity Today website states that 37 percent of American adults qualify as post-Christian, with roughly 1 in 4 of such adults qualifying as highly post-Christian. Not surprisingly, it found that Mosaics are more likely to qualify as post-Christian than Boomers or Seniors.  48% of Mosaics - ages 18 to 28 - would be considered to be post-Christian.

Among those 15 measures, Barna found that:
57% have not read the Bible in the last week.
47% do not feel a responsibility to share their faith.
33% have not attended a Christian church in the past year.
27% have never made a commitment to Jesus.
18% have not prayed to God in the last week.
13% disagree that faith is important to their lives.

These are amazing, and in some respects, alarming statistics, reinforcing what we already have heard, but also challenging us to think more deeply about reaching our culture with the truth of the gospel.   This explains a lot - belief determines behavior, and some of the disturbing cultural trends can be directly traced to the faith perspective of people in our society.

But, even though we find these measures that point to a post-Christian culture, it doesn't mean that we are beyond hope.   We can never think that people are beyond changing - Jesus Christ can truly transform a heart - He is the One who can change us.   As we enter into that saving knowledge of Christ, experience His regeneration and develop a hunger for His Word, then He will shape our thinking, which results in transformed behavior.   More heart change means a culture that is more in conformity to the principles of Scripture and the presence of Christ.   We are not beyond hope - it does place a great responsibility on each of us to shine and share the love of Jesus, so that He can touch people through us.