The Church is Alive

It's important that we grasp the concept of our lives reflecting the glory of God and recognizing that
we are part of the body of Christ, His church, built on His firm foundation. In Ephesians 2, we read:
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord...

We are called into a unit, ordained by God, to display a sense of unity - we are the body of Christ, and we have been called and chosen by Him to be part of His church and to fulfill His plan in the earth.  It's important that we have that perspective of God's call to God's church and walk in His truth. We can develop a passion to know Him better, to grow spiritually, and to follow the direction of His Spirit, Who empowers us to live a productive Christian life.

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We can be challenged to be passionate abut the things of God, so that He might be exalted in and
through our lives. Colossians 1 lays out some incredible truth for us:
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Just as Charlie Brown talked about having another holiday to worry about, well, lo and behold, we have another Pew religion survey to worry about - well, not really, but there is new data that was released by Pew that indicates that despite a growing secularization of society, religious people are continuing to be devout in the practice of their faith.

Let's dig a little deeper...

In a piece on the Religion News Service website, which is apparently the same story that ran in USA Today, Alan Cooperman, director of religion research at Pew, is quoted as saying, “People who say they have a religion — which is still the vast majority of the population — show no discernible dip in levels of observance.” He continues: "They report attending religious services as often as they did a few years ago. They pray as often as they did before, and they are just as likely to say that religion plays a very important role in their lives.” And he said, “On some measures there are even small increases in their levels of religious practice.”

For example, more religiously affiliated adults read Scripture regularly and participate in small religious groups than did so seven years ago, according to the survey. 88 percent of religiously affiliated adults said they prayed daily, weekly or monthly — the same percentage that reported such regular prayer in the 2007 study.  Gregory A. Smith, associate director of research for Pew, said, "We shoud remember that the United States remains a nation of believers,” adding, “with nearly 9 in 10 adults saying they believe in God.”

Now, between 2007 and last year, the percentage of Americans who say they are religiously affiliated has declined from 83 to 77 percent, which drives a 3 percent drop overall in the belief in God.  The survey found that 98 percent of Christians say they believe in God - I'm not really sure how that works - but only 76 percent believe with absolute certainty; that's a drop of 4 percent since 2007.

Also, the survey indicates there's a more general spirituality on the rise. 6 in 10 adults say they regularly feel a “deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being,” up 7 percentage points since 2007. And, the number of people who experienced a “deep sense of wonder” about the universe jumped 7 percentage points.

There's also a section about attitudes toward homosexuality. The number of evangelical Protestants who said they agreed that “homosexuality should be accepted by society” jumped 10 percentage points between the 2007 and 2014 studies — from 26 percent to 36 percent. The increase for Catholics was even steeper, from 58 percent to 70 percent. For historically black Protestant churches, acceptance jumped from 39 percent to 51 percent.

Also, the survey found that almost 9 in 10 Americans say religious institutions bring people together and strengthen community bonds, and 87 percent say they play an important role in helping the poor and needy. Plus, six in 10 adults, and three-quarters of Christians, believe the Bible or other holy Scripture is the Word of God. About 31 percent — and 39 percent of Christians — believe it should be interpreted literally.

There's a lot to consider and I want to provide some takeaways from this data.  In his blog on the Christianity Today website, Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research is quoted as saying, "As every single reliable researcher believes: the church isn't dying." He added, "In other words, there's not a collapse of practicing Christianity, and that's the headline of almost every story, though some people still won't believe it."

He offers this admonition:

As we Christians watch our views become ever more unpopular in an increasingly polarized culture, the temptation to defend ourselves in vitriolic, even hateful, ways will grow. As we interact with others virtually or in our communities, we must remember our call to live like Jesus. We must not adopt secular rules of engagement regardless of whether culture is religious or irreligious.

He offers three suggestions: 1) Listen better to people who disagree, 2) Love people despite their disagreements, and 3) Lead people to understand what we believe.

I think, in light of the survey data, this can also be a time for introspection. We can examine our level of passion for Christ and the things of God.  We can also make sure that our regard for the authority and authenticity for the Word of God is strong.  The survey mentioned the practice of regular prayer - recognizing the importance of prayer in a vibrant spiritual life, we have to make sure that we maintain our consistency.

The survey indicates a rise in spiritual experience, with greater numbers reporting peace and wonder. You know, I commented recently on the transcendent nature of our faith - there is a supernatural element of our walk with Christ.  And, I think the experience of God's supernatural power and presence is such an essential component of our lives - we have to make sure that those experiences line up with Scripture, for sure, but there is more to life than just living out a human existence with a God-stamp attached - we truly have the capability to live out what Paul described in Acts: "...in Him we live and move and have our being."

Finally, we can acknowledge the research and Stetzer's analysis - the church is not dying.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit and the principles of Scripture which we believe.  And the faithful seem to be practicing the faith.  Yes, we may be losing ground on some key issues in our culture, but the truth remains that this is a culture that overwhelmingly believes in God and has a sensitivity to the supernatural.  Now, if we who say we believe actually put our faith into practice in more compelling ways, what an incredible impact we can have.