As the Church Goes...

Each day, we have so many decisions to make - and we have to determine if we are going to be obedient to God and live our live according to His principles, empowered by the Spirit of God, or rely on own own frail human wisdom. Elijah gathered the Israelite people and especially the followers of the false gods in Israel and presented them with a choice in 1st Kings 18:
17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?"
18 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.
19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.

Following this declaration, burnt offerings were prepared, and Elijah called upon God while the false prophets called on their so-called "gods."  And, God showed up in great power.

The moral climate in our country has become lamentable, and there is a statistic from a recent Gallup poll that gives an indication on what is occurring.  Please allow this to soak in: out of all Americans, less than 1 out of 3 attend church on a weekly or almost weekly basis.  3 out of 10.  Just over 2-in-10 go to church every week. 

44% of Protestants attend either weekly or almost weekly ("regularly" is the term used in the survey summary) - with 30% saying they attend each week. By comparison - relative to the top-ranking group, two-thirds of Mormons are regular church attendees.  Protestants run second, Muslims are third, and Catholics are fourth.  This is from a survey conducted during the years 2021-23.

The summary notes:

Two decades ago, an average of 42% of U.S. adults attended religious services every week or nearly every week. A decade ago, the figure fell to 38%, and it is currently at 30%. This decline is largely driven by the increase in the percentage of Americans with no religious affiliation -- 9% in 2000-2003 versus 21% in 2021-2023 -- almost all of whom do not attend services regularly.

Still, most religious groups have also seen a decline in regular attendance at religious services over the past two decades.

And, young adults between 18 and 29 years old are making a significant contribution to the decline; the summary states: "... young adults, both those with and without a religious preference, are much less likely to attend religious services -- 22% attend regularly, eight points below the national average."

A Breitbart story on the Gallup poll also noted: 

Other polls in recent years have found that Americans perceive a decrease in religious influence in the United States and place less value on their children sharing their religious views. Recently, the Pew Research Center found that 80 percent of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking — “a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been.”

In a Washington Stand article, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins stated: "Politics is downstream from the culture, and culture is downstream from the church."  He asked, "...if the church vacillates on the truth or goes silent, where will society turn?"

And, he issued a challenge to church leadership: "We need pastors of courage and conviction faithfully declaring and defending God’s truth. The church should not be swimming in the water downstream from culture."

The fact is, the Bible contains the answers to the questions so many are asking these days.  The Scriptures contain unlimited wisdom in order to pattern our lives in a way that pleases God. We know that the Bible addresses what are often termed the "social issues," such as life and marriage.  But, we can also be confident that the Bible shows us how to treat one another, how to manage our finances, how to regard the poor and less fortunate, and how to live victorious in the face of temptation. 

So, the departure from Biblical truth, in a sense, can be laid on the doorstep of the Church. We can examine how well we are proclaiming and practicing the principles of Scripture and recognize we have the potential for enormous power and influence.  But, if we refuse to engage, then we will find ourselves being swept away in the cultural currents that are so prevalent.