Lonnie Wilkey
Pew Research recently released a report that predicts Christians will comprise less than 50 percent of the population of the United States by 2050 (see full story at baptistandreflector.org under the SBC tab).
That projection may be optimistic. If you add the number of Christians who sometimes forget who they serve to those who absolutely reject Christianity, Christians may already be in a minority.
And, even if Christians are still truly a majority in America, it’s apparent that we are having less impact on non-Christians than culture/society is having.
On page four of this issue is a report from Lifeway Research on the State of Theology in America. The full report also can be found on our website. Quite frankly, it is discouraging.
COVID-19 did a lot of damage to Americans both physically in the large numbers of people who suffered with the disease and the thousands upon thousands of people who died, and mentally as well.
Many Americans continue to live in fear of the disease and this is evidenced by the failure of most churches to return to pre-pandemic church attendance numbers. I can’t help but wonder if that fear applies only to church since the Walmarts and grocery stores are usually crowded and football stadiums are once again packing tens of thousands of people into the stadiums.
Christians don’t seem to be influencing the majority of Americans regarding their views on sin. Thirty-nine percent of Americans still don’t believe abortion is sin. The last time I looked, “thou shalt not kill” was still included in the Ten Commandments.
Especially disturbing is the number of Americans (42 percent) who believe gender identity is a choice and the 46 percent of Americans who believe the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality is not applicable today.
As hard as I have tried, I have yet to find evidence in Scripture that God gave us a choice when we were born if we wanted to be male or female or that homosexuality is now acceptable in His sight. Scripture is clear. God made male and female and that He intended marriage to be between one man and one woman.
Sadly, culture, not Scripture, is dictating beliefs in America today.
The research revealed that about half of Americans believe the Bible is 100 percent accurate, the other half believe it is not literally true.
Scott McConnell of Lifeway Research summed it up well. “Half see Scripture as dependable and authoritative while half see it as fiction.”
And, though the report does present a bleak picture, there is still some good news. God is still on His throne and His work is not yet done.
Too often, Christians (myself included) look at life with a glass half empty mentality. Instead, we should view life, especially the current state of American theology, with a glass half full approach — there are more than enough Americans to fill that glass up. We just have to share the good news of Jesus Christ with them and let the Holy Spirit work.
I attended the East Tennessee Evangelism Rally recently at Carson-Newman University and heard an inspiring message from Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova (see page 8). He reminded those in attendance, “You can’t serve God with a zipped lip.” Good, and timely, advice.
More than ever before in our country, it is imperative that Christians take heed of Christ’s command for us to go and tell others about Him (the Great Commission).
All of us need to unzip our lips and start sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We don’t need a new program or approach. We only have to tell others what God has done in our lives.
To do that may require an investment of time. Sometimes it is necessary to build relationships and trust with others which, in turn, earns us the right to share the gospel with them.
As I suggested earlier, God is not through with America. If He was, He would have already dealt with us as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. He is giving us multiple opportunities to change the direction of this country. Will we take advantage of it or will we go on with business as usual? The choice is ours. B&R
