I suppose this one got me thinking while listening to the opening lines of "What If I Stumble", where Kevin Max opens with "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable".
According to most surveys, the a greater percentage of the United States is classified as a "churched" nation, whereas the majority of the population has easy access to a church/place of worship. It is reasonable that most everyone has heard some portion of the gospel, went to church or at the very least had easy access to a church. It is not very common for someone to have no idea what Christianity is about in the United States. That is not to say their tacit understanding is true, but most have a decent understanding to the Gospel.
To ask someone if they know who Jesus was or anything about him most people can give some kind of an answer that might be in the ballpark. Likewise many surveys indicate the vast majority of the American public identifies themselves Christian. But somehow, amidst the saturation of “Christianity” many people think that if you are a generally good person you'll go to heaven. I am hard pressed to find what church started preaching this message because it has proliferated our society for as long as I can remember (I know it isn't that long). This I believe is one of the most dangerous philosophies the world has known. Because as Matthew 7:23 clearly says that what matters is to "know Christ". Many people confuse that with knowing about Christ, and the worst part about it people think that is enough and they are good to go.
The other night while I was up at all hours after coming off a 24-hour duty shift, my sleep pattern was still recovering so I was awake to chill with some of the people that just got back from the club. I have gotten a little more comfortable with the presence of alcohol and its effects. I find it is useful in helping people to say what they really think and sometimes go deeper than a T&A discussion. I suppose what makes matters worse is the kind of theology described above is the type professed in the barracks, at best.
Anyways, when someone has this dangerous philosophy I am at a loss. Scripturally I want to take the approach of rebuking a brother or sister in Christ, because they claim to be a Christian. I know that wouldn't do anything but probably seem like I am coming across as a holier-than-thou punk to put it lightly. If I ask them when the opportunity presents itself the whole, “do you know Jesus?” People think "uhh yea" much of the time. That is if they are even in the mode to talk about it. So in a world that for the most part really doesn't know what it believes when it comes to Christianity but calls itself a Christian nation what are we to do?
The best I can think of is best explained by Casting Crowns, "Love Them Like Jesus". I suppose I am not satisfied with loving them as just enough. I like to believe I am a patient person but when I have been in this environment for nearly 5 months and have seen little or no progress in the world around me I question how effective I am being?
I suppose I should count myself fortunate for God’s perseverance in faith and the growth in ways that rival a mountain top but this camp is two years long. Part of my discouragement is seeing someone that I thought I had the best chance to bring back to Christ, quickly becoming like all the others. I really don't know where she stands in her faith, if it is her own or from her roots, she is a PK. I think of the anti-drug commercial with the girl watching her friend drown as she stands and watches and I feel helpless to stop people from the destructive lifestyles I am surrounded by.
I want to make a difference, I want to have a sense of urgency, and I have yet to see any sprouting seeds of hope. I know it is all in Christ's timing it just gets frustrating seeing nothing happen from my attempts. In the frustration I have often considered that maybe I have too many differences in the way that I live that is holding people back from responding, I suppose it is a twisted way of looking at 1 Corinthians 9:20. I actually believe it means we are to meet people where they are, that Paul was not going to expect the gentiles to behave like Jews so he had to bring the Gospel to them differently than he did for the Jews.
In moments of frustration it sometimes looks like becoming like the world so the world will hear you. The whole idea that one must have experience with an area before they have valid knowledge. Thinking about that outside the box at the moment that is entirely ad hominem fallacy. Is my information or what I have to say based on true facts? Why should it matter then if I have never joined the statistics then? That was cool, learn something new everyday.
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