The Bible in our Culture
If we are going to be effective in reaching our culture for Christ, it is important to know what the culture thinks about God and about the Bible. For several years the Barna Group has been tracking the way that Americans view the Bible. In a recently published article [link to article], they identified six trends for 2014.
First, the number of people who read the bible regularly (4 times or more per week) and believe that it is the inspired Word of God is the same as the number who believe that it is just another human book full of human ideas. Just three years ago, only 10% of the American population fell in the latter camp. Today 19% place themselves there. Meanwhile the percentage of Bible-reading and Bible-believing people has dropped to 19%. This decreasing confidence in the Bible is seen especially in the younger generations – two-thirds of Bible skeptics are under the age of forty-eight.
The second trend that Barna identified is that most Americans continue to be pro-Bible. Although the percentage has dropped from 86% to 79%, the majority of American adults still believe that the Bible is sacred. Over half of the population still believes that the Bible contains no errors, and most believe that it teaches the virtues (e.g. forgiveness, generosity, and patience) and discourages the vices (e.g. slavery and prostitution). The value that the average American places on the Bible is seen in the average number of Bibles per household: 4.7. Unfortunately only 37% read them at least once a week.
Barna also reports that increasing levels of busyness and the growing number of distractions are responsible for the decline in Bible reading. Work, family, and other responsibilities continue to take up time that used to be spent reading the Bible – or reading anything! Difficult life situations and decreasing levels of faith also contribute to the decline. However, 62% of Americans do wish that they had more time to read the Bible.
Not surprising, a fourth trend is that more and more people are reading the Bible on a screen instead of in print. Among the people who have increased their Bible reading in the past year, 26% attribute the increase to having the Bible on their smartphone or tablet. Other media elements, such as podcasts, streaming church services, and even The Bible miniseries have caused some to start reading their Bibles more. But despite the convenience of having a Bible in your palm whenever you want it, 84% of people still prefer to read the Bible in print.
A fifth trend is that people are increasing coming to the Bible in search of comfort and guidance. While the desire to connect with God remains the most common reason for reading your Bible, more and more people read the Bible because they are interested in finding how the Bible informs the relational, vocational and financial difficulties that they are facing.
A final trend that Barna discovered is that people are less likely to link moral decline with a lack of Bible reading. Most Americans (81%) believe that morality in this country is on the decline, but people are increasingly pointing to movies, music, and the media as the explanation. In fact, only 26% of adults – and only 17% of adults under forty – believe that a lack of Bible reading contributes to a decline in morality.
So, what can we conclude from this research? First, we should not lose hope. The Bible has not lost all of its influence in society. Second, we should be concerned. Bible reading is on the decline. Third, we should be vigilant. We must guard our own practice of reading the Bible so that we can be part of the solution – not part of the problem.
Ashes
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Tomorrow Christians all around the world will walk into churches and leave with a symbol on their forehead – black ashes in the shape of a cross. Most people who see this will wonder what it’s all about. You might wonder what it’s all about. Let me explain it a little for you.
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent – a six-week period of preparation for Easter. The Bible does not require the observance of Ash Wednesday, in fact it was not instituted until around 1000 A.D., but it has deeply biblical overtones. The practice stems from the Old Testament ritual of putting ashes on your head as a symbol of repentance – e.g., Job “repented in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6). The church adopted and adapted this symbol by putting ashes on one’s forehead in the shape of a cross, signifying both sin and the redemption that Christ secured with his blood.
The ashes also remind us of our mortality. As much as we may try to ignore it or postpone it, none of us can escape death. That day might come fifty years from now, or it might be today – we don’t know. What we do know is that death is a reality that we all must face. When I – and most other pastors who lead Ash Wednesday service – put ashes on someone’s forehead, I remind them, “From ashes you have come, and to ashes you will return.” This is a solemn reminder, but one that is much needed.
There is great value to attending an Ash Wednesday service. It reminds us that we will not live forever. It encourages us to recognize our sins and repent. It directs our hearts towards God at the beginning of Lent. And it allows us to pause and begin preparing for the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday, when he defeated sin and death and opened the way for reconciliation and eternal life.
If you are able to attend an Ash Wednesday service tomorrow, I would encourage you to do so. If not, I would encourage you to reflect on the truths that the ashes represent.
Getting Started with 10 +10
You are uniquely formed and distinctively gifted, therefore the path that leads you closer to Christ will be unique. That said, none of us are free to completely chart our own course. The Bible has identified a handful of expectations – some call them habits, others call them disciplines – that we cannot ignore. At Christ Church we often talk about five particularly important ones, which are captured by the words: Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve, and Share. In this post I’d like to offer a few ideas about Grow. To be more specific, I want to offer some suggestions for how you can spend 10 minutes a day in Bible reading and 10 minutes a day in prayer.
Adopt a Reading Plan: Starting in Genesis and reading straight through the Bible is better than the “open and point” method – i.e., randomly opening the Bible to a page, pointing to a verse and then assuming that whatever you’re pointing at is God’s message for you today – but I do not recommend either one. Here are some more helpful options:
Plan A: Start with a Gospel (which describes the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Christ). Read through the entire book. When you are finished with one, read one of the other three gospels. When you are done with that, move to one of the Epistles (which describe the significance of what takes place in the Gospels and teach us how to live in light of that).
Plan B: Supplement Plan A with two additional chapters – one from the Book of Psalms and one from the Book of Proverbs. (Note: Because there are 31 Proverbs, just read the Proverb that corresponds with the date).
Plan C: Use the Robert Murray M’Cheyne reading plan. M’Cheyne, a 19th Century Scottish minister, prepared a plan for Bible reading that takes readers through the New Testament and Psalms twice a year, and through the rest of the Bible once each year. [Note: 1) you can find this plan by Googling McCheyne Reading Plan; 2) his plan will require more than 10 minutes a day].
By the way, today’s technology provides you with other options, including apps that will queue up the passage for you to read that morning. There are pros and cons to each plan, just pick one and get started.
Start your Day with Prayer: I think mornings are the best time for Bible Reading and Prayer – and there are a few passages in Scripture that support my preference (e.g., Luke 4:42). Others opt for lunch time or late at night. Whatever time you land on, it’s a great idea to start your day with prayer – to enter it “soul first”. I’ve adopted an early morning prayer I learned from John Stott. It follows:
Good morning, heavenly Father; good morning, Lord Jesus; good morning, Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father, I worship you as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world. Holy Spirit, I worship you, Sanctifier of the people of God. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.
Start your Reading with Prayer: The goal of Bible reading is not reading, its time with God. To be more specific, it’s time with God that shapes us in ways pleasing to him. We are not after information, what we want is transformation. To that end, start your reading with a prayer. “Heavenly Father, speak to me. Guide me. Holy Spirit, open my eyes today as I seek to learn more about you and become more like Christ.”
End your Reading with Prayer: Any time is a good time to pray, but I find it helpful to pray after my devotional reading. If you’ve not spent much time in prayer, don’t worry. It’s easy to start. At one level, prayer is as simple as talking with God. And there are several models for spending ten minutes in prayer.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer: Jesus gave us a great model to follow in the prayer he taught his disciples. It goes as follows, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.” You can spend ten minutes (or more!) by expanding on each of the six petitions. Or you can simply focus on one for that day.
ACTS. Many people follow the A.C.T.S. format. We start with Adoration of God, move into Confession of our sins. Move from there into Thanksgiving, and then close with Supplication – i.e., listing our concerns / requests.
There are plenty of other options. You can: pray through the Psalms, sit in silence, develop a list of people or items to pray for every day (with a separate list of people you pray for once a week). There is no one right way to pray. Pick a format and jump in.
Prayer and Bible Reading are tools, not rules. They are not ways of manipulating God or instantly growing closer to him. Rather, they are practices that help prepare our hearts for the Spirit of God to transform us from the inside out. As you do this, I pray that he will.
Real Friends Say “You’re Wrong”
When was the last time that someone told you that you were wrong? If it’s been a while, then you might not have any real friends.
Nobody likes to be wrong, and nobody likes to be told when they are. Most people come up with excuses when faced with their mistakes. Grown adults even resort to tantrums and melt-downs when confronted with their errors. These are natural responses when our pride has been hurt. The immature person will leave these responses unchecked. But the mature person pushes past these gut reactions, because growth requires coming to grips with our true self – no matter how ugly it may be.
We need people in our lives – besides our spouses – who will call us out when we are wrong. But some people gain enough money and/or power that no one will risk getting cut off by pointing out a problem. Confrontation is risky, and it requires bravery. To point out a friend’s weakness, even when done with grace and the best of intentions, is to put your relationship on the line. There is the possibility that your friend will walk away in rage, but there is also the hope that they will come back after cooling down – and say thank you. That is a sign of true maturity.
Anybody can surround themselves with yes-men – fake friends that never have the courage to confront them. But true friendship is deeper. Real friends love each other too much NOT to say something when they know we messed up. Real friends take the risk – with knots in their throat, sweat on their palms, and grace in their heart – to say, “You were wrong, and I can’t let you keep doing this.”
We all need friends like that. I have mine. I hope you have yours.
A Tragedy Ingored
Just over a week ago, on December 28th, was the feast of Holy Innocents. This is the day on which the church commemorates the first Christian martyrs – those young boys killed by Herod just after the birth of Jesus. According to the best estimates, about 20 children were put to death in the massacre. In today’s world, this act would be been met with outrage by people across the globe.
However, Christians around the world are being martyred on a much larger scale today – nearly 100 every month. Within the past four months, 85 were killed in a bombing of All Saints Church in Pakistan, 72 were murdered in Nairobi’s Westgate mall, and 45 were tortured and put to death by Islamic rebels in Sadad, Syria. Many others have been killed for their faith as well.
I’m usually put off by the complaints I hear from Christians in the West. The “hardships” and “persecution” we face are minimal. But it’s a different story around the world, and yet there is a strange silence from the Christian community in America. Bloggers, tweeters, and preachers rarely mention it. It’s not discussed in the news. It’s usually just ignored.
This is wrong. We should be outraged by this evil. It is our duty as Christians to be informed and concerned about the plights of our suffering brothers and sisters around the globe – and to pray for them every day. Organizations such as Open Doors USA and Voice of the Martyrs provide helpful information on the state of the persecuted church. Check them out for details on how you can pray and other ways to get involved. Let’s not ignore this tragedy any longer.
Remembering Stephen This Christmas
A Different Kind of Christmas
Gifts figure prominently in American Christmas – buying them, giving them, and getting them. In fact, the latest trend includes buying Christmas gifts for yourself. As Christians, we know there is more to the celebration than gifts. And yet it’s difficult to set all of the gift-giving aside.
This year Christ Church has joined an effort to “turn Christmas upside down.” (We even have upside down Christmas trees in the lobbies of both campuses). The Advent Conspiracy is centered around four tenets: worship fully, spend less, give more, love all. The idea is simple: to help us worship God fully this Christmas, let’s spend less on gifts so that we can give more to those in need as a way of sharing Christ’s love with everyone.
Our goal as a church is to direct funds to the village of Kuve, Ghana through International Needs Ghana (ING). We’re hoping to give enough to construct and furnish a junior high school, build a library and computer lab, support two church planters and improve the water system. All of this will cost approximately $124,000.
So here is the challenge: give more of yourself (more presence) to those you love, but fewer presents. Redirect the funds you save to those with real needs. ING is a perfect example.
Let’s turn Christmas upside down, and throw the kind of party Jesus would be excited to attend.
*If you are interested in more information on other creative ways to give this Christmas, check out this article called, “Should I Give a Cow or Cash for Christmas?“
Helping After Haiyan
When Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines a week ago, much of the country underwent large-scale power outages and downed trees. Other parts of the country faired much worse. Tacloban City – one of the cities affected most by the typhoon – was blasted by 155 mph winds and a 20 ft-high water surge that left 95 percent of the city devastated. The nation-wide death toll is still uncertain. Initial estimates place the number as high as 10,000.
As Christ-followers we are called to help. But as I learned from my years of working with CISF (now ScholarLeaders International), often times our helping hurts. How can we be sure we do no harm? How can we best serve those in need? Here are some suggestions.*
- Keep your focus on the survivors’ needs. When giving aid to those ravaged by natural disasters it’s important to know what kind of aid is needed. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, tons (literally tons) of donated clothes poured in from around the world. This “aid” cost the community $200,000 – the price to get rid of the clothes that they could not use. True aid actually happens when the right type and amount of gifts are given at the right time.
- Understand your motivation. Most people feel good about themselves when they give to those in need. This is the wrong reason to help! We should help because our faith demands that we do whatever it takes to help those in need.
- Do not be an SUV. In this case SUV does not mean “sports utility vehicle,” but “spontaneous uninvited volunteer.” Never self-deploy. Volunteers who fail to work through relief organizations often end up causing stress instead of bring help. Rather than parachuting into the disaster setting, wait until the needs have been assessed and volunteers have been invited. Or wait and be part of the intermediate or long-term recovery process.
- Join forces and support local or established church and aid organizations. There are church organizations in the Philippines (e.g. Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches or Philippine Relief and Development Services) that are positioned to help their countrymen. There are international aid organizations (e.g. Micah Network, Integral Alliance, World Relief, and Samaritan’s Purse) that are prepared to give aid in ways that are needed. Giving financially to these organizations is often the best way for us to help.
Jason Tan – president of a Philippine Bible college – and his wife Donna attended Christ Church for a number of years before returning to the Philippines. Though they were affected by the storm, they did not receive the worst of it. Writing a few days after the typhoon struck, Donna says, “While we thank God for not experiencing the worse this typhoon could have brought, our hearts are deeply, deeply crushed by the devastation it has brought upon our countrymen… Relief and rescue operations are coming from all over. We thank God for them. Do pray for smooth coordination and cooperation among those running it, and that our people will get what they need.”
I encourage you to pray as well, and to consider other ways that you might help the victims of Haiyan.
*Special thanks to Dr. Jamie Aten, the founder and co-director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, for his insights on disaster relief.
Work Matters: Six Ideas That Change Mondays
Work matters. Your work matters. Tragically, most Christians have an impoverished view of what is happening between 9 and 5. It certainly doesn’t measure up to what God thinks about work. Here are six big ideas that change Mondays.
Work is a privilege. In the beginning…. God worked. He created everything everywhere. That was work. Work – the way in which we make ourselves useful to others – is a good thing. God is still working today and we will have the privilege of working in heaven. Most people today don’t value their work. A recent Gallup poll found that 53% of all people in the workplace are “not personally engaged in their jobs” – they may be productive but they have no passion for their work and find no meaning in it. Another 22% are “actively disengaged” with their jobs – meaning they aren’t even looking to be productive. This is not God’s view. God values work. Sure it’s been affected by the fall, but it’s still a privilege.
Working is a necessary part of flourishing. We were created to work. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. We are also commanded to work. Exodus 20:8 may advocate Sabbath rest, but only after instructing us to work the first six days of the week. Yes, we work to live, but more fundamentally we live to work. Work is a basic human need.
Tim Keller says it well: Work is as much a basic human need as food, beauty, rest, friendship, prayer and sexuality; it is not simply medicine but food for our soul. Without meaningful work we sense significant inner loss and emptiness.
Those who do not work generally make a mess of their lives – especially men.
We all work for God. All lawful work is part of a divine calling – it is sacred. The CEO of your company may have a different name, but ultimately it’s God himself. So, we must do all of our work as if we are working for the Lord (Colossian 3:17). And we must recognize that all work is equally valid. Church work is not more important than “secular” work. God cares about Monday just as much as he cares about Sunday. We all work for God.
We work for each other. God wants life to work – he want us to flourish – and this only happens when we serve each other with our work. We are unbelievably dependant on each other. Think about it: you woke up on a bed you didn’t make, under covers you didn’t make to an alarm clock you didn’t make; you put on clothes you didn’t make; you got in a car you didn’t build; you drove on roads you didn’t build. We depend on each other. This is God’s design, and it is why he disburses gifts throughout the church – so that we can help each other.
We work for work. The work itself has value. What you do matters. Part of being made in the image of God – with creative abilities – is that everything about you matters, including your work. Don’t go to work just to make money. And don’t go to work just to invite people to church. Go to work to work – because the work itself matters.
We want to find the work we were called to and do it well. Do not sit around waiting to find the “perfect job.” It doesn’t exist. But recognize that God has prepared you for certain kinds of work. And He does give assignments. We should seek out our calling and lean into it.
Influencing the Faith of Your Children
Want to help your kids hold onto their faith through college and beyond? Introduce them to your friends.
It’s no secret that a tragically high number of teens (young adults) abandon the faith after growing up in the church. In her recent book, Sticky Faith, Dr. Kara Powell offers some insights as to why, and – more helpfully – an idea about how to address it.
According to Powell, the most important factor in determining whether young people in the church maintain their faith into adulthood is “the number and strength of relationships that they have with Christian adults.” Are children and teens regularly worshipping and building relationships with adults in the church? Powell suggests that parents surround their children with five adults who are “on their team” – they know their name, pray for them regularly and show up at their sporting events, music recitals, etc.
Powell also pointed out that parents themselves play a crucial role in the spiritual development of their children. While the church is there to help and support the parents, it is in the context of the family that lasting spiritual maturity is developed. It is not enough to merely drop the kids off at youth group once a week and expect the youth ministry to do the rest of the work.
One of the best ways for parents to remain influential in the lives and faith of their children is by keeping open lines of communication. Many parents have found that the best conversations take place in the car – when their kids have nothing else to do but sit and talk. When teens get their driver’s license, frequent communication becomes more challenging – and the parents who stay connected with their children are those who are willing to fight hard to maintain that connection.
And while an addiction to technology may be a factor in the breakdown of relationships between parents and their teens, the fault does not lie only on the young people. Teenagers typically use social media to say connected with their closest friends. Adults, however, often use the same technology to interact with people with whom they are not very close – either relationally or geographically – and end up ignoring their families and closest friends. We would do well to learn something from our children in this area.
So how do we keep our children from abandoning their faith in their teen years and beyond? We stay connected with them and keep them connected with other adults in the church. The task is not always easy, but the payoff is worth the effort.