Wounded by a Church

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors,
and also to love our enemies;
probably because generally they are the same people.
~G.K. Chesterton
The Barna Group has been studying the 100 million Americans who haven't been to church in six months or more. The study found that most of those who have are not in church on Sunday (61%) do not define themselves as having no faith or no religion, but self-identify as Christian.

Why are Christians not in church? Here I wish the answer was surprising, but it's not. They are out of church because the church has hurt them. A previous Barna study of the adults in this group showed that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people. The Barna Report notes:

Bestselling author Stephen Mansfield has written a new book (ReChurch) that digs into those experiences. As one who has been wounded by past church behavior, Mansfield encourages those who have been hurt by the local church to overcome that pain and suffering – if not in response to a biblical command or for the benefit of the church, then for their own healing and maturation.

Citing numerous examples, Mansfield notes that God uses people’s pain – and their own immaturity, in some cases – to reshape us. There is no denying that many churchgoers get wounded by the insensitive or ignorant actions of others in the church. Mansfield points out, though, that those instances are opportunities for us to love others who, like ourselves, are simply “flawed sinners.” Fleeing from the source of pain and suffering, rather than addressing and overcoming it, leaves us wounded and bitter, and does nothing to enhance our lives or those of the people responsible for that suffering.

The solution, according to Mansfield, is forgiveness – the same forgiveness that Jesus offers to each of us who have wounded Him. Christianity, after all, is about receiving freedom through God’s forgiveness extended to us. Offering that same forgiveness to others is the only means to us becoming healthy and whole again.

The full article is online here: Millions of Unchurched Adults Are Christians Hurt by Churches But Can Be Healed of the Pain.

This is not surprising as Christian community is messy. We are humans and humans have a tendency to let one another down and to cause each other pain. Sticking with such a fallen institution is not easy, but it has its rewards. This quote captures how I feel fairly well:
How much I must criticize you,
my church and yet how much I love you!
You have made me suffer more than anyone
and yet I owe more to you than to anyone.
I should like to see you destroyed
and yet I need your presence.

You have given me much scandal
and yet you alone have made me understand holiness.
Never in this world have I seen anything more compromised,
more false, yet never have I touched anything
more pure, more generous and more beautiful.

—Carlo Carretto (1910-1988)
Yet, I believe that even if every Christian gets it wrong in how we live out our faith in our daily lives, that Jesus is still right. This does not excuse the way churches hurt people, in fact it shows how important that it is to work to be safe places of healing. As we are the Body of Christ, we must live worthy of that calling. This applies to the gross injustices recently being reported about the Catholic Church. While the unconscionable acts reported must be stopped and the perpetrators removed from ministry, this does not begin to touch on all the way churches cause harm.

I am aiming my sights lower if you will at the quite legal, but also deplorable forms of judgment and condemnation meeted out in Jesus' name but unworthy of the title Christian. In my office I have heard through the years many painful stories of the ways in which churches have left Christians wounded, but still seeking that connection to God they felt in Christian worship.

What does this bring up for you? What has your experience been?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

What People Think About Their Faith

The Barna Group has new survey results on faith in America, which found in part:

88% of American adults say that “my religious faith is very important in my life.”

Faith is not going away despite the prolific media attention devoted to the demise of traditional faith practices and beliefs. Nine out of ten adults admit that their faith plays a meaningful role in their life. There is nothing on the horizon to suggest that this is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

75% say they sense that “God is motivating people to stay connected with Him, but in different ways and through different types of experiences than in the past.”

There is a growing sense of release from traditional religious practices in this country. People are suggesting that they want more of God and less of the stuff that gets between them and their relationship with God. This mindset is equally common among Catholics and Protestants.

45% say they are “willing to try a new church.”

A staggering number of Americans – almost half of the nation’s 230 million adults – are open to changing their church home, demonstrating their lack of connection with their present community of faith and their desire to have a more significant connection. It may also be a reflection of people’s increasing lack of loyalty to both organizations and personal relationships, and the growing sense that there is always something better available if you can simply find it.

50% say “a growing number of people I know are tired of the usual type of church experience.”

It is not just the survey respondents who indicated their willingness to change churches or to consider different forms of church experience. Half of all adults said they are aware of such a willingness to experiment on the part of people they know because those individuals are tired of the common church experience.

71% say they are “more likely to develop my religious beliefs on my own, rather than to accept an entire set of beliefs that a particular church teaches.”

Levels of distrust toward churches, church leaders and organized Christianity have been growing over the past two decades. That concern – along with the heightened independence of Americans and the profound access to information that has characterized the past decade – may have led to the emergence of a large majority of adults feeling responsible for their own theological and spiritual development. Other studies have shown an inclination for people to view a local church as a supplier of useful guidance and support, but not necessarily a reliable source of a comprehensive slate of beliefs that they must adopt.

Across the board, the research showed that women are driving these changes. This is particularly significant given prior research from Barna showing that women are more spiritually inclined, are the primary shapers of family faith experiences, and are the backbone of activity in the typical conventional church.

Most Americans still find faith important, but what any given religious group thinks is irrelevant to their personal beliefs. This fits with a general deepening of individualism, right?

Don't we find increasing ways to be more unique and less a part of the herd? I can now make my own shirts or mugs or books or bumper stickers in quantities of 1 if I wish. I can create anything I want just for me. Technology makes this possible, but the desire to be individual comes from us, not the marketers.

In one sense, this is fine, we are individuals. We are each unique. But we are also made to be in community with one another. What I believe matters, but a church can and should also come together around what we believe ("We believe in God, the Father almighty..."). This matters less at some times of our lives, but when times get tough, we need others to stand alongside us. When we go through times of doubt, what we believe can sustain any one individual in our midst in a way that is important. Otherwise, we wouldn't have to bother with church and each could be a Christian on their own. But Christianity is a team sport, not a solo activity. And while it isn't essential for community that we hold all of our beliefs in common, but it does matter that we do hold much in common.

That's my take. What's yours?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Beliefs vs. Doctrine

What the church thinks Christians believe and what Christians actually believe are not the same. This is highlighted by a new survey by The Barna Group which found that not only are many beliefs not in line with the peron's churches teaching, but they labeled some as "contradictory" and "inconsistent."

The summary of the survey is online here: Most American Christians Do Not Believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit Exist.

The inconsistencies they cite are:

• about half (47%) of the Christians who believed that Satan is merely a symbol of evil nevertheless agreed that a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces such as demons.


• About half (49%) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity also agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches, even though the Bible clearly describes the Holy Spirit as more than a symbolic reference to God’s power or presence.


• About one-third (33%) of the self-defined Christians who agree that the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon all teach the same truths simultaneously contend that the Bible is totally accurate in its principles, even though the three sacred books have very different ideas about truth, salvation, and the nature of God.

Examples of beliefs not in line with church teaching are that a quarter of persons who describe themselves as Christians did not believe God to be the "all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today" but gave answers like "everyone is god" and "god refers to the realization of human potential."

Also more than a fifth of respondants (22%) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat.

Is the underlying problem the church's inability to teach convincingly? Or will there always be a quarter to a third of Christians who claim views that are contrary to core Christian beliefs like one's view of the perfection of Jesus or the meaning of the divinity of God the Father?

Is this a problem or is living the faith more important than doctrine? What if you lived as Jesus lived and taught without believing any core doctrine of Christianity? What if you believed all the core doctrines of Christianity and didn't live as Jesus lived and taught? While neither is optimal, which is preferable? How could we have both reasonably orthodox beliefs and reasonably orthodox lives?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Cornering the God Market

In the days of my youth, the assumption was that everyone was Christian. Yes, we knew that some people were Jewish and we were vaguely aware that some folks somewhere were adherants of miscellaneous faith traditions. But, if you were American, you were Christian.

The End of Automatic Faith
A new survey by the Barna Group Christianity Is No Longer Americans’ Default Faith says this has changed. The Group's website summarizes the findings as follows:

The survey shows half of Americans believe the Christian faith no longer has a lock on people’s hearts. Overall, 50% of the adults interviewed agreed that Christianity is no longer the faith that Americans automatically accept as their personal faith, while just 44% disagreed and 6% were not sure.

Two-thirds of evangelical Christians (64%) and three out of every five Hispanics (60%) embraced that position, making them the groups most convinced of the shift in America’s default faith. The study also showed that residents of the Northeast and West were much more likely than those from the South and Midwest to assert that Christianity has lost its place as the first faith option people consider. People who said they are politically conservative, however, saw things differently than did the rest of the country: a slight majority of conservatives claimed that Christianity remains the natural choice of most Americans.

Cafeteria Plan Beliefs
The same survey also found that "By a three to one margin (71% to 26%) adults noted that they are personally more likely to develop their own set of religious beliefs than to accept a comprehensive set of beliefs taught by a particular church." This differs dramatically from a few generations back when one's church provided a moral framework generally accepted as is. The survey findings also stated:

Faith, of whatever variety, is increasingly viral rather than pedagogical. With people spending less time reading the Bible, and becoming less engaged in activities that deepen their biblical literacy, faith views are more often adopted on the basis of dialogue, self-reflection, and observation than teaching. Feelings and emotions now play a significant role in the development of people’s faith views - in many cases, much more significant than information-based exercises such as listening to preaching and participating in Bible study.

Critical Thinking Encouraged
On the one hand, I am quite pleased at the level of individual thinking verse group thinking the survey reveals. We should each decide how to assimilate our faith into our daily lives. Critical thinking about what we are told is a good idea and one I highly encourage.

As one involved in preaching and teaching, I also love the idea that people do things to learn more about their faith so that when they reflect individually on their beliefs they have more data for that reflection. Too often, we rely on what we think the Bible says or were told it says, when it is a better idea to read and reflect with others and then to reflect on your own.

I am fine with not being able to count on having a corner on the God market. I don't mind at all that folks are thinking for themselves about issues of faith and belief. I find this positive. I also hope we find ways to study more and deepen our understanding of the faith that is in us.

Living into the Answers
The church has much to teach and it isn't always what you expect. Christian education in sermons, in Bible studies and other settings provides you with more grist for the mill, so that your personal thoughts and feelings are based on more solid knowledge instead of what you remember from Bible story books as a child. You will find not a pre-packaged set of answers ready for you to swallow whole, but some profound questions and more information on how Christians through the centuries have thought, prayed and lived into the answers.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Unconditional Acceptance

In looking over data from a number of studies conducted this pasty year, the Barna Research Group has put together some larger themes they see emerging. They name these as "Americans’ unconditional self-love; nouveau Christianity; the five Ps of parenting; and designer faith with rootless values." Their article on the findings is here Barna Finds Four Mega-Themes in Recent Research.

I'll just share something of what they say about our unconditional acceptance of ourselves where they write,

Barna studies underscored the fact that Americans have a high opinion of themselves - and lingering reservations about others. Despite their self-satisfaction, many Americans want to continue to change and grow.

Among the terms that more than four out of five adults selected to describe themselves were loyal, reliable, independent thinker, supportive of traditional family values, clear about the meaning and purpose of their life, making a positive difference in the world, and well-informed about current events. More than two out of three also noted that they are open to new ideas and easily adapt to change....

Most Americans, it seems, are willing to change as long as the pathway promises benefit and enjoyment, and generally avoids pain, conflict and sacrifice....

It seems that many Americans are seeking to be viewed as individuals distinct from the ever-growing masses.

Another oddity observed through the research is that adults - especially those under 30 - regularly strive to be connected to a substantial number of other people and yet possess a nagging sense of loneliness, isolation and restlessness. The constant involvement with social networking via the Internet, text messaging and phone calls via mobile devices, and frequent appearances at common hangouts (think Starbucks, movie theaters and favorite restaurants) are manifestations of the investment in relationships and connections that are important but somehow not as fulfilling as desired.

One of these trends, that which says that we are willing to change as long as it will benefit us, but not bring conflict or sacrifice would seem to make Christianity a tough sell. Jesus faced lots of conflict and an epic amount of sacrifice and told us to expect no less.

On the other hand, that feeling with the under 30 crowd of striving for connection, but feeling isolated is something Christianity has a lot to say about. Meaningful connection with one another and with God is at the very heart of Jesus' Good News. The only downside is that while our faith can offer connection, it may ask for sacrifice to help make that happen. That might not sell well, but it is our story and I am trying to stick to it.

Are you as sure of yourself and unsure of others as they say? What about being connected while feeling lonely? What do y'all think about the study's findings?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Skepticism and Frustration

When young people were asked to identify their impressions of Christianity, one of the common themes was "Christianity is changed from what it used to be" and "Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus."

The quote above is from a new study by The Barna Group targeting the beliefs and experiences of 16- 29-year olds. The reserach found that, "a new generation is more skeptical of and resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago." Part of this is that a larger group of American teens than ever self-identifies as being outside the Christian faith (atheists, agnostics, people associated with another faith, or those who have essentially no faith orientation).


Yet these teens who say they are outside of the faith do have more than five friends who are Christian and have attended Christian churches at some point.

David Kinnaman, who served on the Barna reserach team for the project, said

I was surprised how much their perceptions were rooted in specific stories and personal interactions with Christians and in churches. When they labeled Christians as judgmental this was not merely spiritual defensiveness. It was frequently the result of truly ‘unChristian’ experiences. We discovered that the descriptions that young people offered of Christianity were more thoughtful, nuanced, and experiential than expected.

The survey found that teens have had bad experiences with Christians and got turned off in the process. Common perceptions of Christian are:

anti-homosexual(91%),
hypocritical (85%),
old-fashioned (78%),
too involved in politics (75%)

As to "anti-homosexuality, they found that "beyond their recognition that Christians oppose homosexuality, they believe that Christians show excessive contempt and unloving attitudes towards gays and lesbians." These reactions were not just among those outside the church. They also found "Half of young churchgoers said they perceive Christianity to be judgmental, hypocritical, and too political. One-third said it was old-fashioned and out of touch with reality."

The most common favorable perceptions were that
Christianity teaches the same basic ideas as other religions (82%),
has good values and principles (76%),
is friendly (71%),
and is a faith they respect (55%).

The summary of the study is found online at A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity. There is a another study there looking at the teens who do go to church, that finds that those who go are more active than most groups. That study is What Teenagers Look for in a Church.

Surveying American Christians

For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.
—Jesus in Matthew 13:15 (New Living Translation)
The Barna Group's latest version of an annual study of spirituality in America is out. You can read the summary at their website here: Americans Stay Spiritually Active, But Biblical Views Wane According to the survey,

Currently two-thirds of Americans believe that God is best described as the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today (66%). However, this proportion is lower than it was a year ago (71%) and represents the lowest percentage in more than twenty years of similar surveys.

The survey also found that,

More than four out of every five Americans (83%) said they had prayed in the last week. This was followed by attending a church service (43%) and reading the Bible outside of church worship services (41%). Notably, just one-quarter of adults possess an active faith, meaning they engage in all three of these activities (pray, attend church, and read the Bible in a typical week).

The director of the study David Kinnaman, writes a fairly scathing summary of his finding saying,

Most Americans do not have strong and clear beliefs, largely because they do not possess a coherent biblical worldview. That is, they lack a consistent and holistic understanding of their faith. Millions of Americans say they are personally committed to Jesus Christ, but they believe he sinned while on earth....

In fact, one reason why beliefs fluctuate is that most Americans’ hold few convictions about their faith. For instance, even among those who disagree with orthodox views, many do so while hedging their bets. Most Americans have one foot in the biblical camp, and one foot outside it. They say they are committed, but to what? They are spiritually active, but to what end? The spiritual profile of American Christianity is not unlike a lukewarm church that the Bible warns about.

I don't doubt that the numbers accurately reflect the 1006 people they surveyed. But I thought the picture would have been less rosy. On the one hand, I think around here more than 2/3s of people would say they believe in God described as "the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today." Yet if 43% of Camden Countians were in church in the last week, that would have been more than 21,000 people in our 115 churches or 187 people on average in each church. I know some of us have that many in church, but we all don't. So knowing that we're in the Bible Belt and the survey is national, it just made me wonder.

What do you think? Do these numbers reflect people you know? Do you think that Kinnaman is right? Are American Christians more wishy washy than faithful?

And if you want to see something that'll make you feel good about what is possible? Try this video clip Religion & Ethics NewsWeekley. It's about an atheist's conversion to Christianity. The story is primarily about the food kitchen she runs in St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Fransisco where the food is served on the altar of the church. You can read the transcript and see photos or watch the portion of the PBS show on her via video.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

[Jesus] felt great pity for the crowds that came,
because their problems were so great
and they didn't know where to go for help.
They were like sheep without a shepherd.
—Matthew 9:36 (New Living Translation)