The Associated Press started an article today with this line: “When it comes to religion, many Americans like the mix-and-match, build-your-own approach.” This is the finding of a report issued on 12/9/09 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. This ‘pick and choose’ method of constructing personal faith doesn’t just mean that Christians decide to blend some Presbyterian and Episcopalian traditions. A quarter of those who are traditionally Christian claim to believe in reincarnation, a belief adopted from Eastern religions. One in five American Christians also delve into alternative spirituality. They practice yoga, look for energy from crystals, or blend aspects of nature worship into their lives. About a third say they have communicated with someone who has died and half of us claim to have had a religious or mystical experience, a sharp increase from the previous generation. So, is this good news or bad news?
The good news is that life without God was tried and found wanting. Spirituality is back. The bad news is that Christianity, as practiced in America, was found so anemic, so incapable of addressing the deepest longings of our hearts, that people decided to look elsewhere for meaning in life. Most of those who have an eclectic faith are ignorant of Christian doctrine and without understanding of the incoherent inconsistency of their beliefs. Several trends contributed to the present state; a rejection of dogma by free-thinking people, a low view of Scriptural authority among members of the clergy, and exposure to many cultures and religions as the world grew smaller in the 20th century. The same article includes this observation: "Pop culture and the Internet are probably more powerful teachers than Sunday school teachers." Scott Thumma is a sociologist at the Hartford Institute of Religion Research.
I find it amazing that faith and religion which profoundly shape who we are, what we hope for, and how we live should be so casually approached by otherwise intelligent, educated people. Imagine if we trained our children at school in the same way that we do in religion, encouraging them to adopt as true whatever was most appealing at the moment. The facts of science and math that lead to understanding the way that our world operates, that allow us to create machines, medicine, and live more safely and longer are taught with insistence on mastery of that which is true and tested. Yet, in matters of faith, we say, “Find your own way.” No wonder we live in such a muddled mess – morally and ethically! In the Proverbs we read that "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (Proverbs 14:12, NLT) Jesus, who claimed to the Truth, said that “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NLT)
Are you tempted by a spirituality that is Jesus Lite, with a splash of Buddha?
Do you reject the mind only to follow emotion in matters of faith?
If so, then prepare to wander, to drift from point in life, and to come to a place without hope.
Discipleship is about knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and includes a healthy component of experience of the love of God. It also requires study and understanding that leads to mature faith that encompasses all of this life and points the way to our eternal home with the Father.
Here’s a word from Scripture for your meditation today. I pray that it will be true in your pursuit of God. "You have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:15-20, NIV)
___________________
O Lord our Lord,
How majestic is Your name.
Your words are true,
Your mercy does not change.
All Your promises are precious,
Reviving our faith.
Every one of them
Will be fulfilled one day.
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
We will run,
We'll run and not grow weary.
We will rise upon the eagle's wings.
In the presence of the Lord,
Our spirits will soar,
Till we one day gaze upon our King.
But my foot had almost slipped,
O Lord, I'd almost lost my way,
'Til I entered the house of the Lord
And heard Your sweet Spirit say,
Oh all Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" in Jesus.
Your promises are true.
All Your promises
Are "Yes" and "Amen" Lord Jesus,
We'll keep running after You.
All Your Promises
Smith, Andrew © 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services)
CCLI License No. 810055
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