Spiritual Viagra

Intellectual Conservative ^ | 17 May 2004 | Hans Zeiger

[Lexinom]

Spiritual Viagra
by Hans Zeiger
17 May 2004

The greatest plague of our time is a drastic spiritual impotence that we might say requires a heavy dose of spiritual Viagra.

There seems to be a proliferation of television ads for Viagra, Cialis, and the other mass-market impotence drugs. There are nearly three times as many Google hits for "Viagra" as for "George Bush." Then there is the most frequently deleted spam title from my email box, something about potions that one can order online to restore vitality. I suppose with the market as it is, Bob Dole's crusade against E.D. is moving toward a victorious end. Yet the question remains, what about the vitality of the soul?

It is a question neglected by an age that wants to feel good in the flesh, but has systematically and painstakingly ignored the overwhelming questions about the spirit. The greatest plague of our time is a drastic spiritual impotence that we might say requires a heavy dose of spiritual Viagra.

It seems that the church would be the source of America's strength, but a new survey shows that a smaller proportion of Americans are going to church than ever before.

According to the Barna Group, the number of American adults who do not attend church has doubled from 39 million to 75 million in the past 13 years, despite a 15 percent rise in the American population. While 21 percent of adults never attended church during a six-month period (with the exception of weddings, funerals, Christmas, or Easter) in 1991, 34 percent are un-churched today.

Churches have particularly alienated men. 55 percent of the un-churched are men. And only 38 percent of Americans who consider themselves "born again" are men. 9 million American men use Viagra. Fewer men have joined churches in the past decade combined.

The un-churched are radical individualists. According to the pollster George Barna, they are less likely to vote, contribute financially to non-profit organizations, or become involved in community activities. Nearly 40 percent of the un-churched are single, never-married adults, compared to 26 percent of the general adult population.

The un-churched are also younger, at 38, than the median age of Americans, 43. Combining the Barna information on age and gender, church demographics are seriously lacking in young and middle-aged men. The face of the American church in 2004 is the elderly woman.

The sissification of the American church has been occurring for over a century now.   The release of the Barna survey coincided appropriately with my reading of J. Gresham Machen's 1923 landmark treatise Christianity and Liberalism. "The greatest menace to the Christian church today comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the Church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core," Machen declared. 

Liberalism has so infected American churches since Machen wrote that it is now impossible to speak of churches being entirely Christian. Christianity is not dead, and in fact cannot be. Christianity is dependent on grace that transcends the weakness of humanity. But churches, which can be either churches of God or churches of man, have too often chosen the latter course and find themselves dying.

The reason that so few Americans attend church is that so few churches are Christian. Liberal pastors speak much of unity and peace and social justice and harmony and the like. The human condition and the Cross are seldom preached in many churches. And if the claim seems too vague, I will name names (generally speaking): Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the Episcopal Church USA, to name a few.

The decline of the American church is reason enough to despair about the future of America.

Yet there are some signs of hope amongst young Christians. I spent last week on the shores of Lake Huron with hundreds of fellow college students at an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship conference. There seems to be a newfound passion and drive amongst young Christians for evangelism and Biblical doctrine, a theme I will further explore in an upcoming column.

Whatever the trends, the key to our national survival is clear: a new generation of American Christians must seek the grace of God for the renewal of America's religious and cultural foundations.

Hans Zeiger is a Seattle Times columnist and conservative activist. He is president of the Scout Honor Coalition and a student at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Email Hans Zeiger

Send this Article to a Friend

[Lexinom]

The sissification of the American church has been occurring for over a century now. The release of the Barna survey coincided appropriately with my reading of J. Gresham Machen's 1923 landmark treatise Christianity and Liberalism. "The greatest menace to the Christian church today comes not from the enemies outside, but from the enemies within; it comes from the presence within the Church of a type of faith and practice that is anti-Christian to the core," Machen declared.

[Lexinom]

Ping to the brethren.

[Avenger]

I've got some spiritual viagra but I think many would find it a difficult pill to swallow.

[aardvark1]

The reason that so few Americans attend church is that so few churches are Christian. Liberal pastors speak much of unity and peace and social justice and harmony and the like. The human condition and the Cross are seldom preached in many churches. And if the claim seems too vague, I will name names (generally speaking): Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the Episcopal Church USA, to name a few.

These churches have gutted the authority of the Scriptures so they, in turn, have no authority. The message of the church and thus it's power is found only in the gospel. Rom. 1:16

[BibChr]

Mmmmm, Machen.

Some of what he says in that book and in What Is Faith?, written as it was in the early 1900's, will simply give you the chills. He was so prescient.

Dan

[Wilhelm Tell]

A lot of churches have become "relevant" to todays passing fads -- and many of these "relevant" fads are contributing to society's problems! Much of value has been watered down or dumbed down if not denied altogether.

[HarleyD]

I don't wish to sound pessimistic but each generation that fails to properly instruct the next erodes the theology and our understanding of God. This is what occurred with the Jews in the Old Testament. Over time they lost the true understanding of God to such a point their scriptures were found hidden in a sealed room in the temple. This is what was warned to us by Augustine. And even though the Reformation corrected the theology of the church, it was only about 100 years after Calvin that Arminianism crept back into the church.

Now you have a man-centered theology with “seeker churches”. (What are the churches seeking?) The next generation may go out to preach the word, but what word? Jesus is my “Homeboy”? This is not to say God will not raise up another Luther or Calvin but I’m skeptical. It’s not that I don’t have the faith that God can do it. It’s that the sins of man have become so perverse (e.g. abortions, cloning, homosexuality, etc.) I don’t think He will do it. I’m becoming more convinced the time for Christ’s return is sooner than we expect and I don’t think He’s going to be happy.

“…However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luk 18:8

[Gamecock]

Nice find.

The cancer found in mainline denominations is so insidious that most don't realize what is their folly.

Folks are shocked when the festering boil comes to a head, not relaizing that it is the fruit of the seed that was planted long ago.

They are more interested in entertaining goats than feeding sheep.

(Forgive my symbolism, guess what I do for a living...)

[jude24]

It’s that the sins of man have become so perverse (e.g. abortions, cloning, homosexuality, etc.) I don’t think He will do it.

As bad as it has gotten, we've been here before.

[HarleyD]

"As bad as it has gotten, we've been here before."

Was that right before the flood? :O)

I shouldn't have started out on such a downer first thing in the morning. That's what I get for not having my caffine. :O)

[jude24]

Right before the Wesleyan revival in England, for instance, things were pretty bad -- arguably as bad as they are now. Similarly, right before the 2nd Great Awakening in the US, things were pretty bad too.

[HarleyD]

Well, on a positive note I did find this interesting quote:

"Because many evangelicals tend to see our world as a sinking ship they might conclude that we need not waste time with high culture. But as C.S. Lewis noted, "if you attempted to suspend your whole intellectual and aesthetic activity, you would only succeed in substituting a worse cultural life for a better...if you don't read good books you will read bad ones"."

Perhaps God is telling me the same thing.

[Lexinom]

Corruption creep is not new. The OT is full of it. It is the visiting of the sins of the fathers on the children. It is cumulative - culture is indeed "evolving".

It all grows clearer day-by-day, as apostacy takes our culture. A year ago gay sex was illegal in many states. Now we're all getting comfortable with the idea of gay marriage. Six months ago it looked as if Terri Schiavo might be spared. Now, it does not appear so. We no longer even question the morality of visiting capital punishment on the unborn for the henious crime of existing - violating a woman's space. It DOESN'T EVEN REGISTER on our radar. Most news is bad news.

And the judicial magistrates throw out anything that hints of godliness, such as a ban on such unjust murder. They are a scourge on us, very probably a part of the divine judgment to help the ungodly store up wrath against the great Day.

It will be all the sweeter when Jesus comes. While it's probably not good to rejoice in the destruction of the wicked people, there is the spectacle of the beheaded saints in Revelation asking "How long, Lord?" There will be some terrified, astonished faces in that day.

[Lexinom]

One other thing:

It’s that the sins of man have become so perverse (e.g. abortions, cloning, homosexuality, etc.) I don’t think He will do it.

Or..... we can flip the causal relationship: man's sins have become and are becoming so perverse because He will not do it.

[A.J.Armitage]

Or perhaps He allowed the perversity of modern sins to better display His grace in a coming revival.

We can pray for it, at least.

[Lexinom]

Your optimism is appreciated. Wish I shared it...

[WaterDragon]

Excellent article! Thanks for posting!