Posted on 12/04/2007 9:40:27 AM PST by pby
2007 Trends Analysis: Americans Reformulating Christianity
By Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Dec. 04 2007 09:34 AM ET
As fewer Americans identify themselves with Christianity, research indicates that those who remain Christian are redefining what "Christian" means.
Study: Christianity No Longer Looks Like Jesus Younger generations are not bound by traditional parameters of the Christian faith and instead are embracing values that are not necessarily based on biblical foundations, according to a recent analysis by The Barna Group.
Although faith is an acceptable attribute and pursuit among most young people, their notions of faith do not align with conventional religious perspectives or behavior, the research group reported on Monday.
Young Americans have adopted values such as goodness, kindness and tolerance, but they remain skeptical of the Bible, church traditions, and rules or behaviors based upon religious teaching.
They are also reformulating the popular notion of what the Christian life means. Traditional activity such as integrating discipline and regimen in personal faith development is becoming less popular; repeating the same weekly routines in religious events is increasingly deemed anachronistic, stifling and irrelevant; and rigidity of belief, including the notion that there are absolute moral and spiritual truths, is perceived by many young people as evidence of closed-mindedness.
Concluding from an earlier Barna study in May, David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, had noted that most Americans do not have strong and clear beliefs largely because they do not possess a coherent biblical worldview. The study found that fewer Americans were embracing a traditional view of God and the Bible.
"They lack a consistent and holistic understanding of their faith," he said.
New faith practices that are now in vogue include pursuing spiritual diversity in conversations and relationships; embracing racial diversity and tolerance; valuing interpersonal connections above spiritual education; blending all forms of the arts and novel forms of instruction into religious events; and accepting divergent forms of spiritual community.
"The result is a nouveau form and structure for the Christian faith that will have broad-based consequences on the practice of Christianity for years to come," the latest report stated.
The image of the Christian faith has also taken a beating.
Media criticism, "unchristian" behavior by church people, bad personal experiences with churches, ineffective Christian leadership amid social crises and the like have given rise to this "battered" image, according to the report.
A September study had found that young Americans outside Christianity have more negative perceptions than positive of the Christian faith. A majority say that Christianity is judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, old-fashioned and too involved in politics.
At the same time, 91 percent of evangelicals believe that Americans are becoming more hostile and negative toward Christianity.
Analysis of interviews conducted over the past year identified several other patterns significantly affecting the development of American culture, including Americans' unconditional self-love and parenting trends.
Americans have a high opinion of themselves, Barna studies underscored. Most describe themselves as loyal, reliable, an 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. A majority also say 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," according to the report.
The data also revealed some oddities of Americans. While Americans increasingly require unique personal applications for the things they experience, they also want to be seen as being in the mainstream of what's happening in society. And although Americans regularly strive to be connected to a substantial number of other people (via social networking on the Internet, text messaging, phone calls, and frequent appearances at common hangouts such as Starbucks), they still possess a nagging sense of loneliness, isolation and restlessness.
When it comes to raising children in this culture, the Barna surveys found that most parents underestimate the influence they can exert on their children. Many parents, even those who are born-again Christians, also overlook the need to foster deeper a connection between their children and God, or to enhance the child’s worldview as a critical component of their decision-making skills, the report stated.
"It is a well-established fact that our society is continually re-inventing itself. The outcome of such innovation and change, however, is largely dependent on the guidance provided by cultural leaders," George Barna, chairman of the research group, noted. "It is the core function of a leader to help people apply their creative ideas and energy to reinvigorating society in alignment with a positive and preferable vision of the future. Without a shaping influence that produces a common good, we devolve into anarchy.
"Our society is running the risk of becoming so independent and self-absorbed that we will abandon our responsibility to society and to making the world a better place," he added. "2008 will be an important year as America chooses future political leaders, pursues new spiritual forms, and shapes critical social policies. The choices will greatly influence the character of America for years to come. Hopefully, Americans will choose to apply their levels of personal influence in ways that generate social good, not just personal security and satisfaction. Identifying what each of us can do to avoid radical self-interest in favor of a more compassionate and collaborative society should find a place on everyone’s list of New Year’s resolutions."
Ping to read later.
Sadly, not surprised. The Joel Osteens of this world are having a deleterious effect, diluting the truth of The Gospel.
But, sadly, these misguided youths will have to answer for themselves, unless The Lord sees fit to open their eyes.
-Hoss
If these same young people were surveyed ten or twenty years from now & the majority still express the same views they do now, I’d be shocked.
I didn’t read this whole article, but many would be able to find parallels to the early years of Reform Judaism in the US to see where this leads. The obvious difference is that this new form of Christianity will marry into a population that was once itself Christian, as opposed to the religious intermarrying of 2nd and 3rd generation Reform Jewish children.
Jewish tradition reinvents itself every generation, and early Christianity did also. Synthesis isn’t to be opposed outright, it must be guided by a steady hand though.
:::Younger generations are not bound by traditional parameters of the Christian faith and instead are embracing values that are not necessarily based on biblical foundations, according to a recent analysis by The Barna Group.:::
The Reformers started a fine tradition.
The two predominant themes of the Bible are Love and Righteousness. Neither being more or less important than the other. This strain of “Christian” is doing everything they can to eliminate the righteousness part because it doesn’t tickle their itching ears. They love the world more than the Word.
The new atheism - there’s a God, and by golly He thinks just like me!
Research Details
This report is based upon telephone interviews with a nationwide survey by The Barna Group with a random sample of 1006 adults, age 18 and older, conducted in January 2007. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables.
"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."
"Evangelicals" are people who meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."
When "these kids today" don't believe the belief statements in bold...they ain't Christians.
Unlike political perspectives, Christian beliefs do not change over, or with. time.
That is easy...It leads away from Christianity.
They're right, and it is the self-righteous, spiteful behavior of many evangelicals that is fueling it.
The Reformers went back to the fundamentals of Scripture...not away from Scripture.
The article notes that these folks don't follow Scripture and do not hold to a biblical world view. Thus, they can hardly be equated to the Reformers.
Are you referring to something/someone in particular...or just making a hasty generalization?
The article notes the differences in beliefs from Christianity by those practicing a religion they call christianity. It is not dealing with a specific group of people who don't go to church because they have been somehow allegedly offended by some nameless Christian(s).
Additionally, the survey polled individual Christians, not churches relative to their belief statement.
The survey notes the trend in differences in beliefs between the historic Christian faith and younger Christians (there is an earlier survey and Barna has related data going back decades). The data shows a clear trend away from the historic Christian faith and biblical world view.
or...he is me!
I agree. You seem to have missed what I was saying about it tho. Can't gage a group's full belief about a statement by what it says. One would assume that most adults generally believe the statement of their church or they would go elsewhere. Young people don't have as much choice in the matter.
Additionally, the survey polled individual Christians, not churches relative to their belief statement.
Right.
The survey notes the trend in differences in beliefs between the historic Christian faith and younger Christians (there is an earlier survey and Barna has related data going back decades).
I looked for an older study, but couldn't find it. Since the company was started in 1984, it's possible they have data going back a couple of decades, but we're not talking a lot of decades unless they used data gathered from others. "Historic" may be a reach, but there's no way to know based on the information we've been given.
The Barna survey,in January 2007, asked self-professed, "born again" Christians several basic/foundational questions relative to the historic Christian faith.
The answers to these questions revealed a trend away from the biblical, historic Christian faith. It is really that simple.
When the responders base their beliefs, lifestyle and worship practices on something other than Scripture, the resulting religion is something different than Christianity...Again, it is really that simple.
The Reformers took their beliefs in entirely new directions from the established Church.
These folks are taking their beliefs in entirely new directions from the established churches that were spawned from the Reformation and the Restoration and the various other movements that have gone on since then.
...Like paying the church for the forgiveness/absolution of sins, and so forth.
These practices certainly weren't part of the first and second Century church and had no basis in Scripture.
The Reformers took the Church back to the biblical model...not away from biblical Christianity (as these mentioned in the article are doing).
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