Another Book Recommendation on Religious Life in the USA
If you are into stats and the state of Christianity in the USA, then I'd like to recommend Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You've Been Told, by Bradley Wright. It is a statistical look at religious life in the USA and is filled with data.
If you are into stats and the state of Christianity in the USA, then I'd like to recommend Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites and Other Lies You've Been Told, by Bradley Wright. It is a statistical look at religious life in the USA and is filled with data.
In it he challenges ideas like evangelical Christianity is shrinking in significant ways. The youth are being lost to secularism and other popular ideas you hear in church these days (and also in the media). He backs up his counter claims with the bevy of surveys and presents the data in easy readable form. In particular, in spots, he argues why data presented by George Barna (and often used by evangelicals) is flawed. He also challenges Josh McDowell's take on what is happening with our youth. This is a fascinating read. It also is clearly and simply written so it is easy to follow.
6 Comments
Kristofer Moore
Theology textbooks for Arminians, particularly Wesleyan Arminian
Good day Doctor Bock,
I hold to the Wesleyan Arminian doctrinal viewpoint. I wonder if you know of any good theology textbooks that follow this line of theology.
Darrell L. Bock
Textbooks
Kristofer:
Sorry I do not have a recommendation here for a full theology book.
XianPugilist
borderline incredulous
Doc Bock,
In a time where the Quran is burnt, abortion doctors shot, gays bashed, and the smugness of the typical Xian Church, I'm borderline incredulous you'd so aggressively support this book.
Most of the people I'll discuss God with are Atheists, Agnostics, Agnostic-atheists, or just people who don't know where the fit but know what they see in the Church isn't Godly. Now I'm not here to say their view is exactly right. But I wonder how out of touch most people in the Church are with people's perceptions who are outside their huddle of friends. The reason I ask is they are all so smugly sure they are living the "holy life", but less than 3%, I'm betting, are involved in any active demonstration of faith through love, (gal 5:6), or Agapao.
They may contribute cash to causes, but their hands aren't getting muddied in the work. In fact if you even bring up Loving your neighbor and that AGAPE requires demonstrations, actions, they immediately cry works won't get you to heaven! Forsaking the very reason they were saved, and hiding behind a theological position that isn't even pertinent.
If it's true that Grace is through Faith, and not through works so no man can boast. And it's also true that FAITH will be demonstrated through one's works, (reference Abraham). Then if the members of your Church aren't engaging in those works, they don't have faith. Without faith, they can't have Grace. Without Grace, their salvation is highly circumspect. And stop, read it again, I'm not saying works save you. Not in any way shape or form. But, you could call it the Holy Barometer of faith.
Yes, I know many people will espouse, "God uses me in ways I don't even know, I have works, it's up to GOD!" And that is undoubtedly true. I mean, God used Pharoh, and Judas Iscariot and they didn't know it in advance. I'm not sure which of those examples I'd hope to be part of though.
Oh, and the "God uses me and I don't know it crowd" should go read the parable of the sheeps and the goats. Who were elected to heaven. Remember in Phil 3 Paul coaching for people to follow his MATURE example? I'd suggest we should do the same, in reference to that Matt 25 parable.
And what about Eph 4? A very unfortunate piece of Bible many look to avoid. That through WORKS people are matured. WORKS the church leads them through. If your hands aren't doing the work you aren't loving. Many people give money to avoid doing the work. Can you really claim that purchase, buys you credits of LOVE in God's eyes? How does it change the heart? Most often it's a means of avoiding doing the work/love, but to feel good about doing SOMETHING!? Yeah, I know, that's speculation. But I'd bet on that speculation.
So, any local church that doesn't have their people trained and engaged, are depriving them of the training (hebrews 12 'discipline') God has planned for them, to teach them how to LOVE as God loves (matt 5:48). You don't learn that from reading a book. You learn that from applying it, that requires working demonstrations. It requires engagement.
So, any book that encourages the status quo in protestant churches and justifies it, has not been personally involved with the people's views on the Church that folks like me try to witness to. Before I can begin to talk about God's love, to get on common ground with them, I must admit to them the short comings of the average person in the church. I have to explain how those people are NOT following Christ's plan by attacking Gay's attempts at equality (marriage), abortions, etc… I have to explain that the actions they see are not indicative of how God preached through Jesus to live. And that the Church could use their guidance in some areas.
The Church is so arrogant in these days, that even to the point of moving against scripture 180 degrees, they will change the scripture first, before they change their behavior.
I thought unChristian was a little underresearched, and a bit selective. But their point was closer to the experiential truth of things, than what I see described above.
Why won't church leaders today do as EPH 4 coached, and prepare their people for engaging works of service through which they can finish/complete/perfect/telios their maturity on earth as it tells us? To grow in unity and knowledge of Christ. To reach the full glass, the same size as Christ's glass of maturity on earth. You can't get there by studying, only by living it. But I dont' hear the church pushing people to engage. I don't see them preparing people to engage. As a result you have people engaging unsupervised by the Church, and you get the god hates fags . com groups, the abortion clinic protesters, etc..
PEOPLE TRY TO LEGISLATE THE XIAN FAITH upon non believers by PACs in congress! Where on earth do they see that Jesus went to Litigation for our faith? It's about being involved with your neighbors, being a catalyst for God's love through you to them, and then in thanks from them to you. WE GET A DOUBLE HELPING of God's love by doing the works.
But, the church you seem to promote, is the one that sits back, avoids works because they won't save you, ignores what they were saved to do, and claim a salvation their lives fail to demonstrate they ever received. The result is a lot of illbehaving people screaming FOR CHRIST, doing un Christ like behavior.
Is it my job to judge those outside the Church? Nope. Like Paul that isn't our calling, and I acknowledge that. OUR JOB IS to engage our neighbor. To feed the poor, clothe the homeless, and a billion other examples we have today that Paul couldn't imagine then.
Theology isn't important, but Faith expressing itself through love. Gal 5:6 (personal paraphrase, yet true to scripture).
bd
John Christian Doe
Thanks.
I will have to check that book out thanks. http://johnchristiandoe.blogspot.com/2011/01/be-man-biblically.html
Darrell L. Bock
Incredulous
The book I endorsed does not support the church as it is. It simply describes as a sociological study where the church is. There is a difference.
XianPugilist
not support the church?
Is that the same as saying they have no predisposition on the views they researched? Barna group did, albeit they faced some things the people don't want to face in the reality of the Church.
Selective stats, orchestrated polls, all are tools I can use to paint a picture that I am predisposed to.
Any book set out to counter barna group, which you mentioned with an uplifted upper lip, leading me to belive this one is in some senses akin to that description, are just as guilty.
I'll go browse through this book, thanks for the heads up.
I am waiting on the books, "Christian Cliches, and what the words really meant". Verses you want to rewrite, 8 billion theologies about the protestant reformations fruits, etc.. I think the way the Church is witnessed by the masses today, is the fruit of it's works. And they way it's perceived stinks. We can either sit on our sanctimonius posteriors and pretend we are the only ones that have it right, (re: emperor's new clothes) OR we can face the facts and clean up the skubalon we rest in.
Thanks for the awareness of the book,
bd