Rev. David Holwick Q [well-received]
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
May 24, 2015
Philippians 2:12-16
|
I. Is religion fading in America?
A. Many believe the future of Christianity in America is bleak.
1) A Pew Research Center survey found that the number
of Americans who identify themselves as Christians
dropped 8 percentage points in 7 years.
Do the math (it's actually a 10% decline) and it doesn't
take too many years before you are insignificant.
2) Those who say they have no religious affiliation is the
highest it has ever been - 23%.
a) 31% of the "nones" say they are atheists or agnostics.
b) Those in their twenties are a big part of this.
3) Just as religion has collapsed in Europe, many think the
same thing will happen in the United States.
B. It might be a good thing.
1) A newspaper reporter in England says religion has had a
toxic effect on American politics.
2) He sees American Christians as trying to impose harsh,
Old Testament views on the entire country.
3) Think of all the angry rhetoric over abortion and
homosexual marriage.
4) Christians are widely seen to be intolerant, and so
people are turning away in droves.
C. Something important is happening.
1) Many of you have noticed the change in atmosphere recently.
2) It used to be cool being a Christian.
a) I became saved at the height of the Jesus Movement.
b) Hippies were getting baptized and it got a lot of
attention.
c) Then Jimmy Carter announced he was born again, and
Reagan won the White House with lots of Christian
support.
d) Christians got a lot of press, and gained considerable
influence.
e) That is not necessarily a good thing.
3) Today, being a Christian is not so cool.
a) The cultural cost of calling yourself a Christian
is starting to outweigh the cultural benefit.
#64835
b) Many see us as standing in the way of progress.
1> We are bigots who need to be confronted.
2> They want to silence and marginalize us.
c) What are we going to do about it?
II. The middle is disappearing.
A. Most of the "nones" come from Catholics and liberal Protestants.
1) With Catholics, for every one that joins, six are leaving.
2) The decline of mainline denominations has made Evangelicals
the majority of Protestants for the first time.
a) One Southern Baptist notes that people are rejecting
"almost-Christianity."
b) These are the denominations that jettison the historic
teachings of Christianity when they become
unfashionable.
3) If your beliefs are wishy-washy, you are not going to
stand up to pressure, but give in.
a) These are the people who are becoming the "nones."
b) Could this describe you?
1> How solid is your faith? Your beliefs?
2> Do you know why you believe?
B. Evangelicals are holding our own - by the skin of our teeth.
1) We are not thriving any more but we are surviving.
2) But even we can see the decline of Sunday School and the
aging of our congregations.
III. We can retreat or engage.
A. This is not the first decline in America's religion.
1) New England Puritans morphed into Unitarians in a few
generations.
2) The principles of the Enlightenment in the period of the
American Revolution gave many doubts about faith.
a) (Jefferson's Bible took out all the supernatural
elements.)
3) The rise of Liberalism after the Civil War.
4) The clash of science and fundamentalism in the 1920s.
B. Some believe we should withdraw from all the controversies.
1) They say we should not get involved with moral issues,
just preach the gospel.
2) "Benedict Option" calls for Christians to rally around
institutions that can preserve our beliefs, much like
the function of monasteries in the Dark Ages.
a) But as Charles Colson said, Jesus is in charge of
everything in the world so we must stay engaged.
3) How we engage the world matters.
a) We don't have to be haters and yellers.
b) Give a reasoned answer to people's questions.
1> People matter more than the positions they take.
C. Declines often turn into revivals.
1) People are still open to faith.
a) Among those who claim no religious affiliation, 44% say
religion is 'very' or 'somewhat' important to them.
b) It is the content of that faith we have to work on.
1> Lots of people believe an assortment of New Age
babble mixed with pop psychology.
2> Too many Christian pulpits are giving the same
message.
3> The old gospel is the only gospel you need.
A> Jesus died for us.
B> If we turn to him, he can save us and change us.
c) Stay on his path, no matter what the world says.
1> This is what the Apostle Paul calls "working
out your salvation."
2> Our actions should reflect God's will for us.
3> Don't just believe in God - obey him.
2) The old gospel can fit in new wineskins.
a) Several times in our past, Americans replaced a stuffy
old religion with something new and dynamic.
1> It happened for the Puritans, and later for other
groups like Baptists.
2> Even this church was built during a time of fervent
revival in the midst of World War I.
A> Evangelist Billy Sunday epitomized it.
B> He didn't stand rigidly behind a pulpit, but
jumped on top of it. (Don't hold your breath)
3> The current growth of praise music and radio
stations like 99.1 are transforming churches.
b) What needs to change in our own church?
1> Mision Latina is using this baptistry about every
other month - we use it once or twice a year.
2> Are we dealing with the issues of life that really
matter?
3> Are we wasting energy on issues that don't?
IV. What Christians need to do now.
A. Know what you believe, and why you believe it.
1) When faith is under attack, you need to know how to defend
it.
2) On the great issues of the day, don't just mimic what
others say, but study and come up with your own answers.
3) Become grounded in the Bible.
a) Our church provides many opportunities for this.
B. Pass on your faith to someone else.
1) We have always been one generation away from becoming
a pagan culture.
2) Have you ever led someone to faith in Jesus as their Savior?
a) Do you know what to say, which verses to use?
b) How many in your own family believe?
c) Do your children and grandchildren know Jesus personally?
C. Don't give the enemy ammunition.
1) Paul says we need to be blameless and pure.
a) Too many Christians are not.
2) Hypocrisy hurts us.
a) Duggar controversy - taken off the air because one of
the sons molested girls when he was a teenager.
b) Missouri House Speaker John Diehl, one of the most
powerful politicians in that state, just resigned.
He identified himself as a conservative and a Christian,
and the Family Research Council praised him for
upholding traditional values.
But he was busted for sending inappropriate text
messages to a young intern.
3) You have to have light in yourself if you are going to shine.
V. Shine some light.
A. Too many Christians think all they should do is attack.
1) They specialize in negativity.
2) There is a definite place for defending morality, but be
careful not to betray your values by the way you do it.
B. Positive action can make a big difference.
1) The wonderful experience at the "Stop Hunger Now" food
packing party.
2) We packed more food than we expected, and raised more than
enough money so we can do it again.
C. It is not up to us to reform the world.
1) Only Jesus can change people and society.
2) We have to show in our own lives that it is possible.
3) And we have to hold out his light.
D. There really is no alternative.
Joe McKeever says he has come to the same conclusion as the
Apostle Peter.
When Jesus noticed the crowd leaving because they'd found
His teachings difficult, our Lord said to the disciples,
"Well, how about you? Will you go away too?"
Simon Peter said, "Lord, where would we go?
You have the words of eternal life." John 6:66-68
#63651
=========================================================================
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] “Religion: Is Christianity Fading in the U.S.?” The Week magazine,
May 29, 2015, p. 17. Also see Kerux #1212, “Evangelicalism’s
Terminal Generation?” Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, June 1, 2004;
<http://www.albertmohler.com>.
#63651 “5 Reasons Why Not All Young Adults Leave the Church,” Joe
McKeever. April 24, 2012; <link>.
#64835 “Christians Decline While ‘Nones’ Increase,” David Roach,
Baptist Press, May 12, 2015; <http://www.baptistpress.org>.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Free help authoring environment