OPINION:
Those of us who love the Holy Scriptures of our Christian faith know well that there are also some worrisome passages in the 66 books that make up our Bible.
One of those that has always seemed to trouble me is found in James 2:19 where the half-brother of Jesus makes this statement: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder.” Then perhaps even more noteworthy are the very words of Jesus found in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7, verse 21, when He proclaims, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Clearly, these verses and others like them appear to make the claim that not everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ is in reality truly one of His followers.
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Perhaps there is no better evidence of this biblically stated phenomenon being played out in America than an article that stemmed from data released earlier this month by George Barna and the Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research that “reveals the limitations of Christian evangelicalism in American society.”
Barna’s research is really only uncovering what many of us intuitively knew that “not only are there fewer evangelicals than some reports have claimed there to be, but many of them “are far less biblical in their thinking….” More particularly Barna explains that the findings show that “unlike some data that finds up to 40% of people (or 100 million Americans) could be evangelical, only 10% of adults actually meet the theological criteria for what makes somebody an evangelical,” which is “closer to maybe 25 million people.” And so, “while that’s still a significant number, it’s clearly a big difference in terms of how many evangelicals there are in American society.”
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Basically what we are seeing in American Christianity is that even when they are defined from a theological viewpoint as evangelicals, “they’re not buying into what the Bible teaches and they’re not living it out… . This, then, comes in conflict with the heart of what evangelicalism is supposed to do,” Barna contends.
Any scenario where Christianity as a whole does not “really buy the Bible at face value” will lead to an inconsistency not only in belief but in actions as well. Obviously, this whole conundrum poses a deep problem for Christ’s church in America.
Barna specifically mentions how “issues such as abortion, transgenderism, and so forth are where evangelicals really struggle to make the connection between biblical truth’ and questions of identity, purpose, and Kingdom advancement.” Barna goes on to paint a dim picture of the church in America through his research that shows “the nature and application of moral truth, the definition of what the gospel is, and the deeper theological questions that shape our passions and behaviors are ‘things that don’t get talked about quite as much in our churches. And those are the kinds of issues that relate to not only our lives, but also the political issues of the day.’”
Without the anchor of a biblical worldview, the church in America has been set adrift upon the tide of secularism. The diabolical winds of dark evangelism of demonic origins are billowing the sails of our rudderless ship, and this ill wind blows from the four corners of the media, entertainment, politics, and godless immorality. This namby-pamby approach to faith leaves a marginal believer in the propaganda of the very forces that seek to undermine and destroy Christianity in America. To make matters even worse, this curse is “far removed from what many of our pastors and church leaders think is happening.”
From this malaise of belief or disbelief, as it may be, there have been repercussions for the well-being of our nation. Even the most marginal observers of the state of America “realize just how depraved American society has become” especially in the sense of “corrupt politicians, dishonest journalists and media outlets, broken social institutions, immoral religious leaders, unconstitutional government programs and policies, and more, have generated non-stop headlines highlighting the decadence of American society and the demise of the United States.”
Barna’s report even goes so far as to contend, “The depth of the depravity is shocking,” and it’s “indisputable” that the “decline is a direct result of the spiritual collapse of Christianity in the nation.” Sadly, nowhere is this devaluation of faith and morality more evident than in the way that the church in America and the evangelical community as a whole have seemed to disintegrate right before our very eyes. Even sadder still is the negative impact on the family unit in our nation. Ultimately without a strong biblical influence from culture or from the church, the basic unit of all of creation is crumbling from the intense pressure of the failure of so-called Christians to adhere to a decidedly biblical lifestyle.
At Southern Evangelical Seminary we have seen this panorama of decadence firsthand. That is why we are no longer willing to sit on the sidelines and watch as Christ’s church and our nation go straight to hell in a handbasket. We know that if Christians, if Christ’s church, are not willing to represent the Kingdom of Christ with power and authority and confidence and consistency, then all hope for our nation is gone. Not only that, but the sterile, empty faith of many who call themselves Christian will lead to the dreadful scene depicted by Jesus when He says to the imposters amongst His children, “Depart from me; I never knew you.”
The good news is that our Lord has always seemed to do His best work with a remnant of true believers. Even in these days of despair and confusion, we need to be reminded that Elisha’s servant was downcast when all he could see was the host of the enemy surrounding them. As Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened, the servant looked again at the enemy and discovered that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Nevertheless, based on the signs of our times, our days in America and perhaps the whole world are limited. Dare we not, as true Christ followers right now, in this very moment, begin anew with greater fervency to earnestly proclaim the truth of the Gospel. In the end, it is not only the single truth that will save our nation and her inhabitants, but it is the only truth that matters. Nonetheless, it is here with God’s remnant that we will choose to take our stand.
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After a successful career as a lawyer and judge, Judge Phil Ginn retired as the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for the 24th Judicial District in North Carolina. Throughout his 22-year judicial career, he had the privilege of holding court in almost 50% of the county seats in North Carolina. Currently, Judge Ginn serves as the president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (ses.edu) and is a regular contributor to Christianity.com and The Washington Times. Judge Ginn has also been featured on Fox News, CBN, Newsmax, Decision Magazine, The Christian Post, Townhall and many others.
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