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We Are They, They Are Us

Evangelical Christians are hardly distinguishable from the unsaved, unwashed masses, reveal findings from nearly every polling organizations making these kinds of surveys.

Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most “Christians” regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex, and self-fulfillment.
The findings in numerous national polls conducted by highly respected pollsters like The Gallup Organization and The Barna Group are simply shocking. “Gallup and Barna,” laments evangelical theologian Michael Horton, “hand us survey after survey demonstrating that evangelical Christians are as likely to embrace lifestyles every bit as hedonistic, materialistic, self-centered, and sexually immoral as the world in general.” Divorce is more common among “born-again” Christians than in the general American population. Only 6 percent of evangelicals tithe. White evangelicals are the most likely people to object to neighbors of another race. Josh McDowell has pointed out that the sexual promiscuity of evangelical youth is only a little less outrageous than that of their nonevangelical peers.

Christians today suffer from severe spiritual drought and famine, lacking in Christian principles and values, embracing worldly pursuits and pleasures, and most importantly and regrettably, the absence of Jesus-centered lives. In many respects, I’m just as guilty of contributing to these horrifying statistics as the next Christian.
I think my brother may be right. We are approaching a nexus of time, where the final showdown between good and evil takes place and the allegiance of all is called into question. Who will we follow? What lord will we serve? The world takes no prisoners, only slaves, and too many of us are slaves to what makes us feel good, to what gives us earthly comfort and delight. Too many of us fail in every way to engage the spirit. We live by our flesh and scorn extremes on both sides. We are Laodicea.
Fortunately, Jesus does make it possible to make our lives testaments of His work. And He does forgive, even when we can’t forgive ourselves. The truth of our backslidden nature can be overcome by the truth of salvation, despite our flesh. If there is grace, there is grace in abundance, and like a rope, must be used to pull us over the brink of the abyss to the stable ground of repentence.
I recommend reading the entire article, as it is a sad picture of the state of evangelical Christianity in America today. Pray for changes, not only in the body, but in your own life. I know I will be.

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