I have a love/hate relationship with
academic studies and marketing research. Obviously I believe in the
usefulness of research to verify assumptions, but I find it ridiculous
that our society seems to need an academic study to determine if the
sun shines. That being said, I appreciate George Barna's newsletter and
the research that he does, even if his conclusions can be frustrating
at times. His most recent findings
fall into that category, confirming what I've said for years. American
Christianity has succumbed to the individualistic nature of our
society. American Christians no longer believe the community of
believers is a critical component of their faith.
This trend has
been obvious for years. The over-used phrase "a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ" is a perfect example of the mentality of many
Christians. "It's a personal thing," they say; "just between me and
God." The problem is, that's totally wrong. Scripture makes it
infinitely clear that our faith is a communal activity. We are not
effectively part of "the body of Christ" sitting at home watching Joel
Osteen on the TV. For iron to sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17),
we must be involved in each other's lives on a regular basis. The early
church met together daily, we have a hard time fitting one hour a week
into our schedules. No wonder our faith lacks power.
What is
needed is not just attendance at regular church services, although it
does start there. Real first century-style Christianity requires real
community. Real community takes time, and time is one commodity that
most of us are very unwilling to part with. It's easy to blame our
society and economy for making us too busy, but the truth is we make
our lifestyle choices and then consider how to cultivate our faith as
an afterthought. Barna states it quite well:
"We
want to be ‘spiritual’ and we want to have God’s favor, but we’re not
sure we want Him taking control of our lives and messing with the image
and outcomes we’ve worked so hard to produce."
If
we truly want to see the power of God at work in our lives, we need to
commit to the kind of communal faith that can truly have an impact on
us and those around us. That kind of commitment requires sacrifice, and
that is one word we all hate to hear.