America was originally settled by the Puritans. Puritans were separatists who wanted to separate from the British government and other Christian groups. They wanted a state ruled by their elders who ruled by their interpretation of the Bible. Eventually Roger Williams would transport disenfranchised colonists to Rhode Island. Eventually more secular colonies, Catholic colonies, would emerge. All the colonies eventually came under British rule.
The founding fathers respected the Bible and did attend church. Many of them probably were born again. But the leaders probably were not. Thomas Jefferson was a deist who took out all the parts of the Bible he did not like. He downplayed Jesus' deity and once said that Jesus would not even agree with all the stuff said about him. George Washington attended Church but refused to take communion. The founders were heavily influenced by by humanistic authors of the day, such as Voltaire. They respected religion but wanted a secular state. Many have misunderstood the Declaration of Independence. Because it says that freedom is a right from the creator, many assume it is a Christian document.
That motto has become a key part of the Christian American myth. A key belief is that God wants America to be the best nation on earth. This was the dominant belief during the Manifest Destiny, the Spanish American War and the modern Conservative movement. The US has always been made up of church-going people, infused with American mysticism. Since World War II the US has been seen s God's representative in the world. In the 1960s, the hippies rebelled against everything American, including this Christian American myth. Christians tried to reclaim that in the 1980s. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell continue to fuse Christianity and the American myth. They turned it into a movement. Unfortunately the churches have embraced it. Since the 1980s, we've had a massive clash between the Christian American myth and liberal. This is unbiblical Christianity. We have never been a Christian nation. We must separate ourselves fro this movement which is not godly. God will never bless the American church until we do.
Go Back - How to Save Christianity
Christianity in the United States is in trouble. We all feel it. Something is wrong and we can't quite put our finger on it. Many respond by blaming our ills on the Word of Faith, liberals, the emergent church, and the cults. They are not the problem. We have to stop blaming everyone else and look to ourselves. What can we do?
#1 We need to stop.
Once we realize that a problem exists, we need to stop what we're doing. We cannot go any further. We must quit what we are doing. The problem is, when anyone tries to suggest that there is a problem, people consider it an attack and experience a leap of faith and go on the offensive. We need to stop reading the commentaries and quit the mindset, "well, I was taught this..." or "I was never taught that."
#2 We need to unlearn what we have learned.
I know this sounds Buddhist. We need to stop living our parent's faith or the faith of others. Many people inherit the faith of the previous generation, but never make it their own. I am not suggesting that we repaint the Christian faith or even go back to vintage Christianity. What I am saying as that we need to abandon the cliches and catch phrases and consider what we believe.
#3 We need to go back.
The church needs o go back to the Scripture. We need to reread the entire Bible straight from Genesis to Revelation. We need to read it for ourselves. We need to stop reading books about the Bible, or hearing sermons on the Bible but to actually read it. Jesus told the disciples on the road to Eumaeus all the verses that pertained to him. (Matthew 24:27) We need to read the Bible with Christ in mind. We need to read the Bible with thoughts on God's plan for history. We need to know the Bible. We don't need to know about the Bible, but know what it says.
#4 We need to believe the Bible. We need to live the Bible. We need to confess our sins and obey the Bible, even the parts we don't like. If we obey the Bible completely, things will happen. I want to see this. I want revival. I fear we don't really want it because we put limitations on God. If we trust and obey, things will change. The question is, will we?
#1 We need to stop.
Once we realize that a problem exists, we need to stop what we're doing. We cannot go any further. We must quit what we are doing. The problem is, when anyone tries to suggest that there is a problem, people consider it an attack and experience a leap of faith and go on the offensive. We need to stop reading the commentaries and quit the mindset, "well, I was taught this..." or "I was never taught that."
#2 We need to unlearn what we have learned.
I know this sounds Buddhist. We need to stop living our parent's faith or the faith of others. Many people inherit the faith of the previous generation, but never make it their own. I am not suggesting that we repaint the Christian faith or even go back to vintage Christianity. What I am saying as that we need to abandon the cliches and catch phrases and consider what we believe.
#3 We need to go back.
The church needs o go back to the Scripture. We need to reread the entire Bible straight from Genesis to Revelation. We need to read it for ourselves. We need to stop reading books about the Bible, or hearing sermons on the Bible but to actually read it. Jesus told the disciples on the road to Eumaeus all the verses that pertained to him. (Matthew 24:27) We need to read the Bible with Christ in mind. We need to read the Bible with thoughts on God's plan for history. We need to know the Bible. We don't need to know about the Bible, but know what it says.
#4 We need to believe the Bible. We need to live the Bible. We need to confess our sins and obey the Bible, even the parts we don't like. If we obey the Bible completely, things will happen. I want to see this. I want revival. I fear we don't really want it because we put limitations on God. If we trust and obey, things will change. The question is, will we?
Books I've Read Recently
Texts of the New Testament. Bruce Metzger, Bart Erman.
There was quite a bit of invaluable information in this book. Many parts of the book you cannot help but think that one or both of the authors do not really believe in divine inspiration or preservation. One of the major areas in which this is seen is regarding the last part of Mark. It was suggested that we will never know how Mark ends. Many times it appears as if the word of God was attacked. This was not an encouragement to our faith. It was not a horrible book and was helpful at times. The bad really outweighs the good, though.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Christianity in Crisis. Hank Hannegraff.This book focuses in on the word of faith movement. Reading this book you might conclude that the word of faith movement is a cohesive denomination. In truth, the views on prosperity gospel vary from person to person. It is true that Benny Hinn, Kennith Copeland, and Kennith Hagan view's are similar, there are plenty of other people in this system whose views are not similar. The book's introduction gives an amalgamation of all the views and many seem to be led to believe that that is what everyone believes. The word of faith truly is another gospel. However this book does not help, but muddies the waters.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Velvet Elvis, Repainting the Christian Faith. Rob Bell.
Before reading this, I had heard a lot of negative things about this book and about Bell. One of my friends told me to read it for myself before judging it. When I read this, I could not put it down. He does have some funky views, but most Christian leaders nowadays do. He says things to get a reaction. A lot of what he said makes sense. Many of what Bell has been quoted as saying in the book were taken out of context. Although he did ask the question, "What if there was no other virgin birth?" he made it clear that he did affirm the view of virgin birth. He, like many Christian leaders including Matt Chandler, is frustrated with the current state of Christianity. While maybe we don't need to repaint Christianity, we do need to stop and evaluate how we do things. Denying the problem is not the answer.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. John Piper.
This is an amazing book. Each chapter is only two pages. In those tow pages he packs quite a lot. The books is a great blessing. It is a great reading around Easter time. As you read it, you can't help but praise God for his unspeakable gift.
Rating: 5 out of 5
How to Choose a Bible Version. Robert L. Thomas.
Robert Thomas is a professor at the Master's Seminary, John MacArthur's college. While he definitely supports the NA27 as the best texts to translate, his work is honest and thoughtful. He is critical of dynamic equivalence and prefers a word for word translation. He is not against the King James. At times it is very technical, but is still understandable by laymen. It is a helpful book.
Rating: 4+ out of 5
Why Men Don't Go To Church. David Murrow.
This book was written by a laymen. He came from a Presbyterian background. He is a journalist and may or may not be born again. The book was written from a lay men's perspective. He addresses how churches target women to the exclusion of men. He explains that men don't attend church because they don't feel comfortable there. Everything is so feminine. I do not agree with everything in the book, but a lot of it I do. As someone who grew up in the church, it was definitely an eye opener.
Rating: 4 out of 4
There was quite a bit of invaluable information in this book. Many parts of the book you cannot help but think that one or both of the authors do not really believe in divine inspiration or preservation. One of the major areas in which this is seen is regarding the last part of Mark. It was suggested that we will never know how Mark ends. Many times it appears as if the word of God was attacked. This was not an encouragement to our faith. It was not a horrible book and was helpful at times. The bad really outweighs the good, though.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Christianity in Crisis. Hank Hannegraff.This book focuses in on the word of faith movement. Reading this book you might conclude that the word of faith movement is a cohesive denomination. In truth, the views on prosperity gospel vary from person to person. It is true that Benny Hinn, Kennith Copeland, and Kennith Hagan view's are similar, there are plenty of other people in this system whose views are not similar. The book's introduction gives an amalgamation of all the views and many seem to be led to believe that that is what everyone believes. The word of faith truly is another gospel. However this book does not help, but muddies the waters.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Velvet Elvis, Repainting the Christian Faith. Rob Bell.
Before reading this, I had heard a lot of negative things about this book and about Bell. One of my friends told me to read it for myself before judging it. When I read this, I could not put it down. He does have some funky views, but most Christian leaders nowadays do. He says things to get a reaction. A lot of what he said makes sense. Many of what Bell has been quoted as saying in the book were taken out of context. Although he did ask the question, "What if there was no other virgin birth?" he made it clear that he did affirm the view of virgin birth. He, like many Christian leaders including Matt Chandler, is frustrated with the current state of Christianity. While maybe we don't need to repaint Christianity, we do need to stop and evaluate how we do things. Denying the problem is not the answer.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. John Piper.
This is an amazing book. Each chapter is only two pages. In those tow pages he packs quite a lot. The books is a great blessing. It is a great reading around Easter time. As you read it, you can't help but praise God for his unspeakable gift.
Rating: 5 out of 5
How to Choose a Bible Version. Robert L. Thomas.
Robert Thomas is a professor at the Master's Seminary, John MacArthur's college. While he definitely supports the NA27 as the best texts to translate, his work is honest and thoughtful. He is critical of dynamic equivalence and prefers a word for word translation. He is not against the King James. At times it is very technical, but is still understandable by laymen. It is a helpful book.
Rating: 4+ out of 5
Why Men Don't Go To Church. David Murrow.
This book was written by a laymen. He came from a Presbyterian background. He is a journalist and may or may not be born again. The book was written from a lay men's perspective. He addresses how churches target women to the exclusion of men. He explains that men don't attend church because they don't feel comfortable there. Everything is so feminine. I do not agree with everything in the book, but a lot of it I do. As someone who grew up in the church, it was definitely an eye opener.
Rating: 4 out of 4
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