From My Perspective - - -
The April 13, 2009 Cover of Newsweek asserts: “THE DECLINE AND FALL OF CHRISTIAN AMERICA…” and headlines the lead story: “The End of Christian America”. The article is written by Jon Meacham and states: “The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades…It was a small detail, a point of comparison buried in the fifth paragraph on the 17th page of a 24-page summary of the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey…” Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary reaction and response is noted as: “…the central news of the survey was troubling enough: the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent. Then came the point he could not get out of his mind: while the unaffiliated have historically been concentrated in the Pacific Northwest…this pattern has now changed, and the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified…the historic foundation of America's religious culture was cracking….”
Mohler wrote in his online column: “A remarkable culture-shift has taken place around us…The most basic contours of American culture have been radically altered. The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture…Clearly, there is a new narrative, a post-Christian narrative, that is animating large portions of this society…” Meacham then summarizes: “This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory. To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population. According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent.”
President Obama shocked some this past week when he declared: “America is not a Christian nation; it is not a Jewish nation; it is not a Muslim nation; etc.” The question for the President is: On what basis have you determined America is not a Christian nation? A number greater than a simple majority would disagree with his statement and conclusion. To give some perspective, in our nation currently the Jewish population is 1.2 percent and the Muslim is 0.6 percent.
Consider these things with me - - - As we navigate through uncertain times in our nation, it is difficult to understand why a media outlet - Newsweek, and a national figure – the President, would seek to either undermine or remove the Christian foundation of this nation. In a day when one hears of redistribution of wealth; increased taxes; long-term national indebtedness; legislated national programs that will be funded by taxation; involvement in war (with other potential trouble spots on the horizon) – why would the foundational hope of millions be declared as waning or no longer true for this nation? A former President, Gerald Ford, once said: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” Could that possibly include ones Christian beliefs? Psalm 11 should be ones source of hope and confidence: “In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let Him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face.” Have Faith In God! Lean on His everlasting Arms. Let the Lord be your Refuge and Fortress in troubled and troubling times!
The April 13, 2009 Cover of Newsweek asserts: “THE DECLINE AND FALL OF CHRISTIAN AMERICA…” and headlines the lead story: “The End of Christian America”. The article is written by Jon Meacham and states: “The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades…It was a small detail, a point of comparison buried in the fifth paragraph on the 17th page of a 24-page summary of the 2009 American Religious Identification Survey…” Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary reaction and response is noted as: “…the central news of the survey was troubling enough: the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent. Then came the point he could not get out of his mind: while the unaffiliated have historically been concentrated in the Pacific Northwest…this pattern has now changed, and the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified…the historic foundation of America's religious culture was cracking….”
Mohler wrote in his online column: “A remarkable culture-shift has taken place around us…The most basic contours of American culture have been radically altered. The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture…Clearly, there is a new narrative, a post-Christian narrative, that is animating large portions of this society…” Meacham then summarizes: “This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory. To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population. According to the American Religious Identification Survey that got Mohler's attention, the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent.”
President Obama shocked some this past week when he declared: “America is not a Christian nation; it is not a Jewish nation; it is not a Muslim nation; etc.” The question for the President is: On what basis have you determined America is not a Christian nation? A number greater than a simple majority would disagree with his statement and conclusion. To give some perspective, in our nation currently the Jewish population is 1.2 percent and the Muslim is 0.6 percent.
Consider these things with me - - - As we navigate through uncertain times in our nation, it is difficult to understand why a media outlet - Newsweek, and a national figure – the President, would seek to either undermine or remove the Christian foundation of this nation. In a day when one hears of redistribution of wealth; increased taxes; long-term national indebtedness; legislated national programs that will be funded by taxation; involvement in war (with other potential trouble spots on the horizon) – why would the foundational hope of millions be declared as waning or no longer true for this nation? A former President, Gerald Ford, once said: “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” Could that possibly include ones Christian beliefs? Psalm 11 should be ones source of hope and confidence: “In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Let Him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face.” Have Faith In God! Lean on His everlasting Arms. Let the Lord be your Refuge and Fortress in troubled and troubling times!
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