Christian pollster George Barna is out with his annual list of trends in the Christian church. And, once again, the results are not very encouraging. Some of the twelve findings . . .
Although large majorities of the public claim to be “deeply spiritual” and say that their religious faith is “very important” in their life, only 15% of those who regularly attend a Christian church ranked their relationship with God as the top priority in their life.
Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity. Among the most common of those endeavors are using a Ouija board, reading books about witchcraft or Wicca, playing games involving sorcery or witchcraft, having a “professional” do a palm reading or having their fortune told. Conversely, during the past year fewer than three out of every ten churched teenagers had received any teaching from their church about elements of the supernatural. (At the risk of being shamefully self-promoting, my third book in The Why Files series deals exactly with these issues.)
The notion of personal holiness has slipped out of the consciousness of the vast majority of Christians. While just 21% of adults consider themselves to be holy, by their own admission large numbers have no idea what “holiness” means and only one out of every three (35%) believe that God expects people to become holy.
There are nine more equally discouraging findings. Barna seems to document Christ’s claim that “few” will find an authentic relationships with God. That is discouraging!
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December 21, 2006 at 10:50
While the findings are depressing, surveys can easily be skewed:
“Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity. Among the most common of those endeavors are … playing games involving sorcery or witchcraft….”
I play World of Warcraft in which I am a Mage. Does that make me a pagan or Warlock? NO! I consider myself to be a spiritual Christian, and playing a video game can’t change that, which is what the survey makes it sound like.
Matthew
December 21, 2006 at 12:38
The description is too vague to know if Barna would consider playing World of Warcraft (or reading Harry Potter?) as engaging in psychic or witchcraft-related activity. If things like that do count, then that aspect of the survey is worthless, in my opinion.
December 21, 2006 at 12:53
During New Student Days at my college, when I was about 17, I attended a New Student Days event that, among other things like games and mild rides, included a Tarot card reader and a palm reader. I got my “fortune” read by the Tarot card reader.
I didn’t do it because I’m a believer in that sort of thing. On the contrary—I’m a Christian. I did it to see if I could tell if they were doing some “cold reading.” I didn’t make a scene, but I kind of wanted to see if I could figure out how she was doing it. For instance, one thing she said was that she could tell from her cards that I was the type who worked hard for what I wanted. I thought this was kind of obivous. I was obviously a new student at college—that’s what the event was all about—and getting into college takes some work.
I tell this story with the hope that people won’t be terribly troubled by the findings regarding teenagers that was mentioned about. I consulted the Tarot reader to see if I could expose it for myself as fake. Perhaps some others did too.
~ Mishael
December 21, 2006 at 14:38
One also wonders if reading Harry Potter (the readership numbers of which we most likely don’t need to document) qualifies as “books about witchcraft”. The lack of teaching from the church, however, is quite disturbing.
December 21, 2006 at 20:05
I’ve just finished reading most of the responses to Revolutionaries leaving the church; and it saddened me a great deal; although the last 2 responses were encouraging.
I subscribed to George Barna’s updates and I am totally in agreement with his findings.
God is a holy God and we cannot dispute what He requires from humans—total devotion to ONLY Him-which includes always working our ways to be Christlike. We are all sinners; and no matter how much we try to obey God’s commands, all of us will fall short of the glory of God. We will never make it without Jesus Christ. Going to church or not will never matter to God if the condition of our hearts are not pure whether we are born again Christians or not; churchgoers or not.
When I had my own revelations 4 1/2 years ago, I’ve learned that the only One that can help me, assist me in life and save me from life’s struggles is my personal and deep relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I am still in awe as to why God manifested in my life and totally changed and renewed my mind. Church attendance had not done it for me but it was Jesus and God who worked in my life and made me understand His Truth, His Word and most especially, His Wisdom.
I turned my life around from being confused and lost with the help of the Holy Spirit of God. I studied God’s true nature in His Word, both the Old Testament and New Testament. I just concentrated on God alone—His will and purposes for our lives. I just concentrated in what He said. I did not rely on what Paul or Peter or Luke or Timothy or others had personally said. I relied on Jesus and God’s Words that They personally uttered through the disciples and prophets who had FIRST HAND knowledge of Jesus and God. I relied on God’s promises, protection and favors which are aplenty when we truly believe and trust God with all our hearts, minds and strengths.
I truly believe that God has to do the changing in us before we can really even get a chance to see this dying world in HIS eyes. Churches and the knowledge of Jesus and God are a good start, but without presenting the Ttruth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and God allowing it to make a mark into someone’s heart, George Barna’s surveys and findings will get a lot worse.
Wear your seatbelts because we are getting to more bumpy rides of our lifetimes. Jesus second coming is truly at hand. Our media coverage of the world and the humans living in it now are indicators of rough roads ahead of us.
December 22, 2006 at 14:52
When I was in high school, I was somewhat of a student of the occult (I also played Dungeons and Dragons). I did not practice witchcraft or worship of anything other than God. I was interested in the occult’s attraction to some. I was just a nerd reading in the school library on lunch break, and frankly, I was scared by its power and influence My youth pastor at church had also studied the occult, and he certainly was not a satanist, pagan, Wiccan or whatever. About the same time, I also read Das Kapitol and the Communist Manifesto, though I was not nor have ever been a communist, we just happened to be at the height of the cold war.
But I don’t think we can discount Barna’s findings altogether. The idea which must be considered is that most people who study such things might be tempted to meddle just a bit, and once satan has even a toe in the door, it is easier for him to then get his foot in, and things could go downhill fast from there. So I think for parents it would be important to understand why your child would be interested in such things and realize there is a chance of influence, and relay any concern to your children. I’m sure most reasonable people understand that the violence present in so many video games, television and sung about in gansta rap and thrash metal has numbed the moral sensibilities of those who partake of them.
December 22, 2006 at 21:14
“Conversely, during the past year fewer than three out of every ten churched teenagers had received any teaching from their church about elements of the supernatural.”
I’m curious how exactly they determined that. Did they ask the teens themselves? Good luck getting an accurate answer there. How many of them remember what they were taught a month ago? (How many adults remember the topic of last Sunday’s message?)
So 7 out of 10 churched teens received no teaching on prayer? On listening for God’s guidance when reading Scripture? Those are both elements of the supernatural. And I’m guessing most churched teens hear about them at least once a month.
December 24, 2006 at 02:47
I would imagine that the findings about teens are quite on track. Being 20, I remember several instances where I had to excuse myself from parties or gatherings because there were Tarot cards being used and séances taking place. I also knew about ten Wiccans. Keep in mind that I come from a conservative Christian area near Oral Roberts University in small town Oklahoma.
It is also not uncommon at my small private school to find people who are not only universalists, but have strong leanings towards witchcraft and psychic paraphernalia.
The survey may not be 100% accurate (it’s a survey), but it’s certainly on top of things.
December 24, 2006 at 20:39
On a related topic, I just published a report of top salaries for media ministers in 2006. What do you think? Let me know.
“Reformation: 2006 Hall of Fame and Shame”
http://www.freegoodnews.com/2006/12/reformation_200.html
...Bernie (FreeGoodNews@aol.com)
January 1, 2007 at 21:02
Micah responded to a complex series of religious laws and rituals “He has shown you oh man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” That is a very simple set of requirements, but a tall order to fulfill. Trying to live up to it is quite enough, in my understanding, to be saved. Jesus said that on two commandments hang “all the law and the prophets.” In very abridged form love God and love your neighbor as yourself. I would accept anyone who fulfills, or tries to the best of human ability to fulfill, those two laws, as a Christian. Is it possible to do that on our own merit? Of course not. That’s where we all start spinning complex dogmas. But then our dogmas wander away from the essentials, and become, inevitably, human reasoning wrapped around our desire to perfect ourselves, since we do all fall short of the glory of God. (God knew that before we were created).
I have played with a Ouija board. I don’t think that harmed me spiritually. I learned how to deal Tarot cards once. I don’t think that harmed me either. I deliberately set them aside after a few years—a combination of finding they were strangely accurate at times, about matters I didn’t know when I dealt them, and, simply having better things to do with my time. I read up on old pagan Celtic customs, but I don’t practice them—well, yes I do, I hang holly around my room at Christmas and decorate a tree.
I could go on and on. What it all adds up to is, I don’t find polls about specific empirics to be terribly helpful. Almost all the criticisms above are on point. But perhaps most important, each of us has a direct relationship to God. Its personal. It doesn’t add up to statistical summaries. Churches are for fellowship and mutual support among believers, not disciplined armies conquering the earth, or imposing The Way.
Idol worship is not consistent with the fundamental laws I quoted above, because it worships something other than God. If you worship a Ouija board, or a pumpkin, or a movie, or your car, or your self, that comes between you and God. If our culture worships shopping rather than the Nativity, that comes between you and God. But we each have the capacity to choose what we will worship. “As for me and my house…”