Latest Barna Report (Very interesting read!)

Here's the latest Barna report, which you can view at Barna report. I posted the first part of the report but the rest of it is available. It reminds a bit of a message from our church that I posted a few weeks back entitled Are You "Doing" Church?Surveys Show Pastors Claim Congregants Are Deeply Committed to God But Congregants Deny It!January 9, 2006 (Ventura, CA) – How committed to God are Americans? It depends who you ask. Two new national surveys conducted by The Barna Group provide a glimpse into the contradictory views of church pastors and the people who attend churches, suggesting that the optimistic views of pastors are not justified. There is a huge gap between the perception of pastors and the reality of people’s devotion to God. Pastors Believe That All Is Well Spiritually Based on interviews with a representative national sample of 627 Protestant pastors, the Barna study discovered that pastors believe a large majority of their congregants deem their faith in God to be the highest priority in their life. On average, pastors contend that 70% of the adults in their church consider their personal faith in God to transcend all other priorities. Amazingly, as many as one out of every six pastors (16%) contends that 90% or more of the adults in their church hold their relationship with God as their top life priority! Adults Are Lukewarm About God In contrast to the upbeat pastoral view of people’s faith, a nationally representative sample of 1002 adults was asked the same question – i.e., to identify their top priority in life – and a very different perspective emerged. Only one out of every seven adults (15%) placed their faith in God at the top of their priority list. To make an apples-to-apples comparison, the survey isolated those who attend Protestant churches and found that even among that segment of adults, not quite one out of every four (23%) named their faith in God as their top priority in life.

I got this one too, and just now linked it to myAre you sure you are saved?. Barna's article is disturbing to the churches, yet, needs to be said. I suspect that it may be on the lenient side - at least, in Christ's eyes. What do you think?I wonder how much difference this article will make. Is this not the way it has always been with religion? Diane

I suspect that it may be on the lenient side - at least, in Christ's eyes. What do you think? Hi Diane, I'm sure that Jesus words would be much more cutting than this. I think it's on the lenient side because it's not really stating the obvious conclusions. Are the survey results hiding some deep spiritual truth? No, I don't believe so.I wonder how much difference this article will make. Is this not the way it has always been with religion? Probably not much of a difference. How can 85% of the people in America say they're born again but there's no victory over sin in their life and they're not sold out to Christ? It's time to eliminate all of our religionistic ways and fully follow Christ.Rather than pointing the finger at the "church" I am a bit convicted myself. I was talking with a sister the other day and told her that sick people aren't getting healed at the site of my shadow and people aren't crying aloud to me saying "Sir what must I do to be saved?" Now when that happens to those who are actually following Christ and seeking Him with all their hearts, we will know that Pentecost has come. The power of the Holy Spirit has not yet been totally released in my life and I'm still wretched, poor, pitiful, blind, and naked. I'm praying for a true Pentecost to come in the midst of God's judgement. I praise God for His rebuke and discipline, even though it's rarely enjoyable it does produce a fruit as stated in Hebrews 12:11 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.It's time to "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." as Paul stated in Ephesians. Revelations 3: 14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Blind leading the blind!

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."These are loaded words. Really, as long as ears are deaf and eyes are blind, then the Spirit's warnings to the church are not understood.Frankly, If I was still enjoying my religious experience and saw it as God's highest for me, I would not understand. It had to take a terrible shaking for me, like you, or anyone else whom the Sprit calls. I am still far, far, far from where I should be in my devotion to God. But I trust God to get me there. Diane

Frankly, If I was still enjoying my religious experience and saw it as God's highest for me, I would not understand. It had to take a terrible shaking for me, like you, or anyone else whom the Sprit calls. So true. I'm still in the midst of the shaking...I am still far, far, far from where I should be in my devotion to God. But I trust God to get me there. Amen, I wholeheartedly agree. It's His work. It's a work of the Spirit and not of the flesh.Thank you for the encouraging words...