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Jesus said that the gates of hell would never prevail against His church, but it seems that secularism, not satan, is to blame for this astonishing demographic shift. Whatever the cause or the reason it is clear that Americans in particular and the world in general simply have no use for Christianity as civilization moves through the 21st century.
Bishop John Shelby Spong has been one of the voices crying in the wilderness that unless Christianity "gets it act together' Christianity, as we know it today, will not survive the next 50 years.
Many conservative Christians 50+ take heart in the belief that the church in nearing the end times and all true Christians will be raptured. Well, Jesus better come soon or at the rate things are progressing there will be no "true Christians" to rapture.
How could Christianity have taken such a bad turn? Did the world just grow up? Did the Internet with all the libraries of alternative thought that the Christian hierarchy tried to shield us from for so many centuries for fear of people finding out the tarnished truth, finally do Christianity in?
I believe, as do many theologians, that the rise of the Internet and the decline of the numbers of young people identifying with Christianity is no mere coincidence. They are intrinsically linked to one another and as the Internet continues to grow and more and more young people avail themselves of the damming information about the church's sordid past, the numbers will continue to plummet. What's to be done?
God simply has to make Himself known if He wants to save His church. Make an appearance--work an unmistakable miracle--send another prophet like Moses to part the Red Sea or something, but He'd better do it quick, because once this generation of 50-somethings dies out in the next 50 years or so, it's anybody's guess whether there will be anything of traditional Christianity left. The statistics don't lie.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thrillobyte
It's no secret that the number of people identifying with Christianity is plummeting like a stone.
............all true Christians will be raptured. Well, Jesus better come soon or at the rate things are progressing there will be no "true Christians" to rapture.
............
They'll be OK... they are just waiting until they can get down to that magic number of 144,000 that their bible tells them so.
I'm moving more towards a more preterist view, I.e. that the rapture and tribulation are not future, yet to happen events, but they have either already happened or scripture means something different, I.e. caught up, as in now seated with Christ. At 40 years of age, I'm reviewing whether the rapture and implicit future 'escape' / glorification (depending whether youre pre trib or post) is the best psychological approach to a 'Christian' belief system. I don't think it is, and especially because even the secular world is watching the fundamentalist Nutter element with a keener eye than many religious groups - any uprising would be crushed, perhaps even militarily, as they always have been. The stripping away of orthodoxy, for me, is I feel a continuing process and a liberating one, that requires me to look to Abba instead of man. If God is in that process with all mankind, then Amen. If he's refining His ecclesia, then Amen. If He actually does rend the skies and save our sorry collective ass, then Amen!
Don't be mistaken in thinking this movement is new. Man has been failing God for beyond centuries. Christianity declined significantly with the uprising of Churches.
God simply has to make Himself known if He wants to save His church. Make an appearance--work an unmistakable miracle--send another prophet like Moses to part the Red Sea or something, but He'd better do it quick, because once this generation of 50-somethings dies out in the next 50 years or so, it's anybody's guess whether there will be anything of traditional Christianity left. The statistics don't lie.
The opposite is true - you want back under law? This covenant is one of faith - the miracles are performed by Him through those who believe (and yes, it is happening). Too many "believers" don't really believe, and we're seeing the lack of life in the church now.
God is putting together an army that is not great in number, but great in force. I believe it hinges on grace - there's simply been too much law being preached for too long, and people are burned out from trying to be righteous - if they hear the gospel it will set them free.
But a few have outlined what the problems are: not listening to God's voice; not towing the fundamentalist line like people like you want the[/m to do.
It's not a question of why; that's easy to answer: Christianity in its present form simply doesn't appeal to young people who have to follow these dopey Christian beliefs. The question is what does Christianity have to do to fix things.
If Christianity were faced with these two choices:
1. adapt to the new world by changing their platform
2. continue their present program and perish
Which would Christians choose, because those are the only two choices open to them.
Young people, the future of Christianity, have made it quite clear they have no intention of having anything to do with traditional Christianity.
Christianity in Decline; Is Man Failing God or Is God Failing Man?
neither, just as the Jews was blinded, and cast off, until the gentiles come in, so shall there be a falling away first. God is always in control. Just as the Jews casting away, so is the falling away. scripture, Romans 11:1 "I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace”.
so even at this time, it seem like a great falling away. there is in reserve many of christian who haven been called, or born yet. so don’t let the numbers game play you, nor, any intercession to God against christian. God is in control of the falling away.
It's no secret that the number of people identifying with Christianity is plummeting like a stone.
This is shocking, considering that:
Jesus said that the gates of hell would never prevail against His church, but it seems that secularism, not satan, is to blame for this astonishing demographic shift. Whatever the cause or the reason it is clear that Americans in particular and the world in general simply have no use for Christianity as civilization moves through the 21st century.
Bishop John Shelby Spong has been one of the voices crying in the wilderness that unless Christianity "gets it act together' Christianity, as we know it today, will not survive the next 50 years.
Many conservative Christians 50+ take heart in the belief that the church in nearing the end times and all true Christians will be raptured. Well, Jesus better come soon or at the rate things are progressing there will be no "true Christians" to rapture.
How could Christianity have taken such a bad turn? Did the world just grow up? Did the Internet with all the libraries of alternative thought that the Christian hierarchy tried to shield us from for so many centuries for fear of people finding out the tarnished truth, finally do Christianity in?
I believe, as do many theologians, that the rise of the Internet and the decline of the numbers of young people identifying with Christianity is no mere coincidence. They are intrinsically linked to one another and as the Internet continues to grow and more and more young people avail themselves of the damming information about the church's sordid past, the numbers will continue to plummet. What's to be done?
God simply has to make Himself known if He wants to save His church. Make an appearance--work an unmistakable miracle--send another prophet like Moses to part the Red Sea or something, but He'd better do it quick, because once this generation of 50-somethings dies out in the next 50 years or so, it's anybody's guess whether there will be anything of traditional Christianity left. The statistics don't lie.
I am a blood bought born again Christian as of December 2010. Add that to the list.
While possibly "Christianity" (whoever is defining it) could be "dying off" according to their statistics, GOD is very much alive and working in the lives of people.
We live in a wicked nation, and sadly many of the "Churches" we see have embraced the world and its concepts therefore are not of God anymore. There is pretty good evidence that the false teachers we do see is God's judgment upon the people to give them what they want to hear itching the ears.
God is very real make no mistake about it, and His judgment is coming. When I don't know precisely but not too far off now.. "not too far off" could mean 1 day or 1000+ years.. but it's coming.
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