A survey released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life among Americans' revealed some startling information. Among the Americans surveyed it was discovered that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions. Many of the respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.
45% of Roman Catholics who participated in the study did not know that, according to church teaching, the bread and wine used in Holy Communion is not just a symbol, but becomes the body and blood of Christ. More than half of Protestants could not identify Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation.
The survey was aimed to test a broad range of religious knowledge, including understanding of the Bible, core teachings of different faiths and major figures in religious history. The United States is considered to be the most religious country in the developed world, especially when it is compared to secular Western Europe. However, religious leaders have often been critical of the fact that Americans know very little about religion as a whole.
Those that responded to the survey were asked 32 questions with a range of difficulty, including whether they could name the Islamic holy book and the first book of the Bible. Another question was what century the Mormon religion was founded. On average, participants in the survey answered correctly overall for half of the survey questions.
The surprising study is reveals that Atheists and agnostics scored highest, with an average of 21 correct answers, while Jews and Mormons followed with about 20 accurate responses. Protestants overall averaged 16 correct answers, while Catholics followed with a score of about 15. Those who said they attended worship at least once a week and considered religion important in their lives often performed better on the overall survey. However even their responses revealed how little they knew about their own religion.
On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12. After Mormons, white evangelicals, averaged seven correct answers. Jews, along with atheists and agnostics, knew the most about other faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism.
Another surprising aspect of the study revealed that many Americans do not understand constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools. While a majority know that public school teachers cannot lead classes in prayer, less than a quarter know that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated that teachers can read from the Bible as an example of literature. Did you know that? The Pew researchers stated: "Many Americans think the constitutional restrictions on religion in public schools are tighter than they really are,"
3,412 people between May and June of this year responded to the survey. I was not one of them, but I would hope that I would be able to make a good showing. How would you do? Do you know what you believe? Do you know what others believe? These are important questioins to consider because how can your give a ready defense of the gospel if you do not know even the basics.
If you would like to read the entire report you can go to the following website:
http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx
Also at this website is a short 15 question quiz you can take to see how you compare to every one else. I would be interested in knowing how you do? Take the quiz and report back to me. And no you want be disciplined if you do not get them all right. What do you know?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
How do we know?
As many of you know the political campaigns are heating up. I believe this has been one of the more interesting political seasons in quite some time. Actually what is happening now is much more interesting than what happened two years ago in the presidential campaign. I have always been kind of a political junky. I find it very interesting and like to discuss the political situation. Most of time it is just to offer my opinion, but hey at least I listen to myself Most of the time I do not believe that my local representative really cares what I have to say. I mean after all, I vote, and he is suppose to represent my views, but most of the time I can't figure out what my representative believes. For the most part I want someone to have a spine and vote what is right, not what his political party might want him or her to vote. However, I think those days are far gone as we have become more polarized than ever before.
I do not hide from the fact that I am a conservative in my views. I am not ashamed to say that and I believe that my decision is right. I guess that is why they call me a part of the right wing. My question is what's wrong with being RIGHT! There is a reason it is called the right view.
In regard to the political campaign heating up today, my wife got a call from a person working for a certain candidate. This individual is running for US Representative in our district. I will not mention his party because it really does not matter. My wife stated that she would be voting for the other individual and then the dialogue began as to why. As the conversation developed my wife mentioned that our country will never be on the right track until we decide to put God first again. She stated that she was a Christian and that she wanted someone who was a Christian to represent her.
The interviewer stated that he also was a christian, but he did not know if the candidate he was working for was a christian. To me that statement is revealing. I am not naive enough to think that every candidate and every politician is a christian. However, if he or she is a christian it should not be a secret. Why is is that we think that religion has no place in the public realm. As a matter of fact I recently heard a politician say that "one's faith is a private matter and has no place in the public arena." No wonder this individual represents the party that has a "donkey" as the mascot. NOTE TO READERS: Not an endorsement of one party over the other or even suggesting that one party is christian and the other party is not. I doubt if either one really represents the cause of Christ.
The point of this article is that we should know what we believe, why we believe it and then we should also know what the candidates believe. As followers of Jesus Christ we should vote based upon God's values and not the values of a certain party or even an individual. The candidates may not perfectly line up with everything you believe, but they should at least stand for something you believe. Most of the time though when we pull that lever, we throw out any spiritual advice that God might have because after all our "faith has no place in the public arena." I don't believe that is a biblical teaching. I believe the Bible says "let your light shine before men." It also says that we are the salt of the earth. It states that we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works. I could go on and on, but the point is that what we believe in our hearts we are to demonstrate to the world. Our beliefs will affect our actions and that also means when we pull that lever and vote.
So my simple advice is this "know what the candidate believes and make sure it lines up with God's Word." The hard part is knowing what you believe? Do you know? More importantly do others know what you know?
I do not hide from the fact that I am a conservative in my views. I am not ashamed to say that and I believe that my decision is right. I guess that is why they call me a part of the right wing. My question is what's wrong with being RIGHT! There is a reason it is called the right view.
In regard to the political campaign heating up today, my wife got a call from a person working for a certain candidate. This individual is running for US Representative in our district. I will not mention his party because it really does not matter. My wife stated that she would be voting for the other individual and then the dialogue began as to why. As the conversation developed my wife mentioned that our country will never be on the right track until we decide to put God first again. She stated that she was a Christian and that she wanted someone who was a Christian to represent her.
The interviewer stated that he also was a christian, but he did not know if the candidate he was working for was a christian. To me that statement is revealing. I am not naive enough to think that every candidate and every politician is a christian. However, if he or she is a christian it should not be a secret. Why is is that we think that religion has no place in the public realm. As a matter of fact I recently heard a politician say that "one's faith is a private matter and has no place in the public arena." No wonder this individual represents the party that has a "donkey" as the mascot. NOTE TO READERS: Not an endorsement of one party over the other or even suggesting that one party is christian and the other party is not. I doubt if either one really represents the cause of Christ.
The point of this article is that we should know what we believe, why we believe it and then we should also know what the candidates believe. As followers of Jesus Christ we should vote based upon God's values and not the values of a certain party or even an individual. The candidates may not perfectly line up with everything you believe, but they should at least stand for something you believe. Most of the time though when we pull that lever, we throw out any spiritual advice that God might have because after all our "faith has no place in the public arena." I don't believe that is a biblical teaching. I believe the Bible says "let your light shine before men." It also says that we are the salt of the earth. It states that we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works. I could go on and on, but the point is that what we believe in our hearts we are to demonstrate to the world. Our beliefs will affect our actions and that also means when we pull that lever and vote.
So my simple advice is this "know what the candidate believes and make sure it lines up with God's Word." The hard part is knowing what you believe? Do you know? More importantly do others know what you know?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday worship
Yesterday was a great day at Lynwood Baptist Church. I began a new series of sermons entitled "What's so Great about Grace?" I have been pretty pumped about this series as God put these words on my heart several months ago. The worship team did a great job of putting together the music set and the videos that supported the message. The banner / decorating team did a spectacular job creating the visuals to enhance the message and worship setting. Though attendance was low, we did have several visitors in the congregation, which is always an encouragement.
The first message in this series was "Saving Grace." It was the foundational sermon basically to remind us how good a deal we got when we received God's grace. People were encouraged as God was able to minister to them through His word and through His servants. If you missed the foundational sermon, you can still get a copy at Lynwood Baptist Church. Hopefully before long you will be able to download it from our website. Anyway, it was a great day at Lynwood Baptist Church. You might want to mark your calendar for next week as the sermon series continues with "Amazing Grace." This sermon will deal with how God gets rid of our guilt. It really is amazing.
The church body also voted to hire a youth pastor. A search team was chosen and now we begin the process of looking for the right person for the task. We have such a great group of teenagers at LBC and now is the time to take that step of faith and bring in someone to help disciple them and encourage them to be all they can be in Christ. If you are reading this and know of someone who might be interested, let them know so that they can get in touch with us or we can get in touch with them.
However, what I want to share with you in this post is that God is moving at Lynwood Baptist Church. It would be hard for someone to know this truth unless they spend time around this wonderful group of believers. They are beginning to see what God can do in our midst if we will just yield ourselves to Him. Come and be a part of the "fellowship of excitement" and experience what God is doing in our midst.
The first message in this series was "Saving Grace." It was the foundational sermon basically to remind us how good a deal we got when we received God's grace. People were encouraged as God was able to minister to them through His word and through His servants. If you missed the foundational sermon, you can still get a copy at Lynwood Baptist Church. Hopefully before long you will be able to download it from our website. Anyway, it was a great day at Lynwood Baptist Church. You might want to mark your calendar for next week as the sermon series continues with "Amazing Grace." This sermon will deal with how God gets rid of our guilt. It really is amazing.
The church body also voted to hire a youth pastor. A search team was chosen and now we begin the process of looking for the right person for the task. We have such a great group of teenagers at LBC and now is the time to take that step of faith and bring in someone to help disciple them and encourage them to be all they can be in Christ. If you are reading this and know of someone who might be interested, let them know so that they can get in touch with us or we can get in touch with them.
However, what I want to share with you in this post is that God is moving at Lynwood Baptist Church. It would be hard for someone to know this truth unless they spend time around this wonderful group of believers. They are beginning to see what God can do in our midst if we will just yield ourselves to Him. Come and be a part of the "fellowship of excitement" and experience what God is doing in our midst.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What now?
On my last post I talked about God opening doors and we might not even understand why he opened them when he did. You may be like me and walked through the doors that God has opened for you and now find yourself asking "what now Lord?" Now that you are through the door you may wonder where the door actually leads. That is the thing about doors, when you go through them there is only one small entry you have to worry about, but once you enter there might a larger space you need to navigate.
That is where you find yourself wondering what to do next. I have to admit that when God brought me to Illinois, I had no idea what He wanted me to do. Can I be honest and confess that I still wonder why He brought me here. I don't doubt that He did, but I wonder why He did. There is nothing wrong with that question. It is only natural as we seek to be all that we can be for Him and His glory. I sometimes wonder if I am gifted enough to do what needs to be done. Do I have the skills? Do I have the maturity? Do I have the patience? Do I have what it takes? We all struggle with the same questions in our mind, but nevertheless we still try to be obedient today. I have always said the best way to follow God is to walk in the light you have today and trust God for tomorrow. But still easier to say than it is to live.
Some of you might wonder "how do I know what I am suppose to do now that I am here?" You went through the open door that God provided you, but you still struggle with the reason God opened that door. Can I be honest with you and say that sometimes we may not know the reason. Sometimes it is not ours to know the reason, it is only ours to obey. Remember the discussion the Jesus had with Peter along the Sea of Galilee? After Jesus reinstated Peter, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John. Jesus basically told Peter, it is none of your business what happens to him your business is to follow me. That is our task as well.
Consider the life of Moses in the book of Exodus. I think Moses went through the door that God had opened for him when he investigated the bush that did not burn. Moses voiced his objections and questioned the wisdom of God in sending him to set the Israelites free from captivity. He basically asked God "Are you crazy God?" In one exchange Moses asked God "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Have you ever asked that question? Who am I God? Who am I to be able to do this task you have given to me? God why did you open this door for me?
I love God's response to Moses. God said "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." There is a lot to unpack in this exchange, but here is the core of the teaching. The only way that Moses would know that he was doing what God wanted him to do would be after he had been obedient to do it. Up to this point Moses did not know how he was going to do the task that God had called him to do. God told him be obedient, trust me and when it is all over you will look back and know that I was with you the whole time.
I don't know if this idea helps you or not, but it serves as an encouragement to me. There are many times that I do not know exactly what to do to or how to do it or even why I am to do it, but I am encouraged that if God brought me to a place, He will accomplish what He wants if I will do what He wants. I am to be faithful today, do what I can do, and trust God.
The problem with most of us is that we want to know the end before we begin. The truth is that if we knew the end, we might not take that first step of obedience. Open doors are just the first step of our obedience to God. What are you going to do once you get through the door is where the journey really begins. After you have done what God has sent you to do you will be able to look back and know that God was with you the entire time. My prayer is that God will open that door for you to begin the adventure of a lifetime. I hope you open that door. Talk to you later.
That is where you find yourself wondering what to do next. I have to admit that when God brought me to Illinois, I had no idea what He wanted me to do. Can I be honest and confess that I still wonder why He brought me here. I don't doubt that He did, but I wonder why He did. There is nothing wrong with that question. It is only natural as we seek to be all that we can be for Him and His glory. I sometimes wonder if I am gifted enough to do what needs to be done. Do I have the skills? Do I have the maturity? Do I have the patience? Do I have what it takes? We all struggle with the same questions in our mind, but nevertheless we still try to be obedient today. I have always said the best way to follow God is to walk in the light you have today and trust God for tomorrow. But still easier to say than it is to live.
Some of you might wonder "how do I know what I am suppose to do now that I am here?" You went through the open door that God provided you, but you still struggle with the reason God opened that door. Can I be honest with you and say that sometimes we may not know the reason. Sometimes it is not ours to know the reason, it is only ours to obey. Remember the discussion the Jesus had with Peter along the Sea of Galilee? After Jesus reinstated Peter, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John. Jesus basically told Peter, it is none of your business what happens to him your business is to follow me. That is our task as well.
Consider the life of Moses in the book of Exodus. I think Moses went through the door that God had opened for him when he investigated the bush that did not burn. Moses voiced his objections and questioned the wisdom of God in sending him to set the Israelites free from captivity. He basically asked God "Are you crazy God?" In one exchange Moses asked God "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Have you ever asked that question? Who am I God? Who am I to be able to do this task you have given to me? God why did you open this door for me?
I love God's response to Moses. God said "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." There is a lot to unpack in this exchange, but here is the core of the teaching. The only way that Moses would know that he was doing what God wanted him to do would be after he had been obedient to do it. Up to this point Moses did not know how he was going to do the task that God had called him to do. God told him be obedient, trust me and when it is all over you will look back and know that I was with you the whole time.
I don't know if this idea helps you or not, but it serves as an encouragement to me. There are many times that I do not know exactly what to do to or how to do it or even why I am to do it, but I am encouraged that if God brought me to a place, He will accomplish what He wants if I will do what He wants. I am to be faithful today, do what I can do, and trust God.
The problem with most of us is that we want to know the end before we begin. The truth is that if we knew the end, we might not take that first step of obedience. Open doors are just the first step of our obedience to God. What are you going to do once you get through the door is where the journey really begins. After you have done what God has sent you to do you will be able to look back and know that God was with you the entire time. My prayer is that God will open that door for you to begin the adventure of a lifetime. I hope you open that door. Talk to you later.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Why?
I was reading the other day in Acts 16 about Paul's Macedonian vision. Let me refresh the story to you or for those that do not know it let me share with you the basics of the story. Paul's motivation was to always preach the gospel and minister to people that had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. He had already had one successful missionary journey and saw many people respond to the message of grace that he delivered. As Paul was on his second missionary journey he desired to spread the gospel in the province of Asia, but was kept from entering into that region by the Holy Spirit.
We do not know how Paul was kept from this region or even why he was kept from this region, but whatever the reason, Paul knew it was God that was keeping him from spreading the gospel into Asia. Having been hindered from entering the region of Asia, Paul and his companions tried to enter Bithynia, only to be hindered from this region as well. I imagine by this time, Paul was becoming fairly frustrated. He had a great message to share and his motivation was right, but God was not allowing him to go to the places that he wanted to go. Surely questions must have been raised by Paul, even though we have no record of these questions or even if Paul became frustrated. We can only assume and wonder what went through his mind.
During the night Paul had a clear vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him to come to Macedonia and help them. After having this clear vision, Paul and his companions left for Macedonia, where they began to preach the gospel in what is modern day Greece today. The faithfulness of Paul to the vision he received from this unnamed man opened up Western civilization to the gospel instead of the nations of Asia. How different things might look today if Paul had not been faithful to the vision he received.
However, this post is not about Paul's faithfulness to the vision, but rather the way God opens doors for us. When I began looking for a place to serve the Lord and preach the gospel, my desire was to stay in Texas. I am after all a native Texan, I know the people, and my family all live in Texas with the exception of my daughter who lives in Los Angelos. I at least wanted to stay nearby so that I could be closer to my aging parents and the rest of my family. However, for over three years, God never opened a door for us in Texas or anywhere in the South. It was as if the Holy Spirit was keeping me from that which I desired to do. I could not understand and to say that I became slightly irritated would be a misstatement. I questioned my call and wondered what God was doing in my life.
However, the Holy Spirit eventually placed it in the hearts of a group of people to contact me to come to where they are and help them. These individuals were in Illinois. It was not even on my list to consider. Had God lost His mind when they called me? What was God thinking? They talk funny! They might even think that I talk funny! What if they don't like people from the South? Will I have to wear a coat at Christmas time? Do I even own a coat? All of these things went through my mind as I considered the open door that the Lord had placed before me.
Why had God closed all other avenues and opened this door for me? I did not have an answer, but I decided to follow the path that God had provided for me. I know that God led me to be pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church and that is a great encouragement to me. Perhaps you are going through a similar experience in your life. Things are happening to you and it seems as if the Holy Spirit is hindering you in what you want to do. Do not lose heart, but keep being faithful to what you are doing and trust God to show you His plan in His timing. He has a greater plan than you can even imagine. Stay tuned to Him and He will direct your path.
God did great things through Paul as he spread the gospel to Philippi, Thessalonica, Barea, Athens, Corinth and Ephesus. The lives he touched and the churches he planted became the catalyst for a great movement of the Holy Spirit throughout the Roman empire. We do not always understand why God closes one door and opens another, but we can always be sure that God's plans are perfect and fit in with His Story.
I still do not know why God brought me where I am, but I am confident of this much: he is going to do something great! Perhaps you are in the place where God has led you, but you struggle with why you are there. Stay with me in my next post and perhaps we can discover the answer together. Thanks for being faithful where you are and I pray that God will use you in a mighty way.
We do not know how Paul was kept from this region or even why he was kept from this region, but whatever the reason, Paul knew it was God that was keeping him from spreading the gospel into Asia. Having been hindered from entering the region of Asia, Paul and his companions tried to enter Bithynia, only to be hindered from this region as well. I imagine by this time, Paul was becoming fairly frustrated. He had a great message to share and his motivation was right, but God was not allowing him to go to the places that he wanted to go. Surely questions must have been raised by Paul, even though we have no record of these questions or even if Paul became frustrated. We can only assume and wonder what went through his mind.
During the night Paul had a clear vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him to come to Macedonia and help them. After having this clear vision, Paul and his companions left for Macedonia, where they began to preach the gospel in what is modern day Greece today. The faithfulness of Paul to the vision he received from this unnamed man opened up Western civilization to the gospel instead of the nations of Asia. How different things might look today if Paul had not been faithful to the vision he received.
However, this post is not about Paul's faithfulness to the vision, but rather the way God opens doors for us. When I began looking for a place to serve the Lord and preach the gospel, my desire was to stay in Texas. I am after all a native Texan, I know the people, and my family all live in Texas with the exception of my daughter who lives in Los Angelos. I at least wanted to stay nearby so that I could be closer to my aging parents and the rest of my family. However, for over three years, God never opened a door for us in Texas or anywhere in the South. It was as if the Holy Spirit was keeping me from that which I desired to do. I could not understand and to say that I became slightly irritated would be a misstatement. I questioned my call and wondered what God was doing in my life.
However, the Holy Spirit eventually placed it in the hearts of a group of people to contact me to come to where they are and help them. These individuals were in Illinois. It was not even on my list to consider. Had God lost His mind when they called me? What was God thinking? They talk funny! They might even think that I talk funny! What if they don't like people from the South? Will I have to wear a coat at Christmas time? Do I even own a coat? All of these things went through my mind as I considered the open door that the Lord had placed before me.
Why had God closed all other avenues and opened this door for me? I did not have an answer, but I decided to follow the path that God had provided for me. I know that God led me to be pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church and that is a great encouragement to me. Perhaps you are going through a similar experience in your life. Things are happening to you and it seems as if the Holy Spirit is hindering you in what you want to do. Do not lose heart, but keep being faithful to what you are doing and trust God to show you His plan in His timing. He has a greater plan than you can even imagine. Stay tuned to Him and He will direct your path.
God did great things through Paul as he spread the gospel to Philippi, Thessalonica, Barea, Athens, Corinth and Ephesus. The lives he touched and the churches he planted became the catalyst for a great movement of the Holy Spirit throughout the Roman empire. We do not always understand why God closes one door and opens another, but we can always be sure that God's plans are perfect and fit in with His Story.
I still do not know why God brought me where I am, but I am confident of this much: he is going to do something great! Perhaps you are in the place where God has led you, but you struggle with why you are there. Stay with me in my next post and perhaps we can discover the answer together. Thanks for being faithful where you are and I pray that God will use you in a mighty way.
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