Caleb
January 10th, 2008, 01:02 PM
By Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Jan. 09 2008 02:25 PM ET
In a portrait of the "unchurched" in America, a new study found that most are willing to hear what people have to say about Christianity but a majority also sees the church as a place full of hypocrites.
"A full 72 percent of the people interviewed said they think the church ‘is full of hypocrites,’" said LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer. "At the same time, however, 71 percent of the respondents said they believe Jesus ‘makes a positive difference in a person’s life’ and 78 percent said they would ‘be willing to listen’ to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity."
"We found a real openness to hearing about matters of faith, but the study also clearly documents what I call the Oprah-ization of American Christianity," he said. "It’s very much a generic ‘big guy in the sky’ view of God and a ‘you believe what you believe, I believe what I believe’ viewpoint on theology. People say, ‘Who am I to judge?’
"We have seen this in the current political campaigns, in regard to Mormonism," Stetzer added. "Recently a Christian leader was asked whether Mormons are Christians, and he replied that no, Mormons are outside the standard definition of what an orthodox Christian is. The host was shocked somebody would say that. How dare we say someone else is or is not a Christian?"
http://christianpost.com/article/20080109/30793_How_Do_Unchurched_Americans_View_Christianity%3F.htm
Sadly, more Christians these days, are unwilling, in this growing climate of political correctness & religious tolerance, to clearly state that Christ is the ONLY way to God. Churches like the UCC embrace more universalist theology, that all paths lead to heaven, which clearly contridicts what Christ's message was.
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Jan. 09 2008 02:25 PM ET
In a portrait of the "unchurched" in America, a new study found that most are willing to hear what people have to say about Christianity but a majority also sees the church as a place full of hypocrites.
"A full 72 percent of the people interviewed said they think the church ‘is full of hypocrites,’" said LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer. "At the same time, however, 71 percent of the respondents said they believe Jesus ‘makes a positive difference in a person’s life’ and 78 percent said they would ‘be willing to listen’ to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity."
"We found a real openness to hearing about matters of faith, but the study also clearly documents what I call the Oprah-ization of American Christianity," he said. "It’s very much a generic ‘big guy in the sky’ view of God and a ‘you believe what you believe, I believe what I believe’ viewpoint on theology. People say, ‘Who am I to judge?’
"We have seen this in the current political campaigns, in regard to Mormonism," Stetzer added. "Recently a Christian leader was asked whether Mormons are Christians, and he replied that no, Mormons are outside the standard definition of what an orthodox Christian is. The host was shocked somebody would say that. How dare we say someone else is or is not a Christian?"
http://christianpost.com/article/20080109/30793_How_Do_Unchurched_Americans_View_Christianity%3F.htm
Sadly, more Christians these days, are unwilling, in this growing climate of political correctness & religious tolerance, to clearly state that Christ is the ONLY way to God. Churches like the UCC embrace more universalist theology, that all paths lead to heaven, which clearly contridicts what Christ's message was.