Subscribe to Christianity Today
Subscribe to Christianity Today
Donate to Christianity Today
login | my account
May 25, 2012
RSS | Facebook | Twitter
Home > 2002 > August 5Christianity Today, August 5, 2002
Plus: Barna's Beefs
His nine challenges for American Christianity
posted 8/05/2002 12:00AM

  • Challenge 1: The Same Old Same Old

    Religious energy may be experienced through new forms of music or dramatic architecture, but there is a noteworthy staleness to the faith experience of most Americans. If Christianity is to be a serious component in people's lives, there must be an intentional and strategic shakeup of what we do and how we do it within our faith communities. More of the same won't get us any farther down the road of genuine discipleship.

  • Challenge 2: The Decline of the Evangelicals

    We categorize people as "evangelicals" on the basis of their theological beliefs. The diminution of the group suggests that aberrant theology and doctrine are increasingly invading the inner circle of the Bible-believing community. Whether you applaud evangelicals or abhor them, recognize the implications of their marginalization. Every day, the church is becoming more like the world it allegedly seeks to change. At what point does that collapse become a "crisis" and merit concentrated and strategic response?

  • Challenge 3: Ethnic Ascension

    How will the church address the extreme ethnic diversification of faith communities? Most efforts at building multiethnic or multicultural churches have failed for various reasons. Planting new churches designed to reach a particular nonwhite ethnic group may not do much toward building a true church. How can we translate that openness into a church that is truly colorblind and authentically biblical?

  • Challenge 4: What About the Bible?

    In the last quarter-century it seems that we have learned how to sell Bibles but not how to sell what's in the Bible. Increasingly, people pick and choose the Bible content they like or feel comfortable with, but ignore the rest of God's counsel. This tendency seems especially prolific among young adults and teenagers. What can we do to elevate the prominence, credibility, and perceived value of God's Word in the eyes of a fickle and distracted public?

This article is currently available to CT subscribers only. To continue reading:




Christianity Today

  


Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders2-for-1 Gifts!

You must be a Christianity Today subscriber or have created a FREE registration to post comments
[Browse More Christianity Today]

Search



War and Peace

War and Peace

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian survived a leadership coup by finding rest in the liberating power of the gospel.

Interview by Drew Dyck

Facing Fears

Facing Fears

Max Lucado employs preaching to overcome fear.

A Leadership Interview

more | current issue

Christian Bible Studies

Unbalanced Blessings

Unbalanced Blessings

The balancing act of...

R. J. Thesman

Books & Culture

Quiet

Quiet

Shhh! Introverts working...

Todd C. Ream and Katherine E. Loughead

Building Church Leaders

Kids Today: The Worried Generation

Kids Today: The Worried Generation

Anyone who works with...

David Staal

Preaching Today

NFL Star Junior Seau Searched for Peace

Jim Trotter, "Why?" Sports Illustrated (5-14-12): submitted by Jared E. Alcántara, Princeton, New Jersey

Small Groups

Prepare with Prayer

Prepare with Prayer

Don't leave out this...

Reid Smith

see all brands
Search
more newsletters ...
Search
Search

More CT Studies | Top Sellers | Samples

Scripture Search
Go Deeper