A Mile Wide and An Inch Deep

During the half-century that I lived in South Jersey, the average snowfall was anywhere between a dusting and a few inches. Until, that is, the winter of 2010-2011, when we received 24” of the “white stuff” in a single day. In fact, South Jersey got more snow that historic winter than Buffalo, NY… which is yet another reason why I am now a proud resident of Florida, where I shovel sunshine 12 months of the year.

Yes, snowfalls in New Jersey are usually a mile wide and an inch (or two) deep. Sadly, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research, that also describes the state of Christianity in America today.

For instance, despite the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that we are all born with a sin nature (see Genesis 8:21; Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:3; et al) 64% of evangelicals believe that “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”

Likewise, 53% of evangelicals agree with the statement that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” And yet, Romans 3:10-12 states unequivocally that, “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Why are we so evil? Because as the aforementioned Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”

Sounds to me like people – including self-professed evangelical Christians – are elevating emotions, experiences, and personal opinion above God’s Word, which should be the final authority in all matters.

Just as troubling, the same 53% of evangelicals agree that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.” Hmmm… I guess they have never read Acts 8:29, where the Holy Spirit speaks to Philip; or Romans 8:26, where the Holy Spirit intercedes for us; or I Corinthians 12:11, where the Holy Spirit has a will; or Ephesians 4:30, where the Holy Spirit can be grieved. The list goes on and on.

For Pete’s sake, people… pick up your Bibles!

Perhaps the most troubling finding in the entire survey was that 47% of evangelicals believe that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.” For that to be true, Jesus would have to have been lying when He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Likewise, Peter would have been mistaken when he said in Acts 4:12, referring to Jesus, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

You can make a case for God hearing the prayers of His chosen people, the Jews, but certainly not for Muslims who consider Jesus to be a prophet, no more and no less.

Here are some more disturbing survey results…

Despite Hebrews 10:25 warning Christians “not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together”, only 61% of evangelicals think that “Every Christian has an obligation to join a local church.” Meanwhile, just 65% believe that “God created marriage to be between one man and one woman.” Apparently, they never read Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Or, for that matter, Genesis 2:24, which reads, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Just as disconcerting is the finding that by a 54%-39% majority, evangelicals have been led to believe that “Christians should not allow their religious beliefs to influence their political decisions.” So what if Jesus commanded His followers to be “salt” (a preservative) and “light” (which exposes darkness) in Matthew 5:13-16?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon put it this way. “I often hear it said, ‘Do not bring religion into politics.’ This is precisely where it ought to be brought, and set there in the face of all men as on a candlestick.”

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, agreed. "I am puzzled by which Bible people are reading when they suggest that religion and politics don’t mix," he said.

So did Albert Einstein, an admitted agnostic who still believed in a supreme being. "Those who believe that politics and religion do not mix, understand neither."

And finally, there was Ronald Reagan, who said, "Politics and morality are inseparable. And as morality's foundation is religion, religion and politics are necessarily related."

Allow me to end on a positive, but somewhat confusing note.

Believe it or not, 100% of evangelicals said that “The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.” Pretty reassuring, right? Well, if that were true, how did they arrive at so many unbiblical answers to all the other survey questions?

The only other response that offered a glimmer of hope was when asked about the Holy Trinity, 98% of respondents agreed that “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.”

I guess we should be thankful for small victories, but there remains a lot of work to be done to better educate Christians as to what the Bible actually teaches and how those fundamental truths should apply to every aspect of our lives.