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I ask myself this all the time.
"What is Christianity and what does it mean to be a Christian in today's world?"
Modern Christianity was defined for us by the Church Fathers of the third century when they established a dogma re-defining The Christian faith and what it meant to be a Christian, adopting many things that never were a part of the Biblical faith of the first century.
I believe that many of the difficulties and problems we face today began then and continue to today.
So let us look at Christianity today through the eyes of a Christian George Barna who is recognized by many leading pastors today and who is not looking at this issue from a Jewish perspective but from the perspective of a Christian.
In Barna Research Group studies, "born again" Christians are not defined on the basis of Christians characterizing themselves as "born again" but rather based upon their answers to two questions.
Faithful or Adulterous
How Many?
Looking across the past decade we find the following percentages of born again Christians:
2004 - 38%
2002 - 40%
2001 - 41%
2000 - 41%
1999 - 40%
1998 - 39%
1997 - 43%
1996 - 39%
1995 - 35%
1994 - 36%
1993 - 36%
1992 - 40%
1991 - 35%
There are currently 80-85 million born again Christians. (2004)
A little lower than adults nationwide, 33% of teens (those ages 13-18) are classified as born again Christians. (2002)
WHO
The share of adult born again population that is from households making $60,000 or more annuually was 21% in 2004 compared with 25% in 2000 and 13% in 1991.
Among all demographic subgrups, the largest growth in the likihood of being a born again Christian from 1991 to 2000 was among Asians. They grew from 5% being born again to 27%, a 444% increase in one decade. (2000)
Residents of the South are more likely than average to be classified as born again Christains. Half of those living in the South (46%) are classified as born agains, compared to 29% of those living in the West, 46% of individuals who live in the Midwest, and 26% of individuals who live in the Northeast. (2004)
57% of self-identified political and social conservatives are born agains, coompared to 22% of liberals. (2000)
39% of Democrats, 55% of Republicans, and 33% of Independents are born agains. (2004)
31% of men and 45% of women are born agains. (2004)
47% of blacks, 41% of whites, and 30% of Hispahnics are born agains. (2004)
59% of married adults are born again compared to 29% of single adults. (2004)
Married people represent 44% of all born again adults. (2004)
Protestant church attenders are more than two and a half times more likely than are Catholic church attenders to be born again Christians (58% to 21%, respectively). (2004)
Born agains are as likely as non-Christians to have experienced divorce (33% versus34%, respectively) (2001)
Religious Activities
21% of born again Christians are actively involved in a discipleship process. (2000)
More than three out of five born agains (67%) have read from the Bible in the past week compared with 44% of all adults. (2004)
60% of born agains attended church in the last week, compared to 43% of all adults. (2004)
born agains are more likely than the average adult to have volunteered their time to help their church in the past week (36% to 24%, respectively). (2004)
Non-evangelical Born Agains
31% of the adult popuilation is born again, but not evangelical. (2004)
86% are registered to vote. (2004)
65% likelihood of voting, compared to the fnational average of 67% among registered voters. (2004)
38% are politically conservative. (2004)
35% is associated with the Repu blican Party, while an even greater percentage is aligned withthe Democratic Party, 40%. (2004)
Profile of these non-evangelical born agains:
55% are married; about seven out of ten are white; six out of ten are women; 41% live in the South; 40% identifiy with the Democratic Party. (2004)
My question; is there something wrong and is the Church naked as Yeshua says in Revelation 3:17 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
This was Jeshua speaking to the last Church age prior to the coming of the Mewssiah. I believe the problem is that there is no Torah and where there is no Torah, the Temple is desolate and in ruins. We have a great story of this in II Kings 22:1-20.
King Yosiah, a great king of Israel had the Torah found and realised that no one in the kingdom had kept the Torah of YHVH and tore his garments and fell on his face and asked YHVH to forgive him and the children of Israel for not keeping His Torah; and for not reading the Torah to all the people of Israel and for them not keeping the Torah and celebrating Passover according to the Torah of Moshe.
I recommend that you go and read this story and take it to heart. I do believe that there are many in today's Chruch that are beginning to see that there are many things wrong with the Church.
They are now asking questions and turning to the Torah of YHVH for answers.
I pray that you are one of these who are asking questions and searching for the truth.
Why aren't my country and my faith more biblical?
How much longer will you play along, acting "as if the king has clothes and nothing is amiss?
Will you answer the call and stand with Israel and the Bible?
Mayim Hayim Ministries is a teaching ministry dedicated to restoring the Torah; the teaching and instruction of the Almighty to His people, the congregation of Israel; the natural and wild branches of the Olive tree.
Yeshua said, "one shepherd and one flock". Yochanan 10:16
The olive tree must have both the natural and wild branch to live forever. For without Jew and Christian working together restoring Torah to the world, YHVH cannot move the congregation of Israel.
The first is "have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?"
If the respondent answers yes, then they are asked a follow-up question about liffe after death. One of the seven perspectives a respondent may choose is, "when I die, I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior."
Individuals who answer yes to the first question and select this statement as their belief about their own salvation are then cateforized as "born again".
Beliefs:
Compared to 60% of all adults, 84% of born again Bhristianws believe "the Bible is totally accurate in all of it's teachings (2004)".
78% of born again Christians believe they "personally have a responsibility to tell other people of their religious beliefs" compared to 52% of all adults (2004).
98% of born again Christians say their religious faith is very important in their life, compared to 52% of all adults (2004).
Half ( 50%) of born again Christians agree that Satan is "not a living being but is a symbol of evil" (2004).
About one third (38%) of born agains believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven (2004).
31% of born agains agree that "while he lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, like other people," compared to 44% of all adults (2004).
15% of born again Christians claim that "after He was crucified and died, Jesus Christ did not return to life physically." (2004)
About one in four (26%) born again Christiansbelieve that it doesn' matter what faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons; a belief held by 56% of non-Christians. (2000)
born again Christians are more likely than non-born again individuals to accept moral absolutes. Specifically, 32% of born agains said they believe in moral absolutes, compared to just half as many (15%) among non-born agains. (2002)
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