May 10, 2004
Although many preachers and television evangelists talks of a revival sweeping the U.S., a new survey show that's not the case.
The survey conducted by the Barna Research Group shows the number of unchurched adults has nearly doubled since 1991. While the adult population in the U.S. has grown by 15 percent since then, the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million -- a 92 percent increase.
According to the survey, men dominate the ranks of the unchurched. While men comprise slightly less than half of the national population, men constitute 55 percent of the unchurched.
The survey also discovered that unchurched people are more likely than others to be single and to never have been married. Also, the survey found that while about half of the churched population has accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, one out of every six unchurched adults has done so as well.
The Barna Research Group follows trends related to faith, culture, and leadership in America.
An Awesome Fear -- and Faithful Obedience
Perhaps one reason for the increase in unchurched American adults can be traced to a lack of good examples among those who are regular churchgoers. One Colorado-based evangelist says many believers are missing out on a true, intimate relationship with God.
In his new book Drawing Near: A Life of Intimacy with God, John Bevere says believers should not settle for a dry Christianity which knows about God without knowing God. He says many Christians do not have a true fear of God -- or know that Jesus does, in fact, place a condition on His friendship.
"You'll notice that Jesus says to us in the New Testament, 'You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.' There it is: the fear of the Lord," Bevere says. "That's why there were certain people that Jesus [told] 'to you it has been granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom, but to those who are outside it is not.'"
Bevere says an emphasis in America on possessions, entertainment, and "feel good" worship form barriers to God. Part of the problem, the evangelist/author says, is that Christians in America have a misunderstanding of true worship. He explains:
"[A]s an author I've learned that whenever you introduce a new term, you have to give a definition of it by example or actually tell what the word means when you introduce it," he says. "Well, the first time you find 'worship' in the Bible is Genesis 22 -- and that is when Abraham looked at the man and said, 'Isaac and I are going up to that mountain to worship, and we'll be back.'
"Abraham and Isaac were not going up there to sing a slow song," Bevere points out. "Abraham was going up there to put the most important thing in his life to death -- just because God said to do it."
He encourages believers to take steps to deepen their walk with God and to worship Him throughout the week, through their obedience and faithfulness to God and His Word.
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Barna Research Group (http://www.barna.org)
© 2004 Agape Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
