About the author
Most American theologians trace European evangelical church decline to 1800's German theology which questioned the authenticity and infallibility of the Bible. The "born-again" experience was increasingly seen less as a supernatural gift of God, and more as a psychological phenomenon. There was a remnant that still believed in miraculous regeneration, but for the most part, the mainline denominations lost the perspective that a "born again" person was a new creature in Christ in anything more than a figurative sense. American evangelicals have come to the same end through a different path. George Barna believes only 5 to 8 percent of Americans are truly evangelical. "Whether you like them or not, the reality is that the declining numbers of evangelicals reflect a deterioration of Bible-based faith in America. Say what you will about evangelicals and their goals, their demise signals the rise of postmodernism within the Church itself" (State Of The Church 2002). How was this accomplished in the land of the free? It wasn't through the watering down of doctrine by state-sponsored religion as had happened in many European countries. Rather, it was through 100 years of liberal theology made necessary by modern evangelism techniques. Cooperative evangelism in the 20th century made necessary the devaluation of water baptism and church membership. Automatic salvation was a necessary component of altar calls that offered no pre-salvation counseling where altar workers used to sort out why seeker’s hearts were unable to repent and accept salvation as taught in the parable of the seed. The streamlining of what it took to "get saved" was a modern innovation that worked well with modern psychological understanding. Never leave any doubt in the mind of the consumer. The result is a very American brand of religion where anyone can get saved automatically simply by repeating a prayer. A supernatural impartation from God is not needed. God MUST dispense salvation at the moment a person repeats a few special words. The idea that everyone who comes to the altar is automatically saved started with Billy Sunday just 100 years ago. The idea that a group of people could repeat a salvation prayer as evidence of saving faith started with Billy Graham just 50 years ago. The result is though 84% of Americans think they're Christian, and over 60% have said the pre-requisite prayer, only 5 to 8 percent of Americans show any evidence of having been born again. May God help us see the error of our ways.
About the Author:
Patrick McIntyre is the author of The Graham Formula, why Most Decisions for Christ are Ineffective, which can be downloaded free at http://www.ChristianEbooks.com
Discuss in our Forums!
Most American theologians trace European evangelical church decline to 1800's German theology which questioned the authenticity and infallibility of the Bible. The "born-again" experience was increasingly seen less as a supernatural gift of God, and more as a psychological phenomenon. There was a remnant that still believed in miraculous regeneration, but for the most part, the mainline denominations lost the perspective that a "born again" person was a new creature in Christ in anything more than a figurative sense. American evangelicals have come to the same end through a different path. George Barna believes only 5 to 8 percent of Americans are truly evangelical. "Whether you like them or not, the reality is that the declining numbers of evangelicals reflect a deterioration of Bible-based faith in America. Say what you will about evangelicals and their goals, their demise signals the rise of postmodernism within the Church itself" (State Of The Church 2002). How was this accomplished in the land of the free? It wasn't through the watering down of doctrine by state-sponsored religion as had happened in many European countries. Rather, it was through 100 years of liberal theology made necessary by modern evangelism techniques. Cooperative evangelism in the 20th century made necessary the devaluation of water baptism and church membership. Automatic salvation was a necessary component of altar calls that offered no pre-salvation counseling where altar workers used to sort out why seeker’s hearts were unable to repent and accept salvation as taught in the parable of the seed. The streamlining of what it took to "get saved" was a modern innovation that worked well with modern psychological understanding. Never leave any doubt in the mind of the consumer. The result is a very American brand of religion where anyone can get saved automatically simply by repeating a prayer. A supernatural impartation from God is not needed. God MUST dispense salvation at the moment a person repeats a few special words. The idea that everyone who comes to the altar is automatically saved started with Billy Sunday just 100 years ago. The idea that a group of people could repeat a salvation prayer as evidence of saving faith started with Billy Graham just 50 years ago. The result is though 84% of Americans think they're Christian, and over 60% have said the pre-requisite prayer, only 5 to 8 percent of Americans show any evidence of having been born again. May God help us see the error of our ways.
About the Author:
Patrick McIntyre is the author of The Graham Formula, why Most Decisions for Christ are Ineffective, which can be downloaded free at http://www.ChristianEbooks.com
Discuss in our Forums!