Our world is experiencing a crisis of faith. Few people place much
faith in the future. Many have no faith their marriages will survive,
that political leaders will honorably serve their country or that education
will prepare them adequately for the challenges ahead. Faced with the
difficulties of everyday life, many people simply have no confidence
that there will be a better tomorrow.
In a burned-out, tuned-out and turned-off world, sentiments like "The
rich get richer and the poor get poorer" and "Nothing ever turns out
right" clutter our thinking.
At the same time, many people view the values and promises of the Bible
as judgmental and archaic. The popular approach is to accept and validate
all opinions, no matter what they are. But the same people don't realize
that such an approach inevitably produces doubt, which undermines faith.
We may not deny the existence of God, but, because of the materialism,
humanism and moral relativism of the world around us, we convince ourselves
that God is not involved in human affairs. We see through a prism that
leaves God out of the picture.
Even for professing Christians, religion is often superficial. Many
lack a basic knowledge of the teachings of the Bible or their denomination's
beliefs. Far too many have come to believe that every aspect of life
is simply a matter of personal choice, and nothing matters beyond their
feelings. Instead of relying on God, they trust only themselves to solve
their problems. Then, because emotions are so subjective, people are
left confused and grasping for anything that offers hope.
Religious unbelievers
Pollster George Barna commented on America's Christianity: "I am quite
confident you will agree that Americans are religious people. Personally,
I am less persuaded that we are truly a Christian people, regardless
of our self-perceptions" (George Barna, The Index of Leading Spiritual
Indicators, 1996, p. xvi).
