The other day I wrote about the role of obedience and works in the Christian life. I’ve been meditating on that thought some as I’ve been reading Ronald J. Sider’s The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like The Rest of the World? In his first chapter, Sider spends considerable time and effort demonstrating that there is in fact a crisis in modern “Christianity.” That crisis has already been noted by unbelievers such as Alan Wolfe in his book The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith. Wolfe’s basic thesis is that the religious people of America don’t really live all that differently from anyone else. He says:

“the faithful in the United States are remarkably like everyone else. It is time for Americans to stop discussing a religion that no longer exists and to concentrate their attention on the one that flourishes all around them.”

One of the most powerful quotes of Wolfe’s book states:

“in every aspect of the religious life, American faith has met American culture - and American culture has triumphed. Whether or not the faithful ever were a people apart, they are so no longer.”

Sider actually quotes Wolfe but uses extensive statistical analysis to demonstrate that there is a wide disconnect between what many Christians say and how most professing Christians actually live. Framing the seriousness of the issue, Sider states:

“Scandalous behavior is rapidly destroying American Christianity. By their daily activity, most “Christians” regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate allegiance to money, sex and self-fulfillment.”

Lest we think that Sider is overstating his case, he provides significant statistical evidence that only 6 percent of evangelicals actually tithe. According to a 1999 Barna poll, the divorce rate among evangelicals is exactly the same as the national average. Two other studies claim that conservative Protestants are actually more likely to divorce than the average population. Nearly 88 percent of the young people taking the “True Love Waits” pledge engage in premarital sex. A 2001 Barna poll found that the rate of cohabitation (living with a member of the opposite gender without marriage) was only a little lower for born-again adults than the general public. Baptists and evangelical “were among the most likely groups to object to black neighbors and 20 percent of Southern Baptists objected to black neighbors.” The rate of physical abuse is not significantly lower among those claiming to be Christian.

Just in case we think that Sider is somehow brining in numbers from the past, the book was published only in 2005 and he extensively cites every claim (please refer to the book for those citations as my blog doesn’t do footnotes, sorry!). There is a crisis in the modern American church and it is very likely that the majority of people filling our pews (or stadium seats) every Sunday morning may not actually be saved.

While I know that such statements seem harsh to many, the verses that we considered the other day (John 14:15, James 2:14-16, Matthew 7:15-19, Matthew 22:34-40), coupled with verses such as 1 John 1:6 leave no doubt that the way most professing Christians live is absolutely not compatible with the picture Scripture paints of the new birth. In a day and age when so many struggle with assurance, so few are willing to examine their lives. Yet this is exactly what Scripture calls us to.

Far too many pastors and churches have elevated numbers to the ultimate consideration of “success” in ministry. Yet, the true question is how well we’re making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), not how many we’re making, but how well we’re making them. Our churches must foster community in such a sense that we actually know and care for one another. Only then can we truly know when someone is missing. One of the first signs of unrepentant sin is removal from fellowship, but far too many churches are more focused on the numbers than the faces.

We must be much about the practice of self-examination, turning our lives over like a precious jewel, examining from every angle. Yet we must be careful not to elevate our own standards as the means of measuring growth. When we do that, we will always look better than we actually are. Instead, we must continually gaze into the mirror of the Word, judging ourselves in light of God’s Word. We must bathe our every thought in prayer, we must be willing to let people know our lives and speak into them when there are issues we might not see.

Far too many professing Christians treat Christianity as an accompaniment, something we can take on or off depending upon how the mood strikes us. Instead, the Scriptures present it as a miraculous new birth, the dead literally coming to life (Ephesians 2:1-8, etc.). Far too many people don’t live like they’re saved because they don’t understand salvation in the first place. Scripture portrays it as a miraculous work of God brining new life. When a baby does not grow, we have grave concerns. We ought to have those same concerns when professing Christians show no growth.

Drawing from Jesus’ imagery in Matthew 7:15-19, we must remember that we all bear fruit and that fruit tells much more than we would like about the state of our hearts. What does your fruit say about your faith? It certainly says something.

• Read The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like The Rest of the World? by Ronald J. Sider
• Read The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith by Alan Wolfe