Parshall Partners

Comfort or Truth?

         Where do Americans stand on the issues of sin, judgement and eternity? Are we seeking comfort over Truth? Do we believe and understand what the Bible teaches? Let me give you some food for thought.

         Dr. George Barna has been doing some very important work through the Cultural Research Center located at Arizona Christian University.  He has been surveying Americans on various aspects of religion and Christianity, with results that are often disconcerting.  For example, his latest American Worldview Inventory examines the issue of grace and works and their intersection on the issue of personal salvation.

         According to the report, “Americans typically believe that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave is not sufficient to secure their eternal salvation. Instead, they believe that experiencing eternal peace and joy requires a blend of personal works and God’s grace”.

         Another component of this most recent inventory dealt with what U.S. adults believe happens after you die and the answer to that question varied substantially even among those who profess to be Christians.  The report found that for many, “Heaven may be a place of permanent peace or rest, but without the presence of God. Regardless, more than nine out of 10 Americans who align with the Christian faith contend they will experience that condition of never-ending bliss, whether God is there or not”.

         84% of adults, including 95% of self-professing Christians believe there is sin but millions of American adults don’t think their sinfulness will send them to hell. Only 3% believe their soul or spirit will experience an everlasting punishment, while 63% think their eternity will be filled with peace and rest.

         When it comes to sin and eternity, 95% believe God will judge each of us but 42% think that “good” people can earn Heaven. “More than one-third (38%) said repentance only takes admission of sin, not behavioral change. One-fourth (27%) argued that there are paths to salvation apart from Jesus”.

         Dr. Barna responded to these troublesome numbers by saying, “There remains a shocking degree of misunderstanding among Christians regarding sin, repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. Tens of millions of people who attend Christian churches every week, and who consider themselves to be followers of Christ and eternally secure, do not seem to understand that repentance is necessary for salvation, and that repentance demands a change in behavior. Repentance is not merely sorrow over misdeeds. It must include a determined effort to change both mind and actions to avoid committing the same sins in the future. Simply apologizing to God, or saying a prayer asking for forgiveness, without a real effort to change the lifestyle, does not fit with biblical teaching about forgiveness and grace.”

         The bottom line is that Americans are biblically illiterate, causing them to be seek comfort over biblical Truth. Dr. Barna is correct when he says, “That preference will produce profound eternal effects for each of us.” He’s so right.

         Those are my thoughts. I’m Janet Parshall.