But things on the American religious scene are changing rapidly.
In recent weeks I have written about the emergent church and about emergents. Emergent Christians are spelling out significant change for the future. I have also written about the development of a large body of American believers who are identified by the Barna Research Group as Casual Christians. They are a new breed. They spell out significant change for the future.
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According to Barna, a surprising 45 percent of Americans are willing to try a different church than the one they now attend. An astounding 71 percent are open to developing religious belief on their own, rather than accepting what their church leaders are saying. And 7 percent now attend worship or study in someone’s home at least once a month. This is a seven-fold increase over the past decade.
George Barna, head of the research group that bears his name, concludes that a significant make-over of the American religious scene is happening.
This “fruit basket upset” in American religious life is marked by a fresh search for authority. Church authority is being questioned and rejected. The opinions of church leaders are being ignored. Creeds and Confessions of Faith are not seen as having authority. Personal experiences and opinions are taking on more weight.
Quotes from the Bible no longer settle discussions.
As a life-long Baptist, the Bible has always played a prime role in guiding my religious pursuits. Cherished passages are underlined or high-lighted. Not a few passages have been committed to memory. I have lots of books. If all of my books were taken from me, I would beg that I be left with at least one book, the Bible.
In my life’s journey with the Bible, while my understanding of the book has changed quite radically, one thing is unchanged. I want people to consider the Bible writings as they radically rework their religious understandings. I want people to read the Bible and to understand what they are reading. Allow me to explain.
In the Bible writings, a holy God is discussed and pursued, and human encounters with the holy are reported. However, the book itself is not holy. When publishers add the word “Holy” on the front covers of our Bibles, they do us all a disservice. The writings of the Bible were not dropped from a heaven above or whispered in the ear of a passive scribe. Every word of the Bible was written by a fully conscious human being in a particular time, in a particular setting, in a particular place and for a particular purpose.
I repeat, the Bible is not a holy book. Our word bible is not a holy word. It is a form of the common Greek word for book. The Bible is a common book about uncommon people and their relationship to a holy God.
The Bible materials were written over a period of about 1,000 years and were collected and revised by a long succession of editors and redactors. Differing opinions are presented and radically different faces are put on God. The books of the Bible contain inaccuracies and contradictions. More and more serious students of the Bible are reaching these conclusions.
To an increasingly independent thinking American public, the Bible, as a book of and for people, can be an invitation to argument and discussion. From my own perspective it is the almost perfect volume for the kind of religious revolution that is taking place in America.
Our modern world is blessed with the finest Bible scholars in history. Their research and writings are abundant and are readily available at your local bookstore and on the Internet. There is no reason for anyone to continue to be uniformed about the content of the Bible. The material is time tested and provocative.
If the Barna research is correct — and I have no reason to doubt it — a significant number of people will continue to drift out of traditional church organizations and dozens of new home-study and worship groups will begin next week.
I am tempted to start a new group and invite people over to try a fresh reading of an old book.
The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.
Comments
9 comment(s)David Banks wrote on Jul 6, 2009 10:02 AM:
Dr. David George wrote on Jul 6, 2009 9:41 AM:
la de da wrote on Jun 24, 2009 8:46 AM:
Being Christian does not require checking your brain at the door. wrote on Jun 20, 2009 9:30 AM:
Becky wrote on Jun 19, 2009 3:06 PM:
Matt wrote on Jun 19, 2009 2:23 PM:
Rachel wrote on Jun 19, 2009 11:57 AM:
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Dawn wrote on Jun 19, 2009 10:59 AM: