Dallas, Texas Jun 2, 2022 (Issuewire.com) - The American Christian University, Cultural Research Center (CRC) led by well-known Evangelical researcher George Barna recently released a 2022 Worldview Assessment. Among a plethora of findings, in short, it reveals in his words: “It’s further evidence that the culture is influencing the American Church much more than the churches are influencing culture.”
But according to Dr. Steven DavidSon leading the nation’s largest virtual Church, with a global reach in the millions, his view is the problem is possibly understated by the research. DavidSon who also retired as a decorated federal government manager-analyst for over four decades further provides a root cause for what he says may have created ‘generations of pseudo-Christian followers' during the last half-century.
“I accept the findings partially, my concern is that the most significant findings are understated. First, any objective review must be conducted by a third party. CRC (Barna) and the support team are evangelical, questioning the objectivity standard. This is not only an issue with Barna but any other ‘Christian’ researcher on matters involving the Church. I’m not questioning their veracity, but I am raising the issue of research bias. Obviously, the data may be BAD (Best Available Data, DavidSon term, circa 1998), but we cautiously use what’s available. The Church in America is so permeated with nationalism also shown in research, this is rarely if ever mentioned, which must be considered in a ‘lack of worldview’ discussion. And among other issues, finally, all I have to say is ‘Evangelical.’ Their collapse on the world’s stage is well-chronicled and continuing in real-time with issues such as Roe and guns.”
DavidSon, shares that because the ministry he leads operates daily reaching across the globe as many as two million monthly in real-time; and with ministry experience over six decades, he has a far-better, on-the-ground view of the problem along with statistical research, and he’s not alone.
“I’m not remotely the only one who knows there is a massive problem with the Church in America. The fact that a significant percentage of the research lack a Biblical worldview is not news in our view. What is more troubling is the length of time (decades) and the extent to which presenting the Gospel as the core of the Christian-Faith mission has missed the principal tenet of daily sacrifice. This can be traced back at least to the early 1950s. There have always been issues as long as the Church was established in the nation. But what we're witnessing today is nothing less than catastrophic.”
According to DavidSon, the Four Spiritual Laws became a standard for reaching new converts and receiving new members in churches, and it completely avoided the daily personal-life sacrifice required in the Biblical Gospels. It was fully embraced by the nation’s largest denomination (Southern Baptist Convention-SBC) and with the acceptance and financial resources and support of the SBC and other denominations, it became the gold standard.
“No question across denominational lines, Bill Bright’s Four Spiritual Laws initially propagated through his Campus Crusade organization is the standard approach. Again, this is stated in retrospect. I appreciate and have used the approach. I was taught to use them in reaching others as far back as the 1960s. They were designed to reach students, and as a ‘pitch’ it presents a simple approach and ‘great adventure’ (a specific term in the Four Spiritual Laws pamphlet). It surely represents a quick way of getting numbers. But it was and is woefully lacking in the daily, life-giving sacrifice Jesus the Christ stated simply to follow Him among other flaws (Luke 9:22-23). This alone may be responsible for generations of 'Psuedo-Christian' Followers. This issue is at the core of the crisis, and other similar trappings such as politics, nationalism, and entertainment have all but destroyed the testimony of the Church in America in our view. And though the results of studies may be skewed, they are consistent with our perspective—though understated as we have shared. We present the core of the Faith daily home (US) and abroad publicly with live programming, courses, and classes in the thousands daily. Home (US) there is gross apathy by those claiming Christ, and consistently vile and vulgar reception by others with no comparison in any other part of the world where we operate daily (e.g., South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, etc). What the study does appear to recognize is the erosion from the Faith-Mission core that has occurred with the passage of time. What we share here--without reflection on anyone else--there's not the slightest effort to deflate the condition, or somehow please any interested party by painting a rosier picture of possibilities to improve."
DavidSon does not see immediate hope for the condition. “Unfortunately, we’re not going to undo the extensive damage that has been done, albeit inadvertently. But what we can do is correct the error and present a more evidence-based, sacrificial presentation going forward. It’s not easy striking the balance against legalism, but it’s far better than presenting what we’ve witnessed over a half-century.”
About: DavidSon’s a pioneer in web-based ministry since 1997 leading the Christ-based Ministry enterprise of 18 Web Sites, featuring non-apostate Christ-based Counseling and Education sites. He’s been in Christian Ministry for more than five decades and this is the twenty-ninth year of Amazing Things The Church, the heart of the work with an average of thirty-five thousand a day attending daily. There’s a live daily programming and numerous support resources available to the public:
Media Only Contact: Dr. Dennise Bates, Executive Pastor (ATTC), (281) 677-8564,Support@CBCentral.info
Facts and Information; The nation’s largest (SA) virtual church, 35,000+ a day attending, 18 site CBEdSupport-Enterprise
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