The Truth Process, Session VII, Post 1

Mea Culpa
In our North Park Church Christian Education Class this past week, we reviewed a 2008 Barna Survey regarding the worldview of Christians. For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview. The findings are discouraging. Here is a sample of what the survey disclosed :
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview.
Even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.
One-third of all adults (34%) believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Slightly less than half of the born again adults (46%) believe in absolute moral truth.
Just one-quarter of adults (27%) are convinced that Satan is a real force. Even a minority of born again adults (40%) adopt that perspective.
Only one-quarter of adults (28%) believe that it is impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior. Not quite half of all born again Christians (47%) strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds. (If you would like to read more about the Barna study GO HERE)
Now I recognize that some of you are skeptical of statistics. Some may be familiar with Mark Twain’s comment in his autobiography that "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." Some of you are thinking that surely Barna’s identification of “born again Christians” was faulty. Whether you agree with Barna’s findings or not, my guess is that most would agree that the body of Christ has become anemic – infected by the false truth claims of a post modern culture. I can’t help but wonder –“What happened to the body of Christ?”
Our nation was founded by people who undertook the dangerous trip to the shores of North America as a mission (Mayflower Compact). The body of Christ had great influence on the culture, influencing government, education, and the overall operation of society. Many of our founding fathers expressed that the foundation of the nation was morality and religion, and at the time, there was no question that they meant the Christian religion. The more I think about this, the more upset I become. I feel frustrated, saddened, and at times – angry. Frankly, I am looking for someone to blame.
As a child, and still as an adult, I read the comics section of the daily newspaper. A number of years ago, a comic strip titled “Pogo” appeared in the daily Pittsburgh Press. Pogo was the title and central character of a long-running daily American comic strip, created by cartoonist Walt Kelly (1913–1973) and distributed by the Post-Hall Syndicate. Set in the Okefenokee Swamp of the southeastern United States, the strip often engaged in social and political satire through the adventures of its anthropomorphic funny animal characters.
Probably the most famous Pogo quotation is "We have met the enemy and he is us." Perhaps more than any other words written by Kelly, it perfectly sums up his attitude towards the foibles of mankind and the nature of the human condition. (Perhaps the second best-known Walt Kelly quotation is another one of Pogo's philosophical observations: "Don't take life so serious, son. It ain't nohow permanent." But that’s another conversation...)
As I have been looking for someone to blame, Pogo’s words come back to mind, with some modification. You see, I have found the person to blame for the anemic condition of the church. Yes, folks – after looking long and hard, I have found him. "I have met the enemy and he is ME." Yes – I am to blame. This is my “mea culpa”. In fact it is my "mea maxima culpa." (Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my mistake" or "my own fault". To emphasize the message, the adjective "maxima" may be inserted, resulting in "mea maxima culpa," which would translate as "my most [grievous] fault.")
Now let me be clear. (A well known politician frequently uses these words. Oddly, what follows them is anything but. I will try not to make that mistake.) I am not accepting blame for what has happened to the Christian church in America over the last 400 years. While I fully admit to a unique ability to foul things up, I am not able to do so retroactively. But when it comes to the state of the Christian church here and now – in 2010 - "I have met the enemy and he is ME." Here is what I mean...
To the extent I fail to allow Christ to be lord of every area of my life, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to read and study the divinely inspired word of God, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to pray for myself, my family, my church, my government, I weaken the body of Christ.
To the extent that I fail to engage, in a Christ-like manner, with those whom God brings across my path, remembering that every person is an eternal being, I weaken the body of Christ.
The list goes on, but you get the picture, right?
Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.
Now, I know that I am just one person among many that constitute the body of believers. I realize that it is not entirely my fault that the church is in such anemic condition. Maybe you bear some responsibility as well. One of many things I have learned as I grow older is this: I cannot accept your responsibility. I can only accept my own. There is no “nostra culpa”. (“Nostra” is a Latin word meaning ''our'' or ''ours''.)
The condition of the body of Christ is dependent upon His work in the hearts of individuals, each of whom fulfills an important role in the community of believers. Perhaps it is time that each of us issues our own “mea culpa”. Then – with humble hearts, in submission to His lordship – Christ will go to work first in us, then through us.
May it be so…
In Christ –
John
Soli Deo Gloria