American Christianity no longer resembles its Founder

In the United States of America the last few months we could see that there is much division in the country, with lots of people who call themselves Christian took on not only a racist attitude, but also used many awful words against the different peoples living in their state and against those who show that they do not agree with their favoured politician and presidential candidate.

In the 16th century there was a time many who fled to the New World carried a Dutch crescent-shaped Geuzen medal at the time of the anti-Spanish Dutch Revolt, with the slogan “Liever Turks dan Paaps” (“Rather Turkish than Papist“), 1570, indicating to be better a Muslim than to be a Roman Catholic.

An American writer who considers himself reformed in his thinking and faith, considers himself a follower of Jesus and believing all  Scriptures, though he looks like a papist (not in an offensive way) and does not seem to believe all words of Jesus and not to accept that God is only One, but that is not the issue in this writing.  Today we want to look at what he wrote already in 2012.

In his article The Best Argument Against Christianity he looked at “Some Disturbing Statistics” and wrote

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group (a research organization focusing on religious trends and information), asserts that the primary issue that today’s culture has with Christianity is that it no longer resembles its Founder. {David Kinnaman, Unchristian, 2007, pg. 25. + The Best Argument Against Christianity}

In his book Unchristian, Kinnaman studied the Mosaic (born between 1984 and 2002) and Busters (born between 1965 and 1983) generations of the United States, which currently comprise approximately 77% of America’s population. With respect to Christianity, Kinnaman notes a growing tide of hostility and resentment, a statistic which is trending downward from a positive study that was done by his Barna group only one decade before. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

Barna also describes the Mosaic Generation as “comfortable with contradiction”, “post-modern” and exhibiting “non-linear” thinking. All the contradiction going on in the New World many wanting to screw back into the past, makes it very chaotic.

The criteria for human value, to the world at large, has shifted from that of someone who champions high ethical standards at work, has personal integrity in his dealings, and who is committed to doing the right thing no matter what, to someone who, at work, is willing to do whatever can ensure the greatest commercial viability and his own personal security, and get away with whatever s/he can in their personal dealings. The more noble qualities of human nature are unwittingly being sacrificed on the altar of commerce. Most do not realize the cost: ending up as two-dimensional beings, mere cogs in the wheel of commerce without a heart capable of compassion.{Millennials: Escape the Credit/Debt Matrix}

For the blogger “evangelical” relates to Christianity, though we do not hope he wants to give the impression to his readers that ‘Evangelism‘ are the norm and does not use ‘Christianity’ in the same way as it is often used in Belgium when they speak of Christianity or of Christendom they mean ‘Roman Catholicism‘.

Most important to notice is the reflection of the spirit of the age. We have come in a time where atheists speak publicly more often about God than their in God believing counterparts. By the majority of the population there is a bad co-notation to the word ‘Christian’. In 2012 nearly half had a bad impression, and four year later we may say nearly three quarter of the population has a bad idea by the word ‘Christian’ and lots of them do find religion the cause of all the problems and all the wars.

Many non-religious people in the States and in Europe look at the works of ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and see the similarities with the crusaders.  All those groups went killing and conquering territory, terrorising lots of people. Many non-religious people also hear the vile language of many who say they are Christian or are saying they are defending the Christian values. The 2016 American presidential election has been the example how the Christian manners shown to the world are not those of the master teacher, rabbi Jeshua, known in the States and many other countries as Jesus Christ.

In 2012 also

There were two things that Kinnaman’s study uncovered, and neither had anything to do with the theological teachings or doctrinal standards of the Church. First, unbelievers responded negatively to what they termed the Christian “swagger” – how Christians’ lives don’t match up to Christ’s, and the bark and bite that unbelievers say they see in Christians’ demeanor and action. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

The immoral way of life by Christians, outsiders can see, is the most chocking to non-religious and other religious people. Muslims in particular are very disgruntled by the way Christian behave. Put out over their way of life no wonder several Muslim groups try to get Christians to their faith, trying to have them understand such a way of living is totally against the Will of God.

Lots of non-religious and non-Christian religious groups see as many respondents said that the charity and compassion of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels have been dismissed by Christians in favour of their selfish gain, combative and judgemental actions against what they believe to be threats against their moral positions.

In other words, as Christians, we have become famous for what we oppose and stand against rather than for what we are in favor of and champion. {The Best Argument Against Christianity}

But what are those American Christians are in favour for? What are their aims and what is their willingness to follow Jesus’ teachings and to have that same attitude as that master teacher? How peaceful do they want to be? In most instances we can see those American ‘Christians’ only considering their church or nomination to be allowed to have the label Christian. Very often they feel other denominations of Christendom are the false groups and consider that most of those people will land up in hell (for them a place of eternal torture). The exclusion of other people is the most problematic element the American population now encounters.

Many youngsters, particular the Millennials who had first difficulties in paying their studies and now have problems paying off the loan and need a place to live (besides with their parents), clothes on their back, food to eat and resources to care for their children, do not see any surplus a church or religion may give them. For them their focus is not at all on something which we cannot see or not fully understand. They are focussing on the material which might be in their reach if certain groups would not stand in their way. They want to have time and money for travel, doing fun things, but nobody standing in their way or confronting them with how they have to live or behave. At the moment they also have become very disappointed with the political system they are living in and want change. It is that carving for change what made many also to chose for Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States, which have become very divided now.

The neo-Nazis and the weapon lobby gladly backed Donald Trump, because in him they saw the man to clean up the country and to enable enough income by the promotion of weapons to determinate ‘the vermin’. Strangely enough lots of evangelist Americans and other so called Christians in those states do promote the carriage and use of weapons and do not seem to mind to shoot at an other creature of God.

When we do hear how those gun-lovers talk about them having to prepare against ‘the enemy’ and how they have to train their kids in shooting and defending themselves, we clearly can form a good idea how far away they have gone from the teaching of Christ. It has gone even so far that there are churches in America where in the service there are tombola’s for or weapons given to their members. There exist even crusader rifles of which so called Christians are very proud to have such gun, which has a cross engraved on it.

That is where the Americans have left the real faith and have also gone far away from the idea of defending and living in a free state.
Lots of American Christians have come to think their freedom is to limit the freedom of others and to oppress their way of thinking to others. For them all have to take on their ‘belief’ and their ‘faith’ and all people in the United States of America do have to live according to their religious rules. For sure that was not something the founding fathers of the New World had in mind. They just had escaped the tyrannising position of the churches in Europe. Today lots of Americans are trying to create that what the founding fathers of the United States of America had fled for and have no idea of their sayings.

It is getting time American Christian get back to reading the Bible and to listen what is written in it. They have to get back on track, finding the inner moral compass to resist unethical business practices, to show others they have a moral and ethical attitude according Judeo Christian values.

Once back on track they can give a good example how a Christian should live together with all sorts of people from all sorts of place and religions. than they can start to rebuild the shattered state they are living in now.

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Preceding articles

Scepticals of the Bible

Islamophobia Must be Fought and Defeated

God Isn’t a Republican

 

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Additional articles

1. American Founding Fathers Sayings
2. 2014 Religion
3. Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church
4. The 17th annual White Privilege Conference a militantly Christophobic conference held in Philadelphia
5. Iranian preacher creating more hatred between religious groups
6. Hamas the modern Philistines
7. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
8. Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
9. What Jesus Did – Misleading around the Messiah and the final assessment
10. Running the battle
11. Living in faith
12. If You want to start winning the war
13. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
14. The clean sweeper of the whole caboodle
15. Separation of church and state
16. Demonizing families in poverty and misleading actions
17. Right to be in the surroundings
18. Which back voters in the US wants to see
19. Christian values and voting not just a game
20. Faith related boycotts
21. Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America at war
22. Ron Paul blames Neocons
23. Jews the next scapegoat for Donald Trump
24. The American clouds of Anti-Semitism
25. Trump brand of migrant demonization #1
26. Peppered Speeches at Republican National Convention
27. Bumpy road to success
28. Reluctance to act in Syrian civil war
29. Al Qaeda regaining foothold in Middle East bubonic plague for American elections
30. ISIL will find no safe haven
31. The Crusader Rifle
32. Conservative and Communist Climate Change Scam
33. Bridge builder Obama
34. Obama made in a cult
35. Second term for Obama
36. Children of Men
37. Preparing for an important election
38. Coming closer to the end of 2015 and the end for Donald Trump as presidential candidate
39. Walls,colours, multiculturalism, money to flow, Carson, Trump and consorts
40. When so desperate to hold onto power
41. Are United States of America citizens going to show their senses
42. Brexit No. 2 Blow-up
43. Nigel Farage called Donald Trump’s victory ‘bigger than Brexit’
44. Trump et al.— The Global Storm
45. A strong and wise fighter who keeps believing in America
46. Victims and Seekers of Peace
47. Declaration of war against Islam and Christianity
48. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life

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Further reading

1. Millennials: Escape the Credit/Debt Matrix
2. Fully Satisfied
3.  Election 2016
4. Election 2016 Afterthoughts
5. On voting
6. This American Life
7. How America got Trumped
8. they tried to bury us. they didn’t know that we were seeds.
9. How the Hated Donald Trump Came to Power
10. What Great Leaders Stay Focused #Leadership #SMB
11. “love keeps us safe, not fear”
12. … Focus on the Task at Hand , ObamaCraps [#Islamic Terrorism]…
13. Lesson From Election 2016
14. The Need to Focus and Not Be Scattered
15. Blog 2016 046. 11/11/16 Evangelize like Jesus did! Ask questions to get to their motives.
16. Racism in America or Amerikkka( as some might call it)
17. Andrew Young: ‘This is our country. And it does not depend on the president to make it great’
18. The ‘Theoretical’ Significance Of This Election
19. Cacophony of lawsuits to follow Trump into White House
20. How a major hate-watch group is preparing for President Donald Trump’s America and the alt-right
21. The Power of Apathy
22. Division: An open letter to my sons 
23. Donald Trump Is an Icon
24. Clinton Wounded the Party, Now Howard Dean Wants to Kill It
25. Southeast schools take the streets of South Gate
26. Trump Denounces Protesters In Tweet, Praises Them In Another
27. Man Describes Brutal Attack; Crowd Yelled ‘That’s A White Boy Trump Supporter’
28. The Transition
29. Donal Trump, The New Miracle
30. Millions Of Concerned Citizens Are Signing A Petition That Asks The Electoral College To Vote For Hillary Clinton
31. PFW: Blowing the Rust off of Hillary’s America
32. Rowan Blanchard Marches In ‘Not My President’ Protest With Powerful Sign — See Pic
33. The media’s sanctimonious self-righteousness contributed to Trump’s victory
34. Rural vs Urban: the Greatest Divide in Modern America
35. Trumped up
36. The traumatized Democrats
37. Rainier Beach High Students Walkout to Find Hope, Optimism After Election
38. Well, That Didn’t Take Long
39. Call to ‘Lock Her Up’ Puts Trump in a Bind Over His Threat to Prosecute Clinton
40. White Christians Who Voted for Donald Trump: Fix This. Now. | John Pavlovitz
41. The TRUMPet Has Been Blown
42. We Will Rise Above
43. Post-Election 2016, cont.
44. How Donald Trump Pulled It Off
45. Confession of a watcher
46. Things I’m Verbing: “We Reject the President-Elect” and a WPA for Journalism
47. The Era of the Post-Truth Politician?
48. The Ku Klux Klan has a Voice and a Leader in Washington
49. Where Were They?
50. Oh, Really? Omarosa Says Black People Should Educate Whites After Trump Victory
51. Oh, Really? Omarosa Says Black People Should Educate Whites After Trump Victory
52. Immigrants in U.S. gripped by deportation fears with Donald Trump election win
53. Between Friends
54. Hitlery’s terrorist youth demand a government overthrow
55. The Other Side We Failed to See – 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
56. Blanketing Fantasy With A Hint of Reality
57. Here’s how to sleep with Donald Trump
58. Voices: Reacting to Trump | ‘I will fight for my right to speak’
59. Women Warned To Get IUDs Before Trump Becomes President
60. November 11, 2016
61. Trump commends protesters’ ‘passion’ after new night of rallies
62. How Will a Trump Presidency Impact Your Health?
63. The tweet of a narcissist 
64. Episode 43: Welcome to Trumpdome
65. Republican Age Of Austerity – ‘And Here We Go’
66. The Wall
67. Popped and Cultured: The Results Are In
68. It’s time for a few hard truths.
69. Usually liberals would have same opinions & views as the media & liberal social networking groups… really sad…
70. The pitfalls of underestimation
71. With the possibility of 11th-hour change, here are suggestions for Trump’s ‘national growth and renewal’
72. A Rock and Roll Generation (Post-Election blues)
73. Election Results 2016: Did Voter ID & Voter Suppression Help Elect Trump?
74. Here’s What it Means to “Make America Great Again”
75. Election vitory: Anti-Trump Protest enters day two
76. The way of the world

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