Open Mike

Headline: "Being a Regular Worshipping Believer Makes a Measurable Difference In Marriage & Divorce"

It's been proclaimed from pulpits and blogs for years — Christians divorce as much as everyone else in America  (ADELLE M. BANKS, Religion News Service on USA TODAY.com; Mike here -for a long time, I've suspected that if you carefully parsed the data on church, faith and divorce this would be the discovery...)

But some scholars and family activists are questioning the oft-cited statistics, saying Christians who attend church regularly are more likely to remain wed.

"It's a useful myth," said Bradley Wright, a University of Connecticut sociologist who recently wrote "Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites ... and Other Lies You've Been Told."

"Because if a pastor wants to preach about how Christians should take their marriages more seriously, he or she can trot out this statistic to get them to listen to him or her."

The various findings on religion and divorce hinge on what kind of Christians are being discussed.

Wright combed through the General Social Survey, a vast demographic study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, and found that Christians, like adherents of other religions, have a divorce rate of about 42%. The rate among religiously unaffiliated Americans is 50%.

When Wright examined the statistics on evangelicals, he found worship attendance has a big influence on the numbers. Six in 10 evangelicals who never attend had been divorced or separated, compared to just 38% of weekly attendees.

Wright questions the approach of The Barna Group, evangelical pollsters based in Ventura, Calif.

Barna's latest published divorce statistics say one-third of all adults, including "non-evangelical born again Christians," have ended a marriage

Barna's statistics are tied to its highly specific — and controversial — definitions of born-again Christians and evangelicals.

For instance, Barna labels Christians "born-again" if they have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will go to heaven because they have accepted him as their savior.

Evangelicals, on the other hand, are those who fit the born-again definition but also meet seven other conditions, including sharing their beliefs with non-Christians and agreeing that the Bible is completely accurate.

David Kinnaman, Barna's president, said the statistical differences reflect varied approaches, with Wright looking more at attendance and his research firm dwelling on theological commitments.

"We've tried to measure it based on theological perspective, not merely their church attendance or whether they call themselves Catholic or mainline," Kinnaman said.

Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family wrote a recent column in Baptist Press highlighting Wright's interpretation of the state of divorce for Christians.

"The divorce rates of Christian believers are not identical to the general population — not even close," he wrote. "Being a committed, faithful believer makes a measurable difference in marriage."

Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, agrees there's been some confusion.

"You do hear, both in Christian and non-Christian circles, that Christians are no different from anyone else when it comes to divorce and that is not true if you are focusing on Christians who are regular church attendees," he said.

Wilcox's analysis of the National Survey of Families and Households has found that Americans who attend religious services several times a month were about 35% less likely to divorce than those with no religious affiliation.

Nominal conservative Protestants, on the other hand, were 20% more likely to divorce than the religiously unaffiliated.

"There's something about being a nominal 'Christian' that is linked to a lot of negative outcomes when it comes to family life," Wilcox said.

(Mike Moses here: this article chronicles something I've suspected for a long time - it's helpful to see the data carefully analyzed. the difference between a 40% and 60% divorce rate is HUMONGOUS.  So keep on following Jesus, friends, and worshipping regularly with others.  Here's the link to the article online: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-03-14-divorce-christians_N.htm )

Walking with Christ for Easter; and A Word to My Pastor Friends About Our Privilege

"Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."  John 13:1

It's Good Friday.  We will hold a worship service and communion tonite at 6pm at Lake Forest-Huntersville.  We'll meditate on some of Jesus' prayers during Holy Week, interspersed with musical leadership by Liz, Reeve, and Matt (those guys are all 'first name' people at LFC, like 'Tiger' is to you).  Then many of us will fast from Good Friday evening until Easter morning.

Today or tomorrow I invite you to identify with the passion of Christ by walking the Lake Forest prayer trail.  Every person who braved the cold this week and has already prayed through this artistic experience has run out of words to tell me how grateful they are for it, and how powerfully the Lord met them there. I'm thankful for the strong biblical narrative throughout the trail, and its meditational aids. Its warming up.  Our family is going to pray through it together today or tomorrow.  Some have taken a specific question with them, some a need for relinquishment, most a strong devotion.

PASTOR FRIENDS.  I received this yesterday from my long-time buddy David Dwight, encouraging his pastor friends about the privilege we have this weekend (David and I and David Beatty went through Church Planters Assessment together 16 years ago and continue a friendship anchored by a monthly conference call to talk about how our lives and our churches are doing).  I share it with you because he's said so well what us pastor types are feeling this weekend:

Good afternoon guys,

 This week of Holy Week and Easter is always the week of the year I enjoy the most. The fulness, the poignancy, the sacrifice, the sin and the forgiveness - and the empty tomb are so full and so deep.  I enjoy Thanksgiving, I enjoy Christmas, I love Easter.  

 Can you believe that we have the privilege of being the ones who get to announce to lots of people, the incredible gift of new life and hope in the resurrection? It's the weekend of the year when I feel more privileged, more humbled, more honored to do what I do - than any other time.  

 I was trying to think of an analogy for this role we get to have - especially given that Jesus did all the work.  I thought - bear with me - that it's a bit like a family that have gathered at a hospital with the news that a new grandchild is on the way. We are with our wives while they travail through the birth, and when the baby is born, we - the husbands, we the one's who didn't do the travailing, get to go out to the people waiting and announce the great news.  We get the hugs and the joy and the celebrating.  Our wife, who has done all the work - she isn't the one who made the announcement - we are.  She's with the new child, she's holding the new life - with a deep joy - but we who did none of the work, get to be the ones who get to announce it.  

 Like all analogies, it has its flats - but it has a place of meaning for me too. Christ, through the travail, has brought new life.  This time it's eternal life - for all who trust in Him.  We get to tell about it and
spread this hope.  

 When I go into the weekend's services, it's also a joy for me to think of you - guys with whom I share a love for Christ, a love for one another, and a call to ministry.  Together, we all get to share this news.  

 I'm really grateful. Have a great easter friends.

…death where is thy sting?"

 David Dwight, Hope Church
http://hopecentral.com http://becomingcast.com http://www.wordandway.blogspot.com

"Merry Lent-mas!" (or not: Join me for our 2013 Lenten practices)

The annual Christian season of Lent begins today, so lets start with a festive song! Everybody now: "Have a holly jolly Lent season..." no, umm, "jingle Lent, Jingle Lent," no, that's not right either, um, "Rudolph the ash-nosed reindeer."  Nope, Lent just isn't that kind of season.  What kind of season is it?

As an ‘ancient/future church,’ Lake Forest seeks to follow the Spirit into new ways to worship today, while humbly learning from how the Spirit led Christians of past generations. Lent is one of the most ancient and universal practices of the Christian world. It involves 40 days of preparation for the pinnacle of our faith, which is Easter Sunday. Lent is a time to intentionally travel the road with Jesus toward his death, so that we become more personally ‘dead to sin and alive to Christ’ in our daily living.

Lent also calls us to discipline. Even though the season may entail “giving up” some things, worship of the risen Christ supersedes all else.  I have my favorite God-story of last year to tell you, about the power of the Spirit released into a couples' life as they worshipped Christ in the disciplined structures we know as 'Lent.'  We'll tell you that story in one of our worship services - our sermon series is on the Lord's Prayer.

Lake Forest invites you to engage with us in this Lenten journey through the following observances:

Wednesday, February 13: Ash Wednesday Services at LFC-Huntersville
Intimate services on the hour from 4pm through 7pm (the last service starts at 7pm).
Ash Wednesday begins the journey of Lent.  Its theme is repentance and renewal.  Ashes are placed on the forehead as a sign of repentance remembering that “from dust you came and to dust you shall return.” We are partnering with Davidson’s The Church of the Good Shepherd, and will be co-led by their pastor Kyle Wallace for these services, which also include the taking of communion.

Learn the Lord’s Prayer
We are setting a goal of having every adult, student and child know the Lord’s Prayer by the end of our Lenten message series, PRAYER. In this sermon series, we will become the disciples who asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray."  We'll study and pray through Jesus' answer, what we know as the Lord's Prayer.

Prayer
Learn a different form of prayer in each week’s worship service and try it on by following Pastor Mike’s daily encouragement and example on his blog and the Lake Forest Facebook page.

Deny yourself a specific regular pleasure or vice for the 40 days leading to Easter (beginning Feb. 13) such as sweets, alcohol, tobacco, watching tv, reading the newspaper, Facebooking, or ____ .
Replace that time with Bible reading and prayer, or use the money you save to give to charity.

Holy Week Prayer Experience
Our prayer team will construct a self-guided prayer journey in the Prayer Garden at LFC-Huntersville.

Good Friday Service
Friday, March 29, 6pm at LFC-Huntersville
Join us for a contemplative service reflecting musically and prayerfully on the prayers of Jesus during Holy Week.

Easter Fast: Sundown March 29 – Sunrise March 31
We encourage everyone who is able to join us in a whole (water only) or partial (juices only, or vegetables only) fast from 6pm on Good Friday until breakfast on Easter morning. Use the period of fasting for quietness and meditation as much as possible. Or perhaps to fervently seek God's heart regarding an issue or quesiton in your life.

Easter Sunday Services on March 31
Join us for Resurrection Sunday at 8, 9:30 or 11am in Huntersville; or 9:30 & 11am in Davidson…and bring your family, friends, and neighbors.  From fasting to feasting - in worship!  Then celebrate Easter lunch with others as a feast in honor of the resurrected Christ, even toasting his eventual return to make all things new.

What does the Bible say about...how to treat other religions?

This is the most googled and read post of mine around the world.  It happens almost daily.  Its July, its hot, so I'll re-post some hot topics, starting with this one from February 2011:

As promised, over the next few weeks I will pick up the quick question and answer format on this blog from two Sunday sermons ago: "What does the Bible say about...?"  Like the Sunday morning format, I will pick one of the submitted questions and try to answer briefly (so please give me the freedom to not write an exhaustive footnoted essay on each topic, but to answer as if on the fly in front of the congregation).

The question I will begin with was texted to us this way:What does the Bible tell us about how to view and treat other religions such as Islam?

The most relevant thing I learn from the Old Testament about the treatment of other religions is this - don't dabble in them yourself.  The truth about God, revealed through Israel, the prophets, and ultimately Jesus is so precious, so valuable, so life-giving the way it is, be careful to not syncretize/combine it with aspects of other religions, and thus lose the distinctness of your faith.  This is what is behind much of the semingly weird (and even offensive) details of the Old Testament - God calling out and cultivating a people who are distinctly following him.  The ultimate purpose was so that in their good, faith-filled lives they would spread the good news of God (Yahweh) even before the sending of the Messiah.  The nation of Israel, as recorded in the Old Testament, did a much better job of staying distinctive from other religions than they did of blessing other peoples with the knowledge of God's character.  The church of Jesus Christ today is called to fulfill this calling to both distinctiveness from other religions, and to being a blessing to all people.

The most pointed way of treating other religions (like Islam) that I learn from the New Testament is in Acts 17:16-34.  The apostle Paul visits Athens, Greece and speaks about his faith to their leading religious philosophers.  It was a religiously pluralistic city, more like our post-modern culture today than mono-religious Jerusalem was in Paul's day.  So how did Paul treat their relgion in this encounter?  A few points:

1. Paul knew a lot about their various religions represented in Athens.  He quotes Greek religious texts three times in the brief speech we have recorded for us.   Application: DON'T MAKE IGNORANT CLAIMS OR CHARGES AGAINST OTHER RELIGIONS.  If a follower of Jesus wants to engage with people of other faiths, take Paul's cue - learn about them and show them you have a nuanced understanding.  Otherwise, we probably shouldn't say much about their religion, and hold our comments to positive affirmations of our own faith.  After 9/11, I spent the entire following Saturday re-reading the Koran, for example.  That's another story.

2. With each of his quotes from their religion, Paul used them in a positive manner that affirmed part of their belief.  He found a common starting point in the human desire to worship, and affirmed that.  He even affirmed two aspects of their belief.  Application: IT IS BIBLICAL TO FIND COMMON GROUND WITH PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS - including Islam!  Be biblical, not polemical. Much of what passes for 'Christian' criticism and fear of Islam is really, in my opinion, cultural bigotry justified by a shallow reference to religion.  When you are person to person, or person to group (like Paul), be Biblical and find common ground, find somethign to affirm (if you can't find anything to affirm in the other's religion, they are either a Satanist, or you are ungenerous in spirit and should just stay quiet).

3. Then Paul spoke forthrightly, unapologetically and positively about Jesus and the Christian worldview.  Included in his proclamation were clear statements about the primary theological shortcoming or error of their religion (idol worship).  Application:  Most of our words toward people of another religion, when the conversation is about religion, should be a positive focuse on who Jesus is for us.  Secondly, its healthy to highlight the true differences that exist between religions.  It helps no one, and is intellectually dishones (though popular)t, to pretend there are no differences. Note the differences, then speak positively again about Jesus and invite people to explore further.

GREAT QUESTION!  I hope my answers were at least a bit helpful.

One Speaking Engagement during Sabbatical: Tonite with Byron Davis and the Urban Glee, Mecklenburg Ministries Celebration

I'm breaking my own rule and blogging this morning to let you know I accepted one speaking engagement during my sabbatical and its TONITE. Because its easy and natural and makes me happy: me and Byron Davis get to talk about our cross-racial, cross-denominational friendship, and how that's blossoming in our congregations, as just one part of tonight's musical and inspirational 25th Anniversary celebration of Mecklenburg Ministries at Belk Theater in uptown Charlotte.  Its at 7:30, and below is how to reserve a free ticket.

It was no accident I chose Byron to preach at Lake Forest on the first Sunday of my sabbatical. His friendship is dear to me, but even more so the possibilities of racial reconciliation that lie latent within our two predominantly Anglo- and African-American congregations of Jesus followers. Anyway, our friendship went from professional to personal and congregational when we took Mecklenburg Ministries' challenge to engage in a sermon exchange last year (and this year we've continued it). We will be talking about that, framed by I Thessalonians 2:8  “…we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”  Byron and I connected as ministers of the gospel, but once we exchanged pulpits we began to share our lives as well, as have members of our congregations.

At tonight's celebration, several others will share about the good work of understanding and relationship across denominations, races and religions that Mecklenburg Ministries has fostered over the years.  The music will be FABULOUS - gospel choirs, solos.  And did you know that this group, Inspire the Fire, an urban type of 'Glee' is from Charlotte and is currently on America's Got Talent?  I can't wait to see them tonite.

 

Here’s one Observer article on the 25th Anniversary Celebration and how to get tickets.  They are free, but all 2,000 are almost all reserved already: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/30/3278033/mecklenburg-ministries-celebrates.html#storylink=misearch

Tickets to “From Common Grounds to Higher Ground,” a celebration of Mecklenburg Ministries’ 25th anniversary, are free. The celebration is 7:30 p.m. June 5 at the Belk Theater at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. For tickets and information about Mecklenburg Ministries: www.meckmin.org