The president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says a recent article in Newsweek magazine about the decline of Christianity in America poses some challenges to believers.
The cover story of the April 13, 2009, issue of Newsweek -- titled "The End of Christian America" -- points to studies that show the number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. For example, the American Religious Identification Survey found that the percentage of self-identified Christians has dropped by 10 percentage points since 1990. Addressing the topic on his daily radio show, Dr. Albert Mohler, who was quoted in the Newsweek article, says Christians must take every opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. "It's easier to have an honest conversation with someone about Christianity who knows that he or she is not a Christian, than [to have a conversation with] someone who thinks they are because of some vague, family tie or cultural kind of alliance or allegiance," he says. "But we're now looking at an America that knows itself to be increasingly secular." Another challenge, says Mohler, is how many people view Christianity. Many, he believes, see Christianity as merely a moral system. "[T]here are too many Christians who think that the way to influence the culture is, first of all, to bring our moral understanding to bear -- as if that's our first message. And of course it isn't -- our first message is the gospel. What people need first and foremost is the gospel." Dr. Mohler urges Christians to view America as a mission field. Read Dr. Mohler's commentary on this Newsweek topic
The cover story of the April 13, 2009, issue of Newsweek -- titled "The End of Christian America" -- points to studies that show the number of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. For example, the American Religious Identification Survey found that the percentage of self-identified Christians has dropped by 10 percentage points since 1990. Addressing the topic on his daily radio show, Dr. Albert Mohler, who was quoted in the Newsweek article, says Christians must take every opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. "It's easier to have an honest conversation with someone about Christianity who knows that he or she is not a Christian, than [to have a conversation with] someone who thinks they are because of some vague, family tie or cultural kind of alliance or allegiance," he says. "But we're now looking at an America that knows itself to be increasingly secular." Another challenge, says Mohler, is how many people view Christianity. Many, he believes, see Christianity as merely a moral system. "[T]here are too many Christians who think that the way to influence the culture is, first of all, to bring our moral understanding to bear -- as if that's our first message. And of course it isn't -- our first message is the gospel. What people need first and foremost is the gospel." Dr. Mohler urges Christians to view America as a mission field.
Read Dr. Mohler's commentary on this Newsweek topic
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