Independent Baptists and Tongue talkers are the least educated people in America according to this pew poll.
Look at those with a college degree. The liberal Episcopal Church has the highest percentage at 30%. Second to that is the mainline Anglican Church. Then PCUSA at 23%, United Church of Christ, United Methodist at 21% and PCA is tied with Evangelical Lutheran and Nondenominational undamentalist churches at 19%. Southern Baptists are at 14%. Independent Baptists are at 11%. The lowest is Church of God in Cleveland at 4% followed by Black Independent Baptists at 5% then at 8% are the Assemblies of God. http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/table-education-by-denomination.pdf
Except for the Presbyterian Church of America there is no other evangelical denomination that has close to 20% of its members with a college degree.
Ahhhh...now we come too the heart of the matter. What does a church need to dispense with tired and lazy church service, the constant berating of doctrines and dogma, the kumbaya my lord feel good foolishness....the constant harping of pastors who always preach sermons on what you need to do to get to heaven. Its always head knowledge and rarely about going out to someone. See the world is no longer going to listen to that....not when they are having a tough time of it. See the church today isn't conserned with peoples struggles....so people are turning their backs on them.
For most people today the question is not, is there life on the other side of death --- and that might be your reference point to atheism. It is rather, " Is there life on this side of death." Mark my words, the world does not need your dogma and giant churches. It is tired of that....but it will believe love. It willbelieve life that is given and received.
So I applaud your street initiatives.....but you must church encourage participation from your congregation....otherwise its a dead church.
I am talking to all of ya. Look I know both you guys are trying....however its a loosing fight until you get people out there building bridges with the community. The pew sitters are not taking scripture seriously until they act & get out there & help someone. That should be, must be one of your primary concerns with building a healthy church. I don't depreciate education.....I'm an educated man myself but WOW, to stress head knowledge at the behest of taking action & displaying Christianity in the field & to the public.....Its not happening gentlemen.
You have touched on reasons I am very much in favor
of small churches. Real love is possible in small churches. Small churches can develop a real feeling of family. People cannot hide and simply sit in a small church as everyone is needed. People in small churches really get to know each other and, at
least in my experience, much more
likely to step in and help others in the church who are in real need. Hurrah for the small church!
Define education? You mean college degreed? My father built a factory plant here in 1957 with a HS Edu.
How about painting a house....does it take allot of education for that as well? How bout shoveling the elderly out after a snow storm, or bringing an old lady to the supermarket cause she cant get outa the house? How bout taking kids out to a ballgame, cutting somebody's lawn, visiting shut-ins.....how much education does that take?
Do you seriously consider the majority of people going to church Christian? I would say no. When I was assaulted by the HS, it was for being a False Christian.....not a real one. And here ya go .... I went to church every Sunday. And I told myself I was a Christian.....when in fact I was an unbeliever.
The stats also showed that the more fundamentalist the denomination the lower the percentage of high school graduates.
Atheists are beating the socks off of all Christians but ESPECIALLY fundamentalists in pursuing and OBTAINING education.
I'm not happy about it.
I'm saying you never get treated for sickness you don't think you have.
You are like the prophets in Jeremiah's day who cry, "Peace!" when there is no peace.
You don't want to acknowledge that Christianity, especially fundamentalist Christianity, has very serious problems that are leading more and more people to atheism every year.
You are fighting tooth and nail to keep folks from seeing the need to do something about it.
Why- I wonder?
Why do you want people to keep their heads in the sand?
Why can't you say, "God help us!
We have got to change the culture of American Christianity- especially in fundamental and evangelical circles"?
No sir you have me wrong. It is not that I know it and do not want to acknowledge it, it is that I know there is not a problem here. Jesus used the uneducated. You sir place to much stock in the wrong things. You claim to hold to the sovereignty of God but blame the church for more atheists. Where is God in all of this based on your view of the sovereignty of God. I say your position on this is in conflict with it.