U.S. Religous Landscape Survey - New Light for Understanding Trends

The Pew people have another great survey that sheds light on some of the trends reported in my last blog. For a summary of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, cf. http://religions.pewforum.org/reports

Among the interesting conclusions,

The Landscape Survey confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%. Moreover, the Protestant population is characterized by significant internal diversity and fragmentation, encompassing hundreds of different denominations loosely grouped around three fairly distinct religious traditions - evangelical Protestant churches (26.3% of the overall adult population), mainline Protestant churches (18.1%) and historically black Protestant churches (6.9%).

Latest Church Trends

What is happening in the church today (as well as a couple of our sectarian/cultic cousins)? Check out this report from yesterday's The Wasthington Times.

Note that the Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod, a conservative denomination, shows continued erosion, contradicting the general trend for more conservative groups to grow and more progressive organizations to decline. Perhaps the LCMS situation may be due to the more ethnic and sectarian identity of this conservative Lutheran body. Also note that many historically African-American denominations tend to report "no change" in response to these types of surveys. http //video1.washingtontimes.com/beliefblog/2008/02/which_ churches_are_the_country.html

1. The Roman Catholic Church, 67,515,016 members, an increase of .87 percent.

2. Southern Baptist Convention, 16,306,246 members, an increase of .22 percent.

3. The United Methodist Church, 7,995,456 members, a decrease of .99 percent.

4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,779,316 members, an increase of 1.56 percent.

5. The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no increase or decrease reported.

6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., 5,000,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,774,203 members, a decrease of 1.58 percent.

8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., 3,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 3,025,740 members, a decrease of 2.36 percent.

10. Assemblies of God, 2,836,174 members, an increase of .19 percent.

11. African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

11. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

11. Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 2,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

14. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,417,997 members, a decrease of .94 percent.

15. Episcopal Church, 2,154,572 members, a decrease of 4.15 percent.

16. Churches of Christ, 1,639,495 members, no increase or decrease reported.

17. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

17. Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 1,500,000 members, no increase or decrease reported.

19. The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,443,405 members, an increase of .21 percent.

20. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., 1,371,278 members, a decrease of 1.82 percent.

21. United Church of Christ, 1,218,541 members, a decrease of 0.47 percent.

22. Baptist Bible Fellowship International, 1,200,000, no increase or decrease reported.

23. Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 1,071,616 members, no increase or decrease reported.

24. The Orthodox Church in America, 1,064,000, no increase or decrease reported.

25. Jehovah's Witnesses, 1,069,530 members, an increase of 2.25 percent.

Welcome Rylan Everett McFadden!

Last Tuesday my eldest son and his wife welcomed their third son, Rylan Everett McFadden, weighing in a 8lbs 3 oz. Rylan's daddy is associate pastor of a church in Minooka, IL. Rylan Everett is the son of Rev. Arol Everett McFadden, the son of Dennis Everett McFadden, the son of Everett McFadden. He is healthy, we are ecstatic! Rylan is our fourth grandson.

Jeanette and I traveled to the midwest late last week to attend the memorial service for our older daughter's mother-in-law (she was only 58) in Fort Wayne. Following the service, which was an amazing testimony to God's grace, we went to Chicagoland to spend a few days after the service with our oldest son and family (including Rylan) in the Chicago area.

Like any good son of Illinois, our grandson was born on Lincoln's birthday.

Celebrating Abortion's Anniversary?

Thanks to the Weekly Standard (2/4/08) for this one . . .

How should one celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision? The Planned Parenthood chapter in Schenectady invited clergy to "bless" its new 18,000 square-foot "clinic."

The Times Union reports that "Rev. Larry Phillips of Schedectady's Emmanuel-Friedens Church . . . declared the ground 'sacred and holy . . . where women's voices and stories are welcomed, valued, and affirmed; sacred ground where women are treated with dignity, supported in their role as moral decision-makers . . . sacred ground where the violent voices of hatred and oppression are quelled.'"

Anthony Sacramone, over at First Things blog, proffered his own idea of what a blessing of a Planned Parenthood establishment might sound like.

O Ba'al, God of Thunder:
We beseech Ye in the name of science
In the name of self-actualization and personal autonomy
That the procedures and terminations wrought on this choice piece of real estate
Permit no hope
Silence all screams
And leave no child behind.

"O Ba'al" indeed.

Differing Views of Muslim-Christian Dialogue

A few months ago 138 Christian leaders, including a number of evangelical notables from Fuller Theological Seminary, Christianity Today, and the National Association of Evangelicals were signatories to an open letter, "Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to 'A Common Word Between Us and You.'" Originating with several significant scholars from the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, and published in the Novemeber 18, 2007 New York Times , it was a response to an open letter by 138 leading Muslim scholars, clerics, and intellectuals from around the world.

This week leaders from several Baptist bodies (American Baptist Churches USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Alliance of Baptists) announced that they had met on January 4-5 in Hartford, Conn with Dr. Sayyid Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America "to begin discussions on ways Baptist and Muslims can speak, share and learn from each other as we seek to fulfill Paul's admonition in Romans 12:18 'If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.'"

Since this is an important subject as well as a timely one, I wanted to refer my readers to the recent statement on the subject of Christian-Muslim dialogue by Dr. John Piper:




One can hardly listen to the passionate appeal of Dr. Piper without being moved by his sincerity and urgency of concern for the lost. Piper has long been a model of lifting high the cross of Jesus Christ as the only hope for an alienated humanity. He delivered his message without harsh words or bitter acrimony. Indeed, the power of his message is strengthened by the humble passion coupled with burning zeal for the glory of God. Since so many of those connected with the Yale effort are fellow alums with him of Fuller seminary, it will be interesting to see what response they make to it.

References:
Yale Center for Faith & Culture - http://www.yale.edu/faith/abou-commonword.htm
Baptist press release - http://www.abc-usa.org/news/2008/20080123a.htm
John Piper video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTY-9FY13kw

2008 Soul Health Prescription: Take Twelve Puritans and Pray for Me in the Morning

Why not start out 2008 with a challenge more beneficial and spiritually uplifting than any resolution? Timmy Brister has issued a book-a-month plan for reading 12 Puritan classics during this year (http://timmybrister.com/2008/01/07/join-the-2008-puritan-reading-challenge/). Reformation Heritage Books, a well known seller of Reformation and Puritan classics has obliged by packaging the dozen Banner of Truth books for a substantial 36%discount. http://www.heritagebooks.org/bookstore/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8016&osCsid=hk0ttecnf9ask3vs20pfce1oe0.

If you have never tried reading Sibbes, Flavel, Watson, Bunyan, Burroughs, or Baxter, what better time than now? Mr. Brister describes the reasons for this project quite simply:

First, the Puritans had a relentless pursuit of God. In their writings you will find believers who knew their God deeply through a rich God-centeredness that affected every area of their lives. We are living in a day where it is hard to find folks who know their God well.

Second, the Puritans were physicians of souls. These men studied themselves and had a real, experimental knowledge of Christianity. Nowhere will you find more “uses” and applications for your life than in their writings. Not only did they know God well, they knew the minds, hearts, and consciences of men well.

Third, the Puritans possessed genuine piety because they knew how to fight the fight of faith. These men took direct aim at indwelling sin and fought hard for their personal sanctification. Their writings are incredibly pastoral and at the same time intimately convicting.

Fourth, the Puritans were pacesetters in church history. They ran in such a way to win, and whether it is their study of Scripture, commitment to family worship, personal devotion to prayer, or caring for the souls in their community, these men ran and ran hard.

Fifthly, reading the Puritans will provide you a healthy perspective so as to prevent chronological snobbery. Let’s face it. It is tempting to read only what is novel, trendy, and popular. Yet it is worthwhile to read books 100 years or older to understand how Christians lived, face struggles, dealt with issues (doctrinal, ecclesiological, ethical, etc.), and experienced God. Frankly speaking, you will not find anything close to Owen, Watson, Brooks, and Baxter on the front shelves of your local bookstore.

Here is the schedule:

January- Sibbes, Bruised Reed

February- Flavel, Mystery of Providence

March -Watson, Godly Man's Picture

April -Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

May -Bunyan, Come and Welcome

June -Owen, Mortification of Sin

July -Bridge, Lifting Up

August -Burroughs, Rare Jewel

September- Bolton, True Bounds

October -Guthrie, Christian's Great Interest

November -Baxter, Reformed Pastor

December -Alleine, Sure Guide

Both my wife, Jeanette, and I plan to augment our devotional reading this year with some of the most soul nourishing writing in the history of Christianity! Join us!

The Best Dog at My Son's Wedding Reception - Tux and All

On Saturday, our fourth child, Nathan and his bride Bethany, had their wedding reception. Since it was a "special" day, family member McDoggie "Mac" Everett McFadden was also present, tux and all.

Mac sleeps with Jeanette and me. And, when I am listening to theology lectures on iPod, he cocks his head, furrows his brow, and you would swear he was analyzing the points. Of course, he does specialize in dogmatics.

On Banning "Wordsmithing," "Waterboarding," and Describing Colors that "Pop" - Scolds on a Tear

The Lake Superior State University censors released their annual list of words to be banned earlier this week. I wanted to see how many of them could be worked into a single paragraph. http://www.lssu.edu/whats_new/articles.php?articleid=1431

In a scene that can only be called “emotional,” I read the list of proposed banned words "authored" (or is it "wordsmithed"???) by the Lake Superior State University experts in their latest attempt to throw the majority of us careless speakers “under the bus” for one more time. Oh well, “it is what it is.” A bunch of academic snobs, bored with writing about “Black Friday,” engage in a deconstruction of the vernacular of American English that can only be described as totally “random” and bereft of a raison d'etre. In this “Post 9/11” world, I suppose academics have nothing better to do than to critique the “organic” nature of spoken English. All such snobs who declare that such prissiness “is the new tolerance,” should be subjected to “waterboarding” and made to participate in their own inane “webinar.” What happened to noblesse oblige and the sense of “give back” by those who have been privileged to enjoy such a top rate education? “Back in the day” when people used Blackberry’s without a Bluetooth, before people described contrasting colors as making things really “pop,” academics generally left insipid locution alone. But, in the “perfect storm” environment of serious daily news regarding the “surge,” economic downturn numbers as the housing bubble bursts, and a “decimating” of standards for education in most states, couldn’t the scholars from Michigan come up with something more important to proscribe than a few dumb colloquialisms? Or, as the teens say today in response to everything from pictures of underclad women to winning football games, from consuming a satisfying meal to getting an unexpected snow day: “Sweet.”

Have a Blessed New Year in 2008!

I find myself in agreement (again) with Dr. Glenn Layne's positive comments about Transformation Ministries. Check out his "Happy New Year Thoughts" over at Durable Data (http://www.durabledata.blogspot.com/). The number of congregations intentionally covenanting together to do ministry has inched over 100. 150 active covenanting congregations by the end of the year would not be unlikely (deo volente).

We are blessed to have such a Godly leader in Dr. Dale Salico. He was at the church where I was preaching last Sunday. The man is focused, pumped, and ready for 2008. We are even beginning to hear of currently unaffiliated churches that want to be part of a more missional movement. It is truly an exciting time to be doing ministry!

Muzzling the Dog: No More Munching on "Ole Roy" (the Walmart Dog Food That Is)

His Barking Dog began at the instigation of Durable Data's Glenn Layne. Durable felt that it would be valuable to have a wider range of reporting and commentary on ABC related issues, particularly given the paucity of reliable information from the standard denominational sources. Few organizations have a greater corporate ethos of self-protection and ingrained denial than the American Baptist Churches (IMO). Corporate actions often bear only a passing resemblance to what is actually reported. And, the corporate culture over decades has shielded decision makers from the consequences of significant ethical and moral lapses.

Given the fact that several of my friends continue to serve in the hierarchy, it seemed a natural idea to begin blogging. And for a time, my keyboard clattered away with piece after piece, offering an evangelical commentary on all things ABC. When my judicatory, ABCPSW, voted to withdraw from the larger family, my postings dropped significantly, both in volume and as a percentage of topics tackled in this venue.

This week, it came to my attention that some of my blogs and message board postings have had damaging repercussions on the cause of Christ and involved people I love in legal complications. Now that I am somewhat an insider at Transformation Ministries as Treasurer of the organization, this will simply no longer do.

When my postings end up being referenced in attorney's letters to people I care about, enough is enough. Since there is no practical way to avoid legal repercussions arising from comments about the way VF does things (even when the statistics and reporting are strictly accurate), I have concluded that it might be better to retire from reporting and commenting on the ABC entirely. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter anyway. And, the cost to people I care about is too great. An important lesson to be learned from the original Star Wars movie comes from the advice C3PO gave to R2D2 when Han Solo advised him that angry Wookies pull their opponents' arms out of their sockets: "New strategy R2, let the Wookie win." With respect to the politics of the ABC, C3PO's admonition is just as valuable.

His Barking Dog will still speak on issues of importance and consequence from an evangelical and Baptist perspective at this web address. However, there will be no more comments about the organization known as ABCUSA.

Merry Tossmas? An Idea Whose Time Has Come!

Christmas Gift for the Sinner Who Has Everything? A Get Out of Purgatory Card?

Would you buy grace from this man?

Just in time for the Christmas shopping rush, Pope Benedict XVI has added a gift suggestion for the sinner who has everything: a "get out of purgatory" early card.

Rome, Dec. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has announced that a plenary indulgence is available to Catholics who travel to Lourdes during the coming year, for the 150th anniversary of the Marian apparitions there.

The indulgence is available to those who, under the usual conditions, make a pilgrimage to Lourdes between December 8 of this year and the same date in 2008. The pilgrimage should include visits to the famous Massabielle grotto at Lourdes where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous, the Soubirois family home, and the places where St. Bernadette was baptized and received her First Communion.

A plenary indulgence is also available to those who venerate an image of Our Lady of Lourdes at any church or chapel between February 2 and February 11 of 2008, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

One wag commented that maybe it is time to pull out the "Tetzel is my Homeboy" shirts in honor of the indulgence merchant whose marketing efforts helped precipitate the Protestant Reformation in 1517.

Just when efforts to reconcile Rome and Protestantism have been gaining traction in the Protestant community (e.g., Evangelicals and Catholics Together), something like this reminds me why I am a Reformation Christian: sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, solus Christus, and soli deo gloria!

Christmas reminds us that the Creator stepped into his creation to redeem us from our sins, to justify us by his own sacrifice, and to purchase us for himself forever -- without our works or efforts, purchased indulgences or otherwise.

Green Lake Development Plans Proceeding to Next Stage: Annexation or Lawsuit?

Lindenwood Development LLC has filed a lawsuit in Green Lake County Circuit Court against the township of Brooklyn for denying it permission to develop 140 acres on the Green Lake Conference Center property. The local newspaper in OshKosh indicated today that the developer plans to pursue either a lawsuit or annexation strategy for accomplishing the goal.

Last year the Green Lake Conference Center, affiliated with the ABCUSA, announced plans to sell 140 of its 1,000 acres to Lindenwood Development LLC. The sale promised to generate between $25 million and $40 million, according to CLCC President Ken Giacoletto. Ken indicated that it would be used to continue its ministries aimed at pastors around the country to help them establish and strengthen their local churches.

The announcement elicited criticism from some of the 30 private property owners on the grounds who oppose the changes. Initially the town of Brooklyn denied Lindenwood's preliminary plan for Estates of Lawsonia due to lot sizes not meshing with the existing requirements for the community. “Our comprehensive plan calls for one to two-acre lots; they wanted a half-acre or less,” said Brooklyn Town Chairman Mike Wuest.

In addition to the lawsuit, next week the Appleton development firm and the American Baptist Assembly will present their request to annex 900 acres into the city of Green Lake at a December 12 planning commission meeting at city hall. In opposition to GLCC and Lindenwood Development, Steve Sorenson, attorney for some of the disgruntled property owners, will represent their sentiments at the session.

If the annexation proposal receives approval, it would use a connection via State Highway 23 and the lake itself to satisfy the legal requirements for connectivity, according to Green Lake Mayor Joe Parise.

Few would disagree that Giacoletto has worked wonders with Green Lake during his tenure. Gone are the aging and drafty barn-like buildings. In their place can be found attractive and effecient lodgings and commons areas. He has transformed GLCC into a premier Christian center in the midwest. Please pray for Ken and GLCC as they enter into these difficult days with city officials. Red tape is never more difficult to digest than when you have an appetite for the banquet of the Lamb and want to leverage all of your assets to make a maximum kingdom impact during the remaining days of your stewardship on earth.

For more details, see Monday's Oshkosh Northwestern and http://www.thenorthwestern.com/.

The Santa Scale for Measuring Society's Slide Down Secularism's Slippery Slope

OK, I confess. I am a Christmas fanatic. I love the sights, the sounds, the smells, and (yes) even maintain a tradition of day-after-Thanksgiving shopping at 4:00 a.m. This year, we were visiting our second and fourth children and their families in the Ozarks and my fifth child and I still made it to five stores between 4:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. Each day between the Thanksgiving and Christmas is filled with viewing “classics” such as “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and “The Santa Clause” (one, two, and three). Next week will find me on the roof putting up the huge lighted Costco nativity scene.

Santa Claus has been a bit more ambiguous for me. My Christian convictions led me to ban Santa from the house during the rearing of our first four children. However, the more Tolkien and C.S. Lewis I read, the more it seemed that Santa was not so much a threat to faith or a competitor to Christ as he was a richly nuanced myth conveying some significant spiritual truth artistically supporting rather than contradicting the reality of Christ’s incarnation. So, my fifth child grew up in a Santa-friendly environment.

Santa, and how he is portrayed, can be a barometer of our society and its degree of slide down the secular slippery slope. Last week, viewing "Fred Claus," I learned volumes about how far we have fallen. As portrayed brilliantly by Paul Giamatti, Santa has the same problems as many other mortals. He experiences sibling rivalry, fights with his brother, "Fred" (portrayed perfectly by Vince Vaughn), struggles with his weight, has marital difficulties, and his wife even hints about "other" problems that might profitably be helped by Viagra or Cialis.

Santa has a heart of gold and gives of himself generously to all, including Fred from whom he has been alienated since childhood. However, while Santa may be a “spiritual” person (in the 21st century generic sense), David Dobkin plants him squarely in the moral landscape of today. The banter between Santa and brother Fred may elevate Fred in this redemptive morality play, but at the price of lowering Santa. Santa and his brother Fred finally demonstrate that “repentance conquers resentment” as one reviewer put it. However, there is no hint of Christianity. Religion is not so much untrue as irrelevant. And, in the end, even the North Pole is made better by Fred’s cooler, more hang-loose, non-judgmental style.

Some earlier Santa movies focused on the miracle of Christmas, the unmerited grace of it all, and the unvarying goodness of this mythological figure that functions as a “stand in” for Christ. This movie proclaims the gospel of moral equivalence and teaches that there are really no “bad kids” and that everyone deserves a gift from Santa. How perfectly appropriate for a world where “Merry Christmas” has become “happy holidays.”

To the extent that Santa is a "stand in" for Christ, one must ask the question: "Who is Fred?" Clearly, he has style, panache, and makes people happy accepting their human failures. If the devil could just give God some advice on how to loosen up and become less judgmental, maybe heaven could improve almost as much as the North Pole under Fred's more enlightened approach. Hmmm. No thanks.

ABC to Sell ABC Mission Center to ABC in Order to Endow ABC Office of the General Secretary and Stop Flow of Red Ink That Imperils ABC? Huh???

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 11/13/07) — At their November meeting, the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board's (MMBB) Board of Managers voted to join a Limited Liability Company (LLC) of American Baptist Churches (ABC) Partners with a goal of purchasing the Valley Forge Mission Center. This was the next in a series of steps that began last June when the ABCUSA General Board approved a proposal to sell the property.

Following the General Board’s decision, the property was offered to Brandywine Realty Trust, a real estate investment trust with a long term lease on the ABCUSA-owned property adjacent to the Mission Center. Included in its lease, Brandywine had a "right of first offer" on the property should ABCUSA ever decide to sell the property. As per the agreement, the property was offered to Brandywine with the anticipation that they would decline the offer due to lease terms that were intentionally favorable to ABC Partners. As expected, Brandywine declined the offer in October which allowed the recent vote by the MMBB Board to take place.

The next step in the process will be for ABCUSA to petition the New York State Supreme Court for permission to sell the property. Because ABCUSA is incorporated as a "not for profit" in New York, that state’s Supreme Court must determine if it is in ABCUSA's best interest to complete the sale. After that decision, the LLC would be legally formed and the property transferred to ABC Partners, which includes the Office of the General Secretary, National Ministries, International Ministries and MMBB.

It is anticipated the sale will be complete early in 2008. Proceeds of the sale will provide an endowment to partially fund the work of the Office of the General Secretary and related ministries.

Please help me understand this.

Last November, didn't Lloyd Hamblin explain to the GB meeting in Orlando that the Mission Center was a poor building? Didn't he stress that the Office of the General Secretary should not be in the land, building, or rental business? Didn't he suggest that the building is inefficient as a rental facility and that it needs a major renovation in order to compete with surrounding rental properties?

And, wasn't the idea of selling the Mission Center an effort to off-load a white elephant building and staunch the flow of red ink imperiling the larger ABC mission effort at home and abroad?

Furthermore, in the famous Tucson meeting (you know the one where they "fixed" the human sexuality issue for all time in the ABC), whenever the denominational restructuring was discussed didn't the Office of the General Secretary receive NO AFFIRMATION? Why does it keep appearing in the picture and in the restructure documents?

Finally, how much will MMBB "invest" in endowing the Mission Center and the Office of the General Secretary? And, if they really have that kind of money, why was it necessary to take corrective action to reduce the rapid depletion of the endowment funds?

Most of my organization's 180 employees are part of the MMBB system at my recommendation. I have been a member of MMBB since the mid 1970s. This does not sound like good stewardship to me. Please tell me how it all makes sound money sense.