THE CURRENT STATE OF EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY

By Sherry Cumby
Evangelicals continue to hold high the banner of God's love for mankind by lifting Jesus Christ up for all the world to see. Currently, evangelical Christianity is being challenged on many fronts as open debate continues on the following (to name only a few):

• Replacement Theology and ignorance concerning the Scriptures pertaining to Israel and the Church;
• mini-sermonettes with most Sunday morning preaching times limited to 15 to 20 minutes;
• a lack of weekly services with many churches offering only one service per week for family worship;
• a reduction in either not offering Sunday School or allowing a short time for study;
• a lack of Scripture being read from the pulpit/by the congregation;
• a lack of reverence for the ordinance of baptism;
• a once a month ordinance of Holy Communion;
• a severe lack of prayer;
• refusal to address problems such as divorce (evangelicals divorce rate almost equals that of the non-churched); alternative lifestyles
• abortion, pornography, illicit sex, worldly fashions;
• "seeker-friendly" methods preferred over calling the unrepentant sinner "lost" multi-decibel pop rock music passed off as Christian only because it has Christian lyrics;
• expensive mega-church building funds and upkeep;
• few people being trained to evangelize;
• a greater emphasis on Christians learning how to be "set free" rather than witnessing;
• a lack of discipline by those who pack pews only on Sunday morning and have no desire to return for the evening service, Wednesday night, do hospital visitation, etc.

Evangelicals continue to hold high the banner of God's love for mankind by lifting Jesus Christ up for all the world to see. They believe that God is the One who builds the Church by His Spirit; our job is to carry the Gospel and invite/bring (as the four friends in Mark 2 did) others to Jesus. Hope is offered to individuals, the communities, and the nations through the work of Evangelicals. An example of hope was available on September 11, 2001 when members of Congress stood on the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America" as a sign of solidarity for the nation and the rest of the world. When national disasters strike, Evangelical Christians are among the first to arrive on the scene in order to help the helpless, comfort the grieving, and pray for the hopeless. Evangelicals reach across denominations, races, ages, sexes, social status, etc. in order to meet the needs of others in church, in the workplace, in the market place, on the streets, over backyard fences. Small home cell groups have built fellowship among believers with invitations to the unchurched to be a part of community. Without Evangelicals, the world is left with no hope; no sense, nor purpose for existing. Evangelicals watch and wait for the return of Jesus Christ in the air when we will be called up to be with Him for a seven year honeymoon. His return to set His feet on earth with the saints will begin the Millennial Reign over all the earth from Jerusalem, Israel. All that Evangelicals do for God should be for His glory. That is the secret of the Christian life:
"God in us - the hope of glory".