| Why, in a culture where nearly everyone can | | | | wonder why they can't digest meat. |
| read, has access to a Bible, and has a church on | | | | The cultural emphasis on "rights" means that we |
| every corner, is there such biblical illiteracy? I | | | | look at the benefits of Christianity ... answered |
| believe the answer to this question is to be found | | | | prayer, spiritual gifts, leadership, etc. ... as our |
| springing from the society we are a part of: | | | | "rights" as children of God. The thought that the |
| First, there is a diminished stress on education. We | | | | fullness of these things comes only through a life |
| see this in lowered national standards. Lowered | | | | of obedience and daily discipline is unpalatable. |
| expectations. Lowered requirements. We | | | | Our schedules show our lack of balance in our |
| emphasize "feeling good" about yourself and | | | | lives. How often do you have in your daily plan: |
| therefore we accept mediocrity. Defining | | | | "Quiet time." "Prayer time." "Weekend spiritual |
| educational excellence and striving for it is | | | | retreat." "Time for a long, quiet, unhurried walk - |
| old-fashioned and exclusionary. | | | | may take all afternoon." We have planned God |
| Second, there is an emphasis on "rights" over | | | | right out of our lives. Instead of providing us more |
| "responsibility." The phrases are so common | | | | time to spend on our spiritual development, we |
| they are cliched: "I deserve it." "It's my right." | | | | have less, because we schedule the time we |
| Whether or not we've "earned" it is irrelevant - | | | | have down to the wire. |
| because I want it, it's my "right." | | | | Finally, our quick-fix mentality has lost to us our |
| Third, there is a lack of balance in our use of time. | | | | entire Christian history of devotion, dedication, |
| The latest handheld techno-gadgets have become | | | | spiritual formation, solitude, labor, and suffering. |
| our Bibles, traveling with us wherever we go, | | | | We have no time to wait for what is good, and |
| providing structure and order to our days, | | | | we don't have patience with pain. We will not |
| advising us of what we can and can't do. The | | | | tarry for wisdom, nor work for fulfillment. If |
| thing they don't provide is balance, rest, | | | | maturity cannot be gained in five-minute |
| prioritization, and peace. We have become | | | | easy-to-understand devotional readings, then it |
| multi-tasking people instead of single-focused | | | | won't be gained at all. |
| persons. | | | | Why are we biblically illiterate as the Church? The |
| Fourth, there is a "quick-fix" mentality. We live in a | | | | above points can be summarized neatly: |
| culture of sound-bites, immediate access, | | | | - We do not stress education. |
| convenience technology, and instant gratification. | | | | - We do not stress responsibility. |
| We are unwilling to sweat and wait and work for | | | | - We do not stress balance. |
| what we want. | | | | - We do not stress perseverance. |
| Think for a minute of how this cultural worldview | | | | Without these, biblical knowledge - and spiritual |
| plays itself out within the Church: | | | | maturity - cannot be achieved. |
| With our diminished stress on education, we are | | | | © 2008 Paula Marolewski |
| content with teaching the bare basics of the faith | | | | You have my permission to reprint and distribute |
| in our churches. We are so concerned that people | | | | this article as long as it is distributed in its entirety, |
| will become "overwhelmed" or "frightened" by the | | | | including all links and copyright information. This |
| harder truths of Scripture, or by an in-depth | | | | article is not to be sold or included with anything |
| study of doctrine, that we don't present it to | | | | that is sold. |
| them. We keep them on a milk diet, and then | | | | |