Few American Christians understand what is really happening in our lifetime, either spiritually or politically. The following information ought to stab us wide awake but most of us will more than likely continue to sleep through one of the most important religious and social transitions in Western history.

In America spirituality continues to rise while religion does not. Gallup explained in a 2002 poll that 50% of Americans describe themselves as “religious” while another 33%, a figure that is rising each year, say they are “spiritual but not religious.”

The fastest growing religious group in American is those who describe their religion as “none.” Every two years this group increases by 1%.  We are worried about Islam in America while the overwhelming majority of the next generation will have no religion at all.

The face of North America is also changing rapidly. From 1970 to 2005 the foreign born population in the United States rose from 4.7% to 12%. By 2050 it is expected that 50% of the U. S. population will be of a different ethnicity than […]

I noted yesterday that I am attending a two-day board meeting of Biblical Theological Seminary (BTS) in Pennsylvania. Biblical Seminary is, to my mind, a well-kept secret. Begun in 1971 as a fundamentalist break-off seminary from the orbit of the late fundamentalist minister Carl MacIntyre Biblical has come a long way from those days, now engaging the world as a faithful, evangelical and orthodox interdenominational seminary with a misisonal philosophy. Our mission statement is:

To prepare missional leaders who incarnate the story of Jesus with humility and authenticity and who comunicate the story with fidelity to Scripture, appreciation of the Christian tradition, and sensivity to the needs and aspirations of postmodern culture.

If I were to personally write a mission statement for a modern seminary that was consistent with the mission statement of ACT 3 this would be the statement I would write, which is one of several reasons why I am on the BTS board. (I had nothing to do with the writing of this excellent statement since it was already in place and helped to encourage me to […]

Latin America is presently experiencing the largest growth of Christianity ever. This growth is taking place in many regions and among many different Christian groups. But none is growing faster than Latin American evangelicalism. This success in growth does bring difficulties. This is pointed out wonderfully in the John Stott Ministries spring 2007 newsletter, which says this development is "not without its growing pains."

A John Stott Ministries-Langham Scholar, Dr. Daniel Salinas, studied Latin American theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and then returned to Latin America. He concluded that a full gamut of cultural trends, linked with diverse theological perspectives, has produced some serious problems in the church of Latin America. He cites two in the recent Stott newsletter: The prosperity gospel and the misdirection of church leadership.

The Midas Touch

Latin American Christians are all too often looking for increased income and a higher quality lifestyle. Who isn’t, especially when you’ve known generations of real poverty? Salinas recently concluded, "They have become like a redeemed Midas who can convert anything they touch into gold." Daniel argues that Latin […]