Get the Churches Back to the Basics

What happened to the Basics?

I remember in the early 1980’s; the many warnings received of the path the Christian church was taking.  Everything done as a church body, whether it was a program or initiative of some type, was geared toward being “more friendly” in order to attract the masses.  A slow migration began toward becoming not only more “like them” but losing originality.  The slower the change, the less like the original model the church became.  The church body slowly kept making so many changes, that over the next couple decades it never saw how far it had slid from its original purpose it was intended for.

Churches for the last 40 years have followed and modeled the world.  Whatever was popular in society was allowed to creep into the church.  After all, the church wanted to get people into the building.  So, to lure them in, it allowed methods and ideas into the building, which never would have been in the past.  The rationale being that these are the things that would entice them in.  Incorporating the world into the church caused standards to be lowered to conform to the worlds. 

Holiness, morality, self-denial, and many other topics had been lessons originally taught in Christian education in church related “schooling”.  The subtlest change occurred when the church stepped out of the education of children.  This was at a time when Americas Education system was doing everything it could for the removal of God. The standards and problems that plaque the schools are also the responsibility of the church.  The lack of education standards in schools also exists in our churches.  No one bothered to ever measure it!  What happens in Education, happens in church. What happened as they lowered school standards?  Look at the church, it happened here too.  Standards were lowered in both places.  The church stopped having Sunday school.  When forced to compete with football, Sunday evening services were also discontinued.  The problems seen in society today are the results of those decisions. Generations are going to continue to suffer the price for it.

Generations of church goers are uneducated in their knowledge of the Bible.

The level of illiteracy in America is often mentioned in the media.  The question usually centers on the fact that there are so many adults lacking basic skills in English, Math and History.  That problem is being repeated in the church.  There are illiterate congregations.  The general population of church congregations can not identify characters of the Bible.  Often they do not know the stories that teach the foundations of truths and beliefs of the denomination that they attend.

There was a time when a foundation was laid by teaching done in Sunday School.  The minister would then build upon that foundation with the sermon.  In churches today a different situation is occurring.  Often during a sermon or teaching, a speaker will make a reference to a Biblical story or character.  The speaker will then make the following statement: “…you all know the story, so I won’t go into it, but remember when ….”.  The speaker will proceed to use the moral or biblical truth learned by the Bible character or taught in that particular story as a precedent for the point in the sermon.  This is done in the belief that “everyone knows the story”.  How is this possible?  No one has heard the story in decades!  Are the stories being read at home?

Entire generations have been raised without these principles.  Generations have come and gone with no foundations in Biblical principles or morality. The church continues to be left in the hands of the next generation and then the next one.  When was the last generation that had any foundation? What should be expected when they are left running churches?

It started when the teaching stopped.  It continued to spiral downward when the textbook was removed.

No need for the Bible

(The following quote is from the Barna Group website at https://www.barna.com/research/state-of-the-bible-2018-seven-top-findings/ in an article titled:  “State of the Bible 2018: Seven Top Findings Research Releases in Faith & Christianity July 10, 2018”)

“Overall, about half of Americans are “Bible users”—that is, they engage with the Bible on their own by using, listening to, watching, praying or using Bible text or content in any format (not including use at a church service) at least three to four times a year (48%). Bible use has remained relatively consistent since 2011. Adults who use the Bible daily account for 14 percent of the total adult population, followed by 13 percent who use it several times a week, 8 percent who do so once a week, 6 percent about once a month and 8 percent who use it three to four times a year.”

People do not read the Bible and are unfamiliar with it.  This has occurred because there is no need to carry Bibles.  The lack of needing to carry them leads to the lack of ever opening them.  Books do not get read if they are not touched. If you want to stop the Word of God, do not get rid of the Church, get rid of the Bible.  Step into the church service of any religious denomination.  How many will be visited before there is a need to get out the Bible?  How many will you even find a Bible in attendance?

How does an author of a book or producer of a movie sell copies of their work?  Get it into the hands of the people.  Churches need to make an EMPHASIS on the USE of the BIBLE.  Satan’s goal is to do everything possible to remove the Bible from the hands of people.  Has he been accomplishing that!  Think about it.  You don’t need it.  With the use of electronics now, it has become even more prevalent.

Losing people in the Masses

People are missed within the masses.  Everything is about how big the crowd is.  The more people in attendance at the event or service, the more successful it is deemed. Today’s audience looks for a crowd to go and hide in.  Can an individual hide in the crowd?

Church organizations count the numbers in attendance.  Do they ever count the numbers that are repeated attendees?  There is no retention.  With so many people coming and going, the same people are never seen.  People need to be trained in the Word as much as possible.  Give them as many opportunities to do so as possible.  It is up to them what they do with the opportunities.

Return to the Basics

Basic – As an Adjective means “forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental. Certain rules must be obeyed”

Getting back to what was taught in Sunday School and Bible classes.  Is this a suggestion that there should be a total reversal of what churches are currently doing?  No, not necessarily. Some may need to be totally overhauled; however, some simply need to redefine what is labeled as “bible teaching”.  There was a time that teaching came directly from the pages of the Bible.  This was a “good study”.  There was no need for anyone else’s book. Not another person’s opinions on some topic from the Bible.  People can read those at home and discuss them in a book club. Somewhere along the line the church began using the teaching opportunity as a tool to promote and sale books written by various popular authors.  The opportunity was quickly lost to establish and develop Biblical morality and standards.

The church in America needs to get back to teaching the mass population nothing but PURE scripture. Teach Bible passages containing Biblical stories.  Churches should always have a class being taught that is teaching from the Bible, even if it is only the teacher that shows up.  Is that not the responsibility of the church?  What material does the teacher of that class need to prepare?  That class should be set up to do nothing more than read the text, discuss what happened and then apply it, and move on to the next story.  Simple, BASIC!  The simplicity of such a class is overwhelming.  Class planning:  There is none.  Not someone’s planned “pre-pared” study.  Someone has to “lead” but nothing more.   All that is required is a willing body, to keep the reading going.

The purpose of the class time together is to examine the verses.  Talk about them as the readers find something insightful reading it together.  This should be offered every opportunity that the churches can get the doors opened.  Would it not be nice if the doors of the church had to be kept open all the time because people wanted to be able to come in just for somewhere to discuss what God’s Word says?