Is Our World Better Off without God?

A poll conducted by sociologists at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta seeks to answer if people really need God to be good. The outcome: forgiveness, generosity, concern, and patience are more important to people who believe in God than atheists. And the spread between the two groups is substantial.

• Forgiveness is “very important.” 84% of theists say yes, only 52% of atheists agree.
• Patience is “very important.” 72% of theists say yes, only 39% of atheists agree.
• Generosity is “very important.” 67% of theists say yes, only 37% of atheists agree.
• Concern for others is “very important.” 82% of theists say yes, only 63% of atheists agree.
• Family life is “very important.” 88% of theists say yes, only 65% of atheists agree.

Frankly, a belief in God in an amorphous sense does not save an individual. But the difference between atheists and theists is hard to deny. It’s enough to make one shudder. Sounds like a God delusion denial to me…what do you think?

SoCal Prayers

As many of you know, I blog for Outreach Magazine. As noted in the disclaimer on the “About Sam” tab, my opinions are my own. But it was the great people at Outreach that originally contacted me about starting this blog. They need our prayers right now. As you may not know, the Outreach offices are located in Vista, CA, which is halfway between San Diego and L.A. Many of them have evacuated the area due to the fires in the region. Please pray for the safety of everyone affected by this disaster, but specifically those at Outreach. I’ll open the comment thread if you want to drop a line of appreciation to them and all that they do.

Teaching Tithing to Students

LifeWay Research reports that 64% of young adults who continue attending church between the ages of 18-22 consistently give financially to their church. Church leaders and researches have discussed at length the declining spiritual health of the younger generation. But it is clear that those students who stay and grow spiritually in the church end up supporting their church financially. What do you think? Should we teach tithing to students? Or should we allow them to get more connected with the church first? How early should we start teaching children and students about tithing?

What Teens are Looking for in Church

I’m a night owl. And sometimes late at night I go for the fourth meal. I am usually not hungry. But the glow of the refrigerator light beckons. So I open the door and look. My wife is a health teacher. So the fridge houses little in the junk food category. Apples, carrots, and celery…drats! Then I remember we’ve got light whip cream in the freezer. It’s cold like ice cream, but it just doesn’t taste the same.

Most of us are guilty – we open the refrigerator and stare. Hunger is not striking our sides. We just look. And we’re not particularly looking for anything specific. I guess in my case I’m hoping that my wife went on a surprise junk food shopping spree…yeah, right.

Churches have their doors too. And many teens are opening the doors of our places of worship and looking. They’re looking for something, but they don’t know what it is.

A considerable discrepancy exists, however, with what teens say they are searching for and what they are willing to do to find it.

The number one reason teens come to church is to make a connection with God, according to a new Barna study. A close second for churches is that teens come to understand better what they believe. But less important to this age group was learning about prayer, listening to religious teaching, participating in discussions regarding faith, being mentored spiritually, and discovering traditions about their faith.

Therefore, many teens like to search; they like the journey. But they aren’t necessarily seeking to find. They want to connect with God, but they don’t use the spiritual tools to make this connection.

“Just because someone identifies what they want does not necessarily mean they know what they need,” David Kinnaman notes in the study.

But the potential for a great harvest is evident – we know this young age group is searching. At their very core they understand that a void exists in their lives. Otherwise, they would not search. They are a receptive group. And with the right tone and delivery, they will listen to what the church has to say.

But right now many are just looking in spiritual refrigerators. They don’t know what they want. They may not even be hungry for the Word. But at least they’re looking. And it is the church’s responsibility to show them exactly what they need – the Bread of Life and Living Water. No religious junk food, just the straight, pure, and unchanging gospel message of Jesus Christ.

No Greater Love

John 15:12-13 “This is My command: love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.”

A true story from Idaho:
A vacuum cleaner salesman knocks on a door.
He is denied a sale because the homeowner can’t afford it.
He inquires why.
He learns the man of the house has kidney failure and is undergoing costly medical procedures.
He also learns that there is little hope of a transplant due to the 500-person-long waiting list.
The vacuum cleaner salesman is shocked to find that he is a donor match.
He decides to donate his kidney.
The recipient calls it for what it is…a miracle.

Proverbs 27:1 “Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.”