The "purpose-filled life" is slipping away from us.
Believing in a God who provides purpose in our lives is not just reassuring, it is fulfilling. We are not simply a compilation of random atoms living on a planet randomly created in the middle of a universe with no meaning. How depressing is that! No, followers of Christ by definition believe in a Creator who didn’t just make a nice place to live—scientists haven’t found a place with a fraction of the necessary conditions that would allow us to make a livable change even if we wanted to!—the One who created also has a relationship with us. There is a purpose for our being right here, right now. I wrote that followers of Christ “by definition” believe in those things. In reality, far, far too many reject the idea that there is a God-given purpose for their lives. And that number is increasing. Dramatically.
One of the most clearly defined impacts of the pandemic is what it has done to the psyche of all humans. As for Christians, what is more depressing is that it appears the impact is more dramatic. Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center regularly takes the worldview pulse of America. The results in 2023 not only show that just 4% of Americans have a biblical worldview. That is, four out of 100 Americans agree that: absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
The new data also shows that before the pandemic, almost nine out of 10 born again Christians believed God had a purpose for their lives. Now, in this Post Covid world, fewer than half of born agains believe that. On this podcast episode, a story that illustrates the power of purpose, and a way forward for The Post Covid Church.
Listen at: https://anchor.fm/stuart-kellogg