Barna Research Response #3: Spiritual Principles Vs. Pragmatic Solutions

"3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirious of learning pragmatic solutions for life". (To read full article, click HERE)

I find it difficult to pinpoint the source of this because I am unsure if it is the chicken that came first or the egg. According to Barna, faith is significant to people, but they find it taking a back seat to the more practical issues of life (job, education, friednships, etc). Barna attributes this to the fast paced lifestyle that we find ourselves living in today where there is no time for spiritual disciplines like Silence, Solitude, Meditation, etc. Although I heavily agree with Barna that this fast paced life, although it has it's benefits, has done a great deal of harm to the Spiritual Well-being of the Church, I do not see this to be the root cause of seeking solutions over principles.

I believe that everything we do should and does find its root in the character of God. I believe our life and our understanding of Scripture goes through four theological identity guidepoints: 1) Who God Is; 2)What God has done (through the Person and Work of Jesus); 3) Who We Are (In Christ); and 4) What we are to do. The Church finds herself focusing so much on point 4 that we forget that what we are to do is determined by Who We are In Christ. Who we are in Christ is determined by what God has done through the person and work of Jesus, and this in turn is determined by Who God is. EVERYTHING in life can go through this (for example, We are to love each other because we are loved by God as his family, which was determined by Jesus' work on the cross in our place. Jesus went to the cross because of God's love for his children, so our love for each other goes back to God's love for the world).

This is where the chicken and the egg is difficult to determine. You scan through the bookshelves of many Christian bookstores and you find many, if not the majority, of books focused on What we are to do (Your Best Life Now, etc.). Pastors and Teachers focus on the practical so much that I'm not sure if they are creating the culture that desires the practical or if they are writing because the practical is so desired among the people. I am not saying the need for practical Biblical application is wrong, but I believe we need to put it back in it's proper perspective. Are the books creating the desire, or is the desire creating the books?  Either way, if we continue to focus on the practical of life rather than bring our people to gaze at the wonderful face of Jesus, we will continue to find ourselves fighting this dillema. Let us who create the culture start focusing on the greatness of Who God is and What He Has Done through Jesus on the Cross! This will turn God's people lose!