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| "The Tent Days" @ CCCM — circa early 70's |
A spiritual vacuum existed in those days. For the most part, traditional churches did not reach the young people of that generation. Several elements in our current decade remind me of that era. Today, traditional and established churches are not reaching the young people of this generation, including those raised in Christian homes. Many surveys show a strong trend toward young people leaving churches in droves.[ii]
In my own search
for truth as a youth, I sampled wisdom from various religions and philosophies,
which surrounded me in abundance and diversity. Raised in a nominally Christian
home, even confirmed in the faith of the Episcopal Church at the age of twelve,
I found my Christian moorings too weak to keep me from drifting into varied
experiences, philosophies, and religious encounters. These encounters brought
plenty of confusion and uncertainty.
During the late
1960's, I had developed a ritual of reading the Bible every morning. Even so, I
still used drugs and alcohol, practiced transcendental meditation, and played
and wrote music, along with other experiences typical of that time. Through it
all, I was coming to believe Jesus was an important element of true
spirituality. During this period, a friend invited me to a certain church in
Southern California, which later became a megachurch within the Jesus Movement.
I attended an evening
service where a very young but quite charismatic evangelist was teaching the
Bible. At the end of the study he gave an invitation to “accept Christ.”[iii]
I wasn’t ready to do this. After the service, I began asking many questions my
friends were unable to answer. So they brought me to a man considered a Bible
answer-man of sorts—I continued asking my questions. He answered me by quoting
verses of Scripture from the King James Version (KJV), but without explanation.
I had studied Shakespeare and Chaucer in high school, so it wasn’t the archaic
language that troubled me—it was my lack of spiritual understanding.
Each time he
quoted a Scripture in response to my many questions, I could hear a round of “amen’s”
and some cheering, as he refuted my challenging questions. Intent on my quest
for spiritual truth, and exasperated with his pat answers, I finally asked him—“If
I could destroy all the books in the world, how would you then tell me how you truly know God?” He promptly called me the
devil and threw me out of the church.
It was another two
years of spiritual wandering before I came into a personal relationship with
Jesus, my Lord. I continued reading the Bible and praying, but didn’t give up
the other activities and experiences that were counterproductive to my
spiritual growth. My frustration deepened and became desperation. One morning,
I left the small trailer I lived in with my girlfriend to search for God. I
expected some sign in the sky or a burning bush experience, as Moses had before
he led Israel out of Egypt.[iv] I saw no
sign, no burning bush, and didn’t hear any voices. Discouraged, I returned to
the trailer and began reading my Bible. I came to some verses that challenged
me—
“Enter by the narrow gate.
For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to
destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is
hard that leads to life, and those who find
it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)
In my heart I took
up the challenge of going on the narrow and hard way. I had considered many
different philosophies and religions in search of a harmonious belief everyone
could hold. This text showed me I was on the wrong path that led to
destruction. I saw the last part of the verse as a challenge to pursue, so I
committed my life to God. My life changed little by little as God showed me a
new way of living. I began giving up old habits of my previous lifestyle and
developed new ones. On the day of my wedding I experienced a rush of new life
and freedom. I had closed the door on my old life as a new door opened up.
My wife and I
attended the same church I’d been thrown out of, but I had a much different
attitude and view of God. I began serving the Lord[v]
in various ways, and became part of the church staff. My wife and I became
full-time volunteers who oversaw the childcare ministry at the time our first
son was born. Years later, I’ve often wondered if the time between my earnest
questioning and eventual committing of my life to Jesus could have been much
shorter—perhaps two years shorter!
What I needed that
night and what millions—even billions—still need is a simple, clear, and
complete explanation of the gospel. For many people, Jesus is only a historical
figure whose life is shrouded in mystery. Every Christian believer should be able
to share the truth of the gospel, with or without a Bible in hand and without
using Christian terminology and jargon. Is this possible? Absolutely!
** This is another excerpt from my soon to be published book.
[i]
The Jesus Movement was a Christian counter-culture movement starting in the
late sixties, and growing to prominence in the early seventies. Young people,
often termed Jesus freaks, and Christian rock music, characterized this
non-organized movement. [http://www.one-way.org/jesusmovement/|
http://conservapedia.com/Jesus_Movement]
[ii]
The Barna Group has done a lot of research, especially in the area of young
people. Here are a couple reports that reveal this trend of church dropout
among youth/young adults— http://goo.gl/HwxIJ
| http://goo.gl/0vA5T. There was also a
significant study done by sociologist Christian Smith, which he published in
his book, Soul Searching: The Religious and
Spiritual Eyes of American Teenagers (published in 2005), coining the term
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD). Here are some links to articles about MTD—http://goo.gl/KPZBR | http://goo.gl/pJLgY | http://goo.gl/RvllH
[iii]
“Accepting Christ,” describes a person making a decision to follow Jesus as
their Lord and Savior. It is also called “making a decision for Christ.” An
invitation (opportunity) is given to make this decision during an “altar
call”—an invitation to come forward or signal an intention to “accept Christ”
with a raised hand, then being led in a simple (often rote) prayer.
[iv] Reference—
Exodus 3:1-6
[v]
“Serving the Lord” became a popular phrase describing volunteerism in the
church, but can also include paid staff positions. The idea being it’s more
than a job, it’s an opportunity to “serve the Lord.”
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