Click here for the first post in this series.  Here is the way the USA Today article begins, which is quite revealing about what the survey found…

Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies — like strict doctrines — behind.  There are so many ways of seeing God, public policy expert Barry Kosmin says, that “the highest authority is now the lowest common denominator.”  (Emphasis mine)

I take it that “The highest authority” is God and Scripture.  Thus to say the “highest authority” is the “lowest common denominator” means that God and Scripture doesn’t hold much weight in American thought.

Tomorrow (God willing) I would like to suggest why I believe these problems exist and a solution from my perspective.  NOTE: In this survey I identify most closely with “Evangelical Churches.”  The comments are taken from information in the interactive survey… Click Here.  Now to highlight certain things from the USA Today article I find interesting, or should I say troubling.

It is troubling that Jehovah’s Witnesses responded correctly to a number of questions compared to Evangelical believers.  See questions #2, 3, 5, 6, 9 (!), 10.

Only 28% of Evangelical Christians responded that their faith influenced their thinking about government and public affairs (Question #3).

Only 51% of Evangelical Christians responded there are absolute standards for what is right or wrong (Question #4).

When it comes to questions of right and wrong, only 52% of Evangelical Christians look to their faith to provide answers (Question #5).

Only 36% of Evangelical Christians responded that only Christianity (“Their faith”) leads to eternal life (Question #9).

In the original article, this comment is made…

“Every religious group has a major challenge on its hands from all directions,” says Lugo. When he factors in Pew’s February findings that 44% of adults say they’ve switched to another religion or none at all, Lugo says, “You have to wonder: How do you guarantee the integrity of a religious tradition when so many people are coming or going or following ideas that don’t match up?”

 It would seem by this USA Today article that the religiouis landscape of America is in trouble… and I would agree.  God willing, in my next post we will look at why we are in this condition and two possible solutions.