Want to know what keeps this preacher up at night? Want to know what’s on his mind as he stares off into space? Lots of things, I suppose, but one is this—I’m deeply disturbed by the disparity between those who claim faith in Christ and those who actually give evidence of such faith.
I belong to the spiritual family known as Southern Baptists. We’re the country's largest Protestant denomination, claiming more than 16 million members on our church rolls. But out of that number, only 37% (or just over 6 million), on average, show up to church on any given weekend.
The decline and disparity are worse in some other denominations, but there’s no comfort whatsoever in that to me. I’m gripped by this question, “When and where did we come to accept carnality and mediocrity and absenteeism as standard expectations of the Christian life?” We spend our time and energy defending our lack of spiritual depth and discipline instead of acknowledging it…and repenting of it. "Lord, help us..."
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