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USA (MNN) — Pew and Barna agree: the U.S. is becoming less Christian.
“Christianity, in general, is declining precipitously in this country. That is significant, let’s not kid ourselves,” says Biblica CEO Carl Moeller.
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According to Pew, the percentage of people who identified themselves as Christians fell roughly 8% in the last seven years. During the same time period, the “none” category — people who have no religious affiliation — rose by nearly 7%.
Atheist Bus Campaign creator Ariane Sherine and Richard Dawkins at its launch in London.
(Photo, caption courtesy Wikipedia)
Moeller thinks the less people engage with God’s Word, the less Christian they become.
“Mainline denominations — Catholics and others — are experiencing precipitous decline in their membership,” he states.
“I think we can trace that directly and literally to the amount of biblical absorption going on in these different groups.”
Evangelicals saw a lesser decline than mainline Catholics or Protestant groups.
“But, here’s the bottom line: it is still in decline,” notes Moeller. “At best, evangelicals are identified as a group that can ‘hold its line;’ but even still, we’re not growing.”
The solution? Meeting Christ and introducing others to Him, says Moeller.
Reversing the trend
“We look at Latin America; we look at Africa; we look at Asia and South Asia; frankly, we even look at the Middle East, and some parts of Europe, [and they] are experiencing revivals based on biblical truths,” Moeller shares.
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“But in North America, we’ve become — as evangelicals — sort of addicted to a superficial Christianity.”
According to Moeller, Biblica has more than a few tools to help you “reverse the trend.”
They offer clear, accurate translations of the entire Bible in 27 of the top 30 spoken languages. Biblica also has Bible engagement tools for children, congregations, AIDS patients, and more.
“I am hopeful, because we’re seeing pockets of resistance to this cultural tidal wave of uninformed, unreflective, and non-rational responses to these great injustices,” says Moeller.
Another Bible engagement tool Biblica’s rolling out “early in the next year” is the God’s Justice Bible, shares Moeller. In this edition, Majority World scholars highlight God’s commitment to justice throughout Scripture.
“It’s a project that was originally started in India to speak God’s Truth to a world that is clamoring for justice,” Moeller says, adding the God’s Justice Bible will resonate with U.S. audiences, too.
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“When people march in the streets of Ferguson or Baltimore, and they’re crying out, ‘No justice, no peace,’ my response is: ‘Read His Word. Read God’s Word! God is committed to justice–true biblical justice.’
“If we approach it that way, I think the odds for real cultural impact are great.”
Connect with Biblica here to find out when you can access the God’s Justice Bible.
