Can American evangelicals claim to be Christians when they live like the rest of the world?

Question

Many American evangelicals live their lives no differently than the rest of secular America. They watch the same movies, listen to the same music, spend their money on the same things, and have similar values. Can such people really claim to be Christians? Doesn't the Christian faith as it is described in the Bible dicate that the follower of Christ give up his former pursuits and devote himself whole-heartedly to the advancement of the Christian message? Can American evangelicals really claim that they have given themselves fully to the message of Christ when they are spending their income on plasma screen TVs? In the meantime, Christians in other countries are being put to death for their faith. Can American evangelicals claim to be followers of Christ when they have given so little of their lives to further Christ's cause? Does being radical for Jesus really mean just wearing a Christian t-shirt, or is there something that American evangelicals are missing?

Answer 1

Many people claim to be Christians and are not. A person can go to church 5 times a week but if he has not asked Jesus into his heart he is not a Christian. Christianity is the most "counterfeited faith in the world. that tells you something! That being said, You are correct in that American evangelicals could do better in dedication to the Lord. If you ask any believer, he will tell you that he falls short in this area. However, we do live in a land of immense prosperity and freedom. This is a major test of faith as well. You know the story of the camel and the rich man. We may not be martyred for our faith, but our faith is tested in what we do with the "talents" God has given us. Most of us try very hard to be faithful and give of our time and money to the ministry. We pray daily and study the scriptures. Most of us do not watch the same movies or listen to the same music. We try to live according to God's word. Yes we could and should do better. There will come a day when martyrdom will be the only way to heaven. I only hope my testimony will be worthy of my Lord.

Answer 2

I actually think the term evangelical christian has been pushed in the liberal media to make religion look bad. The word is always linked as to suggest a bunch of radicals that want to push themselves on everyone else. It is sort of like the new term neoconservative. Lets find a way to make the word conservative a bad word in society. I think the use of the term tends to be incorrect and just a way to make the name christian a negative word like the word liberal sort of is in society right now. Noone really likes to admit they are a liberal, esp in politics. Well if you can make the word christian the same well then I guess the opposition can push it to make the religion in general look bad.

What I never understood is how religious people push their beliefs and agendas any differently then environmentalist or prochoicers or any of the other groups out there that like to condemn religious people in general.

Answer 3

basically approximately a million/2 the Australian inhabitants are nominal Roman Catholic, Irish, Italian or different cutting-edge eu commencing place, maximum human beings of something are nominally Anglican or belong to the Uniting Church, that's a mixed Methodist / Presbyterian outfit with yet another smaller church lined, I ignore which one. None of those churches are evangelical or fundamentalist apart from some small Uniting church and persevering with Presbyterian congregations, the final could be rather ordinary. Calvinists. There are evangelical churches right here, they have a tendency to be AoG, Baptist or another finally US based church. decrease back interior the Forties and Nineteen Fifties there became some controversy right here approximately Baptists, who have been seen by utilising some as crazies. in the previous my time so i do no longer know a lot approximately it, yet perchance a number of that lingers. There are a number of the noisier evangelicals approximately, working example the "catch the fire" Ministries below Pastor Danny somebody yet they have a tendency to be seen as loonies and there is powerful info that they are. The media right here has no appreciate for them in any respect. for a protracted time, maximum appropriate as much as the previous due Sixties the non secular controversy in Australia became Roman Catholics on one area with Anglicans and Protestants on the different. some places of work have been basically approximately completely Protestant, others have been basically approximately completely Catholic and you have hardship in case you have been a sq. peg in a around hollow. i know of one place the place if a junior group member became needed, the boss used to telephone the interior of sight Catholic boy's college in the previous he positioned an commercial interior the interior of sight newspaper. in one place I worked interior the mid-Nineteen 1880s all the 15 group apart from 2 have been Roman Catholic. The Catholics have been popular for this yet they weren't the only ones who did it. yet by way of fact the Sixties a lot of human beings have been given disgusted with the entire factor and now could have no longer something to do with faith in any respect. i do no longer know whether that explains it besides the incontrovertible fact that it probably has something to do with it.

Answer 4

Jesus said " by this all men will know you are my followers...... "

...By the movies you don't watch?
.....by the music you don't listen to?
......By the material things you don"t buy?

What then is it?

To suggest a Christian can be identified by any of those things is just as wrong as saying they are identified by the shirts they wear.

Still you are right to point out that American Christians have it too easy and we are missing something. It might be love for one another.

Answer 5

Steve: American "Evangelicals" are Christian ( by definition: any human having the Holy Spirit working within him or her) . Christians, as a whole, are called to be different not to be indifferent. People oftentimes, have this image within their minds of a Christian, being someone who is penny-less, dresses in rags, and lives as a recluse, out in the desert or woods. Christians come in varying degrees of wealth, social status, and intelligence. We need to be careful in our assessment of a individual's conversion and not misjudge him or her. There is the need to be patient with people since God isn't finished with them yet. I agree; there are false Christians a.k.a "wolves in sheep's clothing" - but to label a whole nation is simply, an error.

Answer 6

King David said to his servant (in the Bible) " Do not point your finger at the LORD'S anointed." It is not for us to judge them but it is ours to ask GOD not to allow us to be mislead by anyone. The Bible says for us to seek out our own salvation with much fear and trembling. In other words, we are to look closely at our own lives and what we are allowing into our lives to influence us.
What makes you so sure that these ppl are doing the things you say they are? Have you seen this?
If what they say does not line up with the word of GOD then do not listen to them but pray for them to change so that more ppl won't be led astray. We are too close to the end for that.
I would also like to say that some of them are missing something the Church in America is missing, a REAL hunger for the things of GOD. Bless you.

Answer 7

my irritation with the evangelical and motivational speakers is that they try to compete to see who can preach for the dollar not for the benefit of the gospel,i wonder sometimes if the plasma screen tvs are not another one of their competitions,there is good but the bad is seeming to overwhelm the good,we must stay radical in spite of the obvious,that is when we will do our best work

Answer 8

My first thought...

Who doesn't live the like the rest of the world? Jesus said "He who is without sin cast the first stone?" Are you without sin? If no, then why do you cast this stone of judgement against the evangelicals?

Of course I cannot blame you for this, you are only human, and I myself have fallen prey to this same element of critique in times past.

Answer 9

What's an American evangelical? Do all American evangelicals think the same and do the same. Your argument loses its merit when you generalize.

Answer 10

I have never met a perfect Christian... never even heard one claim to be... or even pretend to be... no True Christian would ever pretend to be something they were not... if you are looking for perfection in this mortal universe you are doomed to failure. You have a clear misunderstanding of what it is to be a Christian. But at least we Christians have the knowledge that we will achieve our goal... not in this mortal world... but we shall gain it... you, in your search for perfection, will never know it.