http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMOiZB6KNko
President Obama, on his recent visit to Turkey, declared that the United States is “not a Christian nation.” This caused some negative reactions from folks back home, especially Evangelicals and other Christians. Also, Newsweek published a story that shows Christianity is on the decline:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/192583/page/1
Finally, the Obama team last week requested that the name of Jesus be covered in the background of the podium where he spoke from at Georgetown University:
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46667
I have a question about all of this. Are we no longer a Christian nation because Christianity is supposedly on the decline, or is our government becoming so secular that it is actually causing of the decline in Christianity? In my observation, the interest and acceptance of Christianity is still quite high on “Main Street, USA.” However, in the halls of local, state, and federal government offices, in the corridors of academia, and on the streets of Hollywood, Christianity is intentionally being marginalized. The affect is to create a cultural appearance of a decline in Christianity. But just because these cultural influences have turned so secular that doesn’t mean that the average person on Main Street is buying it. Sure, some are affected by by it, but don’t discount the ability of Christians, especially Evangelicals, to look for new ways to influence our culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have adjusted their methods in the past and they will surely do so now and in the future. All Christians need at times is a little spark of motivation, and recent comments by politicians and stories in news magazines might just provide that spark.
