Chapter 17: Strengthening the Community

The fourth and final rung in the Model of Christian Unity following the individual, family and church is the community. The ideal scenario is for a community to be made up of strong individuals, families and churches—a blessing to all those who reside in such a community.

There is a societal lineage that maps to the Model of Christian Unity: individuals make up families; families make up neighborhoods; neighborhoods make up cities; cities make up counties; counties make up districts; districts make up states; states make up a nation; nations make up the world. There is a phrase “think global, act local,” a phrase which has great applicability to the concept of the church community.

The Biblical case for strengthening the community is really a culmination of the Biblical cases given for strengthening individuals, families and churches. Strengthening the community is not something most Christians think about—it is simply not a spiritual priority—this despite the fact that the Savior taught “if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).

Conventional wisdom suggests the great dividers of the Christian community come from the atheists and other anti-Christian organizations. However, that is not the case. The primary dividers of the Christian community can be found within the walls of Christianity itself—self-appointed judges and protectors of the faith as they interpret it. In short dividers are Modern-day Pharisees (from Chapter 8).

The unifiers of the community come in the form of individuals and institutions that have the vision of strengthening the body of Christ, looking past that which divides different denominations of Christianity and instead focusing on the commonality that can be leveraged. Shuster researches and reports on a number of highly successful global and local ecumenical efforts including intra-faith ministries and inter-faith ministries. Some of these institutions such as Northwest Assistance Ministries in Houston and the Neighborhood Interfaith Movement of Philadelphia are helping thousands of people each year by bringing together dozens of different Christian denominations to work together as one.

Unifying Christianity is not just a utopian pipe dream that exists in the same universe as wish-granting fairies, calorie free ice cream and world peace. The Model of Christian Unity is already in progress and is strengthening communities and unifying Christianity towards reaching its potential. There are hundreds of community building efforts among diverse Christian congregations operating and changing lives around the United States. Therefore the question of whether or not it is possible to strengthen and unify the body of Christ in helping Christianity reach its potential has been answered—the answer is YES. What then will you do to help unify Christianity?

Our 18 week journey has briefly summarized who the Christians are from a historical perspective; what a Christian is from a spiritual perspective; where the Christians are from a behavioral perspective; and how Christianity can be strengthened and more united from a societal perspective. Thank you for joining us.

To get the full story go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book. 

Chapter 16: Strengthening the Church

The third rung of the Model of Christian Unity, following the individual and family, is the church. Strong individuals and strong families should make for a strong church; however, that is not always the case. Bringing together two or more strong families full of righteous individuals does not guarantee church unification where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The lesson behind this unfortunate reality can be illustrated with food. There are some who love a thick juicy steak and also love a good bowl of ice cream; however, steak a-la-mode is not likely to be a winning menu item.

Ideally one plus one equals three in the synergistic realm or at a minimum one plus one should equal two in the compatibility realm. However, one plus one can equal one, or even a negative number when there is no synergy. Such is the potential when bringing people together in church to form a congregation. This is why strengthening the church is a critical and challenging aspect on the journey to unifying disparate Christians toward a stronger society.

The Biblical case for strengthening the church comes from the 12th chapter (verses 12-27) of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians as he addresses the diversity of spiritual gifts and the various positions within the church. Paul provides a detailed analogy of different parts of a body and how they work together to create one body of Christ.

There is no shortage of elements that weaken and divide the church including politics, social Issues, sin/pride, racism/prejudice, culture, ministerial conflicts, generational differences, gender conflicts, personality conflicts, bigotry and harsh evangelism. At times these elements, especially when combined, can become powerful deterrents to unity in the body of Christ within a congregation.  

Strengthening the church focuses on the individuals and families within the church. Humans are complex beings and follow basic physiological patterns that when understood can help motivate people to reach their full potential as children of God. Shuster applies Maslow’s model of needs hierarchy to the church to create a Spiritual Hierarchy of Needs including: 1) Faith (physiological level); 2) Well-being (safety level); 3) Belonging and Affection (level of the same name in Maslow’s model); 4) Value (Esteem level) and 5) Discipleship (Self-Actualization level).

As church members move up the pyramid of the spiritual hierarchy they also move from left to right in the Christian Continuum. For example, the Laboring Christian is one who has effectively realized the four bottom components of the Spiritual Hierarchy of Needs and has entered true discipleship in Jesus Christ, while the Departing Christian is struggling with faith and well being.

The Spiritual Hierarchy of Needs integrates the object lesson taught by Paul in the analogy of the body of Christ regarding the psychology of human nature and the serialization of needs fulfillment. When churches begin focusing more on strengthening individuals and families than on programs and fund raising then the body of Christ will be strengthened and unified.

Next we look at strengthening the community.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 15: Strengthening the Family

The second rung in the Model of Christian Unity is the family. Each individual born on earth is part of a family. Ideally that family consists of a mother, father, siblings and extended members (i.e. aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). For too many individuals however that ideal falls short resulting in single parent families, families where there is no parent at all, and every other variety one can imagine.

Family reaches beyond genetics or a physical home. It is not uncommon to hear about persons in the military referring to their family in the service or close friends calling one another brother and sister. Whatever the configuration, strengthening the family is of critical importance in the spiritual unification process on the road to Christian Unity.

The Bible as a historical record provides stories of close-knit blood-related families such as Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11); close in-laws such as Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:16); dysfunctional families like that of King David (2 Sam. 11-13) and Jacob with his 12 sons (Gen. 34-37); and even families where one brother murders another in Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:8). The Bible outlines the establishment of the family (Gen. 2:18), the institute of marriage (Matt. 19:4-6), the importance of children (Psa. 127:3) and the dynamics of family relationships (Ex. 20:12 and Eph. 6:4).

The importance of the family to the greater whole of Christianity is unmistakable. Strong families translate into strong churches and strong communities. Because the forces of evil know this the family is constantly under attack. Inspired spiritual leaders have spoken publicly about the criticality of the family including Pope John Paul II who said “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Yet, despite decades of warnings society continues to ignore the obvious and pay the consequences including increased crime, child abuse, and abandonment.

At the core of the disintegration of the family is divorce. The absence of both parents in the home and the associated economic stress has not only been linked to an increase in child abuse, but a new phenomenon of technology as a babysitter. A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2010 revealed 8 to 18 year-olds in the United Sates devote an average of just over 7.5 hours per day to entertainment media including TV, video games, computers, iPods, and cell phones. The impact of such tremendous exposure to media has a devastating effect on children and youth.

To strengthen the family Shuster offers a unique lesson in the Divine Triangle whereby family unity is enhanced through the pursuit of Christ and His gospel. For those times when certain family members are in need a little extra support the Divine Triangle can transform to buoy those who are struggling. The chapter ends with practical counsel and tips from authors and family clinicians on healthy family dynamics—all designed to strengthen the family on the road to Christian unity. Next we look at strengthening the church.  

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

SECTION 4: HOW IS CHRISTIANITY TO UNITE? – A Vision

Chapter 14:  Strengthening the Individual

Christianity has been in a state of increasing division since its inception. Consider the 2nd century observation of the Greek philosopher Celsus who wrote that Christians “…slander one another with dreadful and unspeakable words of abuse. And they would not make even the least concession to reach agreement; for they utterly detest each other.”  Although a known opponent of early Christianity, the words of Celsus ring true to this very day causing one to ask… How is Christianity to Unite?

The four chapters of Section 4 answer the question by examining the unification process from the smallest unit of Christianity—the individual—to incrementally larger units including the family, church and community. This is a concept Shuster calls the Model of Christian Unity. As each unit is strengthened spiritually the impact on society is not merely cumulative, but rather exponential as a result of spiritual synergy.

                                                             

The desire of Jesus Christ in the unification of his disciples was the subject of his heartfelt prayer to God the Father when he pleaded “that they may be made perfect in one,” with Christ dwelling within the disciple and God dwelling within the Savior (John 17:23). Each of the four chapters examines the Biblical case for strengthening the entity along with the forces that divide and unite. 

The most basic unit in the kingdom of God is the individual comprising the first rung in the Model of Christian Unity. The Savior said “I am the vine, ye are the branches,” and as branches nourished from the same vine we are to “bringeth forth much fruit: for without me [Jesus Christ] ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

The cornerstone scripture for strengthening the individual comes from Luke 22:32 with Jesus telling Peter “…when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” In this passage the Savior teaches a profound yet simple lesson that those who are converted are to strengthen those who are not. Because conversion is a continual process it may be more accurate to say that those who are more mature in their conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ (along the Christian Continuum) should lift up and help those who are not as far along.

Through the conversion process individuals are strengthened in both faith and works. The 16 Believing attributes and the 16 Practicing attributes from the Chapter 13 exercise are covered in detail allowing participants of the exercise to examine their scores leading to an action plan of improvement.

32 attributes—16 relating to faith (believing) and 16 relating to love and works (practicing)—can easily overwhelm even the strongest of Christians. Just remember, spiritual growth is a journey and not a destination. The prophet Isaiah taught “precept upon precept… line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isa. 28:10). We are all a work in progress on earth laboring on these things everyday with the goal of continuous improvement, not overnight perfection. Next we look at strengthening the family.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 13: What Kind of Christian are You? Take the Test

Christians in America are spread out among those who are departing, feeling adequate, hesitating, and laboring (understanding there are very few who are latent). These Christians—meaning all Christians—move along a continuum based upon the exercising of faith unto works in an often erratic and volatile way. There may be a time when a Christian is inactive and disillusioned only to be inspired by a life-changing event that increases their faith towards becoming a more active Christian. Conversely, there may be a time when a Christian is active and faithful only to lose motivation and interest in life towards becoming a more inactive and indolent Christian.

The question of “are you a Christian?” now becomes irrelevant and is replaced by “what kind of Christian are you?”The Christian community can eliminate the judgmental spirit of deciding who is a Christian and who is not by moving to a more useful and productive dialogue of where believers are along the Christian Continuum.

                                             

To accomplish this author Eric Shuster developed a unique exercise that accurately categorizes individuals into one of the five Christian types (Departing, Adequate, Hesitant, Laboring and Latent). The exercise contains 32 simple questions divided into three parts, all of which are answered on a scale of 1 to 5:

Part One of the exercise evaluates individuals on a primary set of five attributes relating to belief (or faith). If the participant is not a Believing Christian then the test is concluded.

 

Part Two of the exercise evaluates individuals on a secondary set of Believing Christian attributes. The eleven attributes in part two measure the depth of belief using tenets that are closely associated with faith in Christ and support the belief system of the Christian.

Part Three of the exercise evaluates individuals on a set of Practicing Christian attributes. The sixteen attributes in part three measure the degree to which the individual is a Practicing Christian ranging from weak to strong.

After completing the exercise the scores are added up on two different axes:  1) the Believing attributes on the vertical axis (or the y axis from your high school math days) and 2) the Practicing attributes on the horizontal axis (or the x axis). The simple calculation and plot shows the participant exactly where they are on the continuum at the time of the exercise. Readers can use the manual form provided in the book or immediately complete the exercise and discover what type of Christian they are at www.findyourchristianity.com.

The remainder of chapter 13 is dedicated to helping the reader interpret the results, along with an enlightening exercise of charting the five Christian denominations discussed in chapter 7 onto the Christian Continuum—an revealing exercise you won’t want to miss.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 12: They’re Endeavoring—Living Discipleship in Christ as Laboring Christians

In the ideal Christian world the Disciples of Christ continually embrace all of the values discussed in chapter 6 and live lives exemplary of the Savior. Shortly after the ascension of Jesus Christ the Christian community lived in great harmony where “all that believed were together, and had all things common” (Acts 2:44) and were assembled to be taught as Christians (Acts 11:26).

Jesus taught laboring is part of believing (John 6:27-29) demonstrating tireless service and telling his apostles “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15). All those who follow Jesus Christ and emulate the Savior’s example of laboring in the service of others find joy (John 13:17) and reap the rewards of that labor (1 Cor. 3:8). Again, this is the ideal Christian scenario.

While America falls short today of the ideal Christian scenario with the vast majority of Christians disserting (Departing), settling for mediocrity (Adequate), or vacillating (Hesitant), there are a small number who are anxiously endeavoring in that ideal Christian scenario—such are called Laboring Christians.

The Laboring Christian is not perfect, but actively seeks and feels the perfect love of Christ when serving their families, churches and communities. These individuals have cultivated resilient and solid faith through life experiences of practicing what they believe. The Laboring Christian knows he or she has been blessed with much and is unafraid to step up to do what is required.

Laboring Christians come from all walks of life among a multitude of denominations. While all of us can surely assemble an impressive list of well known Laboring Christians throughout history, the greatest examples of Laboring Christians will never be known to the masses and may be working this very moment in schools, churches, neighborhoods, and cities around the world.

Being a Laboring Christian is not easy to sustain, despite the spiritual rewards and joy that comes from doing so. Living in the world but not becoming of the world (John 15:19) requires constant energy and attention. For example, the miraculous Mother Teresa of Calcutta served tirelessly and selflessly nearly all of her adult life and would be considered a model Laboring Christian; however, the book Mother Teresa: Come be My Light by Reverend Brian Kolodiejchuk revealed her mighty personal struggles with feeling the love of God in her life. Despite such struggles Mother Teresa never stopped laboring and changed the lives of countless individuals.

There is a fifth type of Christian—the Latent Christian—one that is extremely rare. The Latent Christian demonstrates an abundance of works with little faith to support those works. For the time being we will defer this Christian type and focus on the main four. Now that we know these Christian types the question is:  “which one are you?” You might take a guess; however, the next chapter provides an exercise that can show you exactly what type of Christian you are.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 11: They’re Vacillating—Living Under Their Potential as Hesitant Christians

Many Christians, those who are not departing or hiding, are instead dithering and vacillating with great faith waiting to be cut loose! There is a large group of Christians out there that have enormous potential who are sitting on the sidelines indecisive about entering the game. Composer Gian Carlo Menotti passionately stated, “Hell begins on that day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts we wasted, of all that we might have done that we did not do.”

The question for all Christians is “what is your personal potential in Christ?” Paul wrote “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). Jesus taught “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). The eroding state of current spiritual affairs in the United States could be entirely turned around if every Christian rose up and did just that—live their full potential in the Savior.

Before introducing the next Christian type it is important to realize what our potential is as disciples of Christ. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 states that each of us has been given talents, every man according to his several ability (Matt. 25:15). The servants in the parable who doubled their talents understood the principle of “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…” (Luke 12:48). The Bible makes it clear that although Christians are given different abilities and responsibilities, each has the opportunity for the same spiritual blessings of eternal life through faith and sacrifice. The potential of each Christian is tremendous, but all too often that potential is unrealized in a spectacular fashion despite having faith sufficient to do so. 

This brings us to the third type of Christian—the Hesitant Christian. This is a Christian who routinely operates under his or her potential. The Hesitant Christian has great faith but is not living up to the potential of that faith.

Paul referred to the potential of the Hesitant Christian when he wrote “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us… (Eph. 3:20-21, emphasis added). The Hesitant Christian may at times be “weary in well doing” (2 Thess. 3:13) and therefore misses service opportunities presented by the Lord despite having the “several ability.” 

In answering the question of “where are the Christians?, a portion of them are hesitating, and as the old adage goes:  “he who hesitates is lost”—defined as “a person who spends too much time deliberating about what to do loses the chance to act altogether.” When it comes to faith we must use it or lose it.

We have now been introduced to the first three types of Christians, each of which is lagging behind and not making the difference they are capable of making. Next we will look at those Christians who are stepping up to their potential and carrying much of the load in Christian America.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 10: They’re Hiding—Not Practicing Their Faith as Adequate Christians

The second place where one can find the Christians is “in hiding.” These are Christians that are not leaving, but are instead concealing themselves in the shadows unseen, ducking any and all spiritual responsibility in a desire to be left alone. This is a Christian that Paul describes as one who professes “they know God, but in works they deny him” (Titus 1:16). 

This person is a Christian that doesn’t know their religion, who lives a form of “Christian-atheism,” avoids practicing their faith, and is content with their level of believing without the works that come from that belief in Christ. This group is likely the largest contingent of Christians in the United States today, whose potential is enormous when it comes to building and nurturing the kingdom of God on earth—a potential that is sorely unrealized today. This individual is the Adequate Christian. 

Virtually all Christian denominations teach truth about Christ and His teachings of love, service and sacrifice. If every Christian lived the tenets of the denomination to which they belong, the world would be a fantastic place. Unfortunately ignorance and unwillingness are significant self-inflicted barriers to realizing the true potential of Christianity in the United States—thus the Adequate Christian.

The Adequate Christian is ignorant of his or her religion. A survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life among adults found a sizable number of Christians don’t know their religion, and are in fact lacking basic intelligence relating to Christianity. Mormons and white Evangelical Protestants scored the highest, while black Protestants and Catholics scored the lowest. Not coincidentally, the Pew scores reflect entirely the same denominational rankings as those found in Chapter 7—something that brings great validity to the synthesis conducted by the author Shuster. One can therefore understand the precept that those who know their religion are more apt to live it.

The Adequate Christian is lukewarm in living Christianity. To be lukewarm means not being a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ while at the same time refraining from serious sin thus demonstrating a mediocre commitment to the gospel. The scripture from Revelation 3:15-16 should scare anyone who is found to be a “lukewarm” Christian. There have been other terms given to these Christian types such as Christian Atheists (Groeschel), Cultural Christians, Nominal Christians (Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization) or Casual Christians (Barna). Each of these terms arrives at the same destination of describing a Christian who believes in Jesus Christ but fails to practice what they profess to believe.

So far we have located the first two places to look for the Christians—those that are leaving the faith (Departing Christians) and those hiding in the faith (Adequate Christians). Next we will locate a third group of Christians—those who can’t make up their mind.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

SECTION 3: WHERE ARE THE CHRISTIANS?—A Categorization

Chapter 9:  They’re Leaving—Losing Their Belief as Departing Christians

There are 2 billion Christians in the world today; nearly 250 million people in the United States who identify themselves as Christians giving America a Christian population that is over double that of the entire world on a per capita basis. Yet corruption, greed, crime and moral disintegration are all on the rise in the United States. In such a great country where Christianity abounds in vast numbers how can such a trend be? It causes one to ask… Where are the Christians?

The five chapters of Section 3 answer the question by revealing the five major types of Christians in America today—Departing Adequate, Hesitant, Laboring and Latent—and how one can complete an exercise to identify themselves among these five.   

The first Christian type to be explored is the Departing Christian. These are Christians who are literally or psychologically losing their faith. These are Christians that don’t believe as they once did (or perhaps never did), who are living watered down doctrines of Christianity, and losing their testimony of the Savior through inactivity and prolonged sin without repentance. Simply put, these are Christians who are leaving the faith.

The Departing Christian has lost faith in the scriptures. Although there has been 6 billion Bibles sold since its first publication, only 82% of Americans consider it to be sacred scripture and only 69% consider it to contain “everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life”  according to the American Bible Society. Other studies suggest lots of Bibles in American homes, but few that are being read.

The Departing Christian lives a watered down faith. Studies show Christians adopting beliefs and practices that are inconsistent with traditional Christianity. A 2002 Barna study showed 76% of Christians relying on personal scriptural interpretation while 51% believe in praying to deceased saints. A 2009 study by Pew Research revealed 65% of adults adopting elements New Age thinking, 25% believing in astrology, and 24% believing in reincarnation.

The Departing Christian is fed up, disillusioned and dismayed. Negative experiences such as the death of a loved one and natural disasters challenge the faith of the Departing Christian who loses hope and becomes dismayed as to why God would allow such events to take place.

The systematic decrease in the percentage of the American population that considers themselves to be Christian is shown in the National Council of Church’s Yearbook for 2012 where five of the ten largest Christian Churches reported a decrease in membership.  Other studies show leading indicators of a waning Christian faith, many of which are likely Departing Christians.

German philosopher Hermann Keyserling introduced the phrase “Post-Christian” in his 1929 book titled America Set Free. Keyserling’s work grew legs into the 1960’s with the “death of God” movement leveraging the phrase used by Nietzche in the 19th century. While the population of Departing Christians may not be large, the elements that have led to their faithlessness are elements that are affecting many in America. Next we will examine the Adequate Christian.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 8: It’s Complicated According to the Critics

Complicating matters in defining a Christian is the existence of Modern-day Pharisees—the “critics” among the Christian community. These critics are nothing new. Jesus Christ during his public ministry was often confronted by the Pharisees who challenged his authority and spiritual legitimacy.

The word Pharisee comes from the Latin word pharisæus, meaning “set apart.” The Pharisaical movement started around 140–37 BC, viewing themselves as defenders of the Mosaic Law and the oral Torah as part of a society that was devout, political, cultural, social, religious and educational. The Pharisees in our modern era view themselves similarly falling into the same prototypes leading to negative unintended consequences and complicating Christian matters unnecessarily.  

The New Testament reveals a model of behaviors and attitudes among the Pharisees of Jesus’ time—the pharisaical pattern. This pattern can be observed today among the Pharisees of our time including three major components:  1) pride and hypocrisy; 2) panic and paranoia; and 3) contention and destruction. Modern-day Pharisees are oblivious to their attitudes and actions believing they are the defenders of the true gospel leaving a trail of division and contention among Christians in their wake.

By studying the Pharisees of Jesus’ time one can identify the same behaviors and attitudes in specific individuals in the modern era. For example, Jesus proclaimed the Pharisees to be hypocrites (or full of hypocrisy)—eight times in one continuous sermon as recorded in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. In our day well known cases of such pharisaical behavior can be found in TV Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart who globally preached the gospel of Jesus Christ only to be caught having sex with prostitutes in 1988 and again in 1991. There is Ted Haggard, former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals who publicly mocked Catholics, Mormons, and Jews and then admitted in 2006 to having sex with a male masseuse and purchasing illegal drugs.

One of the dangers facing Christians today is the reckless practice of spiritual profiling—judging someone based solely upon their denominational choice or specific outward behaviors. Shuster provides instructive examinations of America’s Founding Fathers (e.g. Washington, Jefferson, etc.), historical and modern-day individuals (Hitler, Jones, etc.), and even Biblical figures (David, Paul, etc.) to demonstrate show outward appearances can completely derail the accuracy of spiritual profiling.  

Where are the Christians? offers an exercise that can be completed by the reader which calculates the degree to which the participant exhibits the pharisaical pattern—their tendency to be a Modern-day Pharisee (i.e. a Christian critic). The exercise is fun, enlightening and can be completed online at www.findyourchristianity.com.

Knowing who the Christians are historically from Section 1 and what a Christian is from Section 2, it is time for the next leg of the journey to explore the core question of “’Where are the Christians?” Although you may have your own answers to this thought provoking question, you may be surprised to learn the details behind the answers provided by the author.

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book

Chapter 7: It’s Revealing According to the Data

The two part definition of a Christian developed in chapter 6 can be put to the test; however, such a test is not trivial. Measuring belief and practice is complex and thus the caution of Jesus Christ to “Judge not according to the appearance” (John 7:24). Chapter 7 doesn’t seek to judge, but rather to measure how well various Christian denominations are performing in inspiring their members to be strong Believing and Practicing Christians.

To achieve an accurate measurement  of effectiveness Shuster analyzes data from three robust landmark quantitative studies conducted in the United States from 2000 to 2008—one from the Barna Group and two from the National Survey of Youth and Religion (NSYR). All three studies are highly respected and widely sourced in the public domain for religiosity across a large number of behavioral attributes.

Because of alignment issues with the three studies it was necessary to select 12 common attributes from all three. There are four attributes relating to belief (belief in Jesus Christ, God, the importance of faith and the reality of evil) and eight attributes relating to practice (praying, reading the Bible, attending church, attending Sunday School, attending small group activities, volunteering, sharing the gospel and tithing). The Barna study covered adults and the two NSYR studies covered youth and young adults allowing for sound coverage of the full spectrum of denominational adherents. To simplify the analysis the vast number of Christian denominations is consolidated into five categories using the REKTRAD method:  Conservative Protestants, Mainline Protestants, Black Protestants, Roman Catholics and Mormons (LDS).

This unprecedented exercise has its limitations due to the variation of faith traditions between denominations, the comparability of attributes between studies and the accuracy of applying a quantitative measurement to something that is inherently qualitative. Nonetheless the results were extremely informative:

·         There are more Believing Christians than Practicing Christians across all denominations

·         There is a decrease of belief and practice with age (Mormons being the exception)

·         Conservative Protestants generally performed well across all 12 attributes

·         Mainline Protestants tend to reflect the mainstream of the Christian population (the average)

·         Catholics lag behind all denominations in belief and practice across all age categories

·         Mormons recorded the highest composite scores among all Christian denominations

·         Lots of other surprises and a few jaw droppers

Looking ahead, chapter 13 includes an exclusive exercise a Christian can take that will categorize that Christian into one of five types covered in Section 3 of the book (go to www.findyourchristianity.com to take the survey). Perhaps instead of asking someone “are you Christian,” the more relevant question might be “how strong of a Christian are you?” or “what type of a Christian are you?” Next we will study the critics who desire to make this more complicated for their own benefit. 

Go to www.findyourchristianity.com to watch the book trailer, find out what type of Christian you are, and to order the book