"Faith, Hope and Love"

"Conservative belief spurs church growth" was the headline that captured my attention in yesterday's Dallas Morning News as I sat browsing the paper during my regular Saturday morning breakfast after my 2 hour workout at our local health club. After reading the article twice, I was struck with the stark reality that for a rapidly escalating population in the English-speaking world, actual belief in the Jesus I read about in my Bible, is fast becoming a dim reality, a holdover relic from a distant past.
The author of that article, David M. Haskell an associate professor of religion, culture, and digital media and journalism, along with a group of colleagues, "surveyed more than 2,200 congregants" of the mainline Protestant churches in the English-speaking world, half from growing and half from declining churches and their clergy. They learned that churches with a "liberal theology, with it's metaphorical reading of scripture, leads to decline" while those whose emphasis is a more "literal take on the Bible" clearly demonstrate a relation to church growth. The two examples of that type of literal theology the article cites are "the belief that Jesus rose physically from the grave and that God answers prayer".

Several months ago a gentleman I met and occasionally have conversations with at the health club told me he is an atheist. I asked him one simple question, "WHY?" He thought about it for about a minute and said, "I just can't believe in a god who would create us and then destroy us." So, I asked him where he had learned that, who had taught him that about God. His reply is still kind of percolating in his mind I guess. We still greet each other occasionally but he doesn't seem to want to continue our conversation. However, at some point, something will happen and he will open the door to want to know why I believe what I believe. 

Paul wrote these words at the close of a simple but poignant statement about the love of God:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor 13:13 NIV

After all the wars and hate and political turmoil and fear and destruction and human arrogance and dire prediction of any real future for human society, THESE THREE REMAIN. All three are part of the same thing, the love of God our Father. But, all three are a choice each of us must make for our own life and others around us. Love is the greatest because it is the result of faith (absolute belief in the love of God and what He has done FOR us) and hope (absolute expectation of a future that is far better than anything we have ever experienced). If you have never done so, may I humbly suggest that you take a moment to Google "The Apostle's Creed" and read it carefully several times. Then ask your heart, "can I without reservation, sign my name to this statement of faith?"

Here is the bottom line from the referenced article above:
"With a nod to the season, mainline clergy and congregants with a conservative outlook are more apt to be singing 'Silent Night' this Christmas and in future years; theological liberals risk a different kind of silent night."