Last Sunday I referenced some alarming research findings that came out in 2005 regarding the spiritual beliefs of American teens, which really reflect the beliefs of many Americans young and old. One term that emmerged from that research was Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. In short, the research showed that while Americans might say they are Christians, they’re beliefs about God, Man, Christ, and The Gospel were not in keeping with historic or biblical Christianity. Below is a link to a summary of the research as well as a quote:
“It is not so much that Christianity in the United States is being secularized. Rather more subtly, either Christianity is at least degenerating into a pathetic version of itself or, more significantly, Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by a quite different religious faith.”
You’ll notice that Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is void of what the New Testament refers to as “of first importance” — The Gospel! Click the link below for a breakdown of the gospel, published in Christianity Today.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/june/what-is-gospel.html
Pastor Roy Layman 