Here's the thing though. There were self-professing Christians who "believed in God without a doubt" who enslaved imagebearers, pushed against abolition and integration, and advocated for colonialism and eradication of indigenous peoples and cultures.

Today, there are
self-professing Christians who "believe in God without a doubt" who are fine with detaining immigrant/asylee children indefinitely, are against any measures for police reform and accountability, and who strive tooth and nail to cover up abuses within their churches.
I don't think these types of charts and studies are as alarmist as people want them to be. They aren't showing a cultural progression into unbelief or secularization. Frankly, I think they are showing the fruit of generations of compromising Christian ethics for the sake of power
Millennials and Gen Z after us have seen the hypocrisy, abuses, gaslighting, and covering up of the skeletons in our churches' closets done in the name of Christ and are entirely fed up with it.

Many of us are actually expressing a common lament in the Psalms:
How can we truly know that God is here when the wicked triumph? How can we say we know God's presence and hand upon us when he hasn't stopped the hands of wicked men within his church? These generations are crying out for God to rend the heavens and come down.
And yet, those in power continue the cycle of siding with power, silence those who dissent, and abuse people as long as they can get away with it.

These charts and surveys aren't meant to be used to point the finger out there at "secularism." They're meant to be a
reality check and a chance for us within the church to take a good look at the generations of damage we have wrought.

I'm sure there will be churches and Christian organizations that use data like this to say, "See, this is why you need to donate to our ministry and
come to our events and purchase our products!" And truly, those "ministries" are simply making money off the backs of the bloodied. It's just mammon worship that sounds pious and "Christian."

We should take this time to fall on our faces and be silent before God.
We should earnestly seek to repent and repair that which we corporately have broken. God may bless a harvest in future generations, but we first need to do a lot of pruning here and now.

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More from @tisaiahcho

27 Jun
Christians can either do the hard work of active constructing a full-orbed theology and ethic of justice that is unapologetically from the Christian tradition, or they can "retrofit" secularly developed systems and theories with distinctively Christian emphases.

There is no
warrant to simply complain about the inadequacies and "unChristian" nature of these secular systems and theories without any proactive work of creating alternative solutions that have equal or greater than thoroughness.

Whether you decide to actively construct or retrofit,
you will come to similar conclusions from the biblical data and Christian tradition regarding the existence and impact of systemic racism, corporate repentance, generational sin, reparations/restitution, and truthful retelling of history. To deny any of these biblical realities
Read 6 tweets
26 Jun
I've heard White folks (and other people of color) make comments about Asian Americans being "very quiet." But then, when an Asian American is outspoken and assertive, they are considered "angry" or "bossy" or "emotional" or "taking over the conversation" or "loud."
The fact of the matter is that there is a diversity within the Asian American experience and expression, and this should not be governed by the volume levels and words per minute quota of the majority culture.

There are lots of reasons why an Asian American
may not be as outspoken. It can be out of respect of the plurality of voices to ensure that everyone else has an opportunity to speak. It can be out of deference to others. It could, quite frankly, be because of past trauma of racist experiences of people making fun of
Read 7 tweets
24 Jun
Healthy friendships between women and men who are not married to or otherwise romantically involved with one another are a lifespring for the church. Jesus specifically placed women and men side by side within His inner circles for mutual growth, companionship, and communion.
Women should not be treated as potential temptresses or sleeper cells of adultery. Rather, without proximity and friendship with women, the image of God is not fully expressed and experienced in the way God has intended. It is deeply dehumanizing to women to keep them at arm's
length from any notion of companionship simply out of fear. It doesn't honor the Lord to dishonor our sisters in Christ by seeing them as no more than ledge to a slippery slope of sexual sin.
Read 7 tweets
14 Jun
Folks aren't really concerned about critical race theory. They're concerned about what the cost of discipleship will require to admit and make amends for the sin of racism. If we take seriously the biblical requirements of repentance and restitution, everything must be redone.
We're living on stolen lands that were taken in the name of Christ's kingdom. We're living in a society whose foundations and economy were laid by free labor at the expense of the dehumanizion of people of African descent. We live in neighborhoods of generational wealth accrued
through the disenfranchisement of people of color from home ownership, assets, wealth, and political power. We attend churches that find their roots in upholding injustices against the image of God and who intentionally kept Christians of color out of their pews, pulpits, and
Read 7 tweets
12 Jun
Just over 50 years ago, any state in the US could have (and many did) pass laws that would have deemed our marriage illegal.

npr.org/2021/06/12/100…

I know of Christians who only a few decades ago could not find a church/pastor to officiate their wedding because they were of
different ethnicities (they were in California).

There are still Christians today in the US who hold either horrendously racist views regarding multiethnic marriages or exoticize/fetishize them and their children. I've heard these comments.

The sad tragedy though is the
multitude of White Christians who claimed to believe in the Bible who did absolutely nothing politically, socially, ecclesiastically, or personally to challenge these views and laws in their families, churches, and in society at large. In other words, I would be able to bet money
Read 4 tweets
5 Jun
There are Reformed circles that act as though doctrinal orthodoxy covers over a multitude of sins. While claiming they believe in a "high view" of the ministry of the Word, they believe that an ordained minister who is ungodly and unloving is nevertheless preaching God's Word.
A low bar of ordination (i.e. passing theological examination) is seen as a license to preach and administer the sacraments regardless of whether or not the private life of the minister is in step with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As long as he "preaches the gospel," his "rough
around the edges" parts of him are explained away and excused.

I will say this with the deepest sadness - out of the Reformed ministers I have been in close proximity with in their private and family lives for extended periods of time, I can count less than the fingers on one
Read 8 tweets

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