For many years, I believed our church was filled with two types of people; those who believed in God and those who didn’t. Our weekend messages aimed to reach both groups. We tried to help those that already believed by deepening their faith as well as their understanding of the Bible, and we tried to introduce those that did not believe to the reality of God.
Over time, however, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Most of the people that I talked with in my neighborhood, at my kid’s ball games and through the natural course of life regarded themselves as Christians. Very few professed to be atheists, or even to have serious doubts about the existence of God. Everyone seemed to believe in God, yet few of them attended church or spent much time seeking Him.
They lived in recognition that there was a God, yet saw no connection between that belief and how they went about their daily affairs. They never considered or factored God into their key decisions, or patterned their lives after His values. Consequently, they believed in God but behaved as if He didn’t exist. We came to call this idea Practical Atheism.
Practical Atheism is a dichotomy, a split between what we say and what we do. Practical Atheism explains the chasm between what many people say they believe and how they live out their lives. Statistics about our culture bear this out:
Many of us believe God exists
- Almost 9 out of 10 (88%) Americans claim to believe in God (Gallup, 2007)
- More than 3 out of 4 Americans (77%) claim to be Christian (Gallup, 2009)
Yet few of us live like God exists
- Less than 1 in 10 (9%) of people hold to a basic Christian worldview, including a Biblical understanding of Jesus, Satan, salvation and heaven (Gallup, 2009)
- Slightly more than one out of ten people (13%) attend a Bible-believing church on a regular basis (ARDA, US Census 2009)
While these are only two key indicators, they point to a very real disconnect between our nation’s beliefs and its behaviors. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Practical Atheism has become the dominant form of Christianity in America. What’s more is that it has impaired our ability to encounter God, to experience life change and to engage in the calling He has for our lives. Although the American Church is the most educated, resourced, and prominent Church in history, the phenomena of Practical Atheism has inoculated us against a deeper, more vibrant expression of our faith.
Many Christians speak of feeling disconnected from God and discouraged with life because they have come to believe that it isn’t possible to genuinely experience God. Is Practical Atheism something you’ve seen at work in your own life? If so, what have you done to overcome it?
Len posted on April 7, 2010
You make a great comment here. God lives in everyone of us, but we must choose to make the connection. How can people really make connection when they don't know how?Traditional church teaches liturgy, becomes very boring and we graciously step away believing in God, but not seeking him. We also get distracted from God by the politics of the traditional church. It's too easy to just give up because nobody else cares either. Today's harsh reality is that the gospel makes for a nice story that we can read about during weekends and holidays. Living the gospel today is tough. I suspect there are no comments because you hit on a sensitive nerve. Well, the good news is The Chapel gets it. Our family loves the premise of rediscovering God…. on today's terms because that's where we live. We need the practical daily lessons you teach us of how to understand and connect to our basic Christian foundations that we have gotten away from.