Resurrection did not happen, say quarter of UK Christians

[ezra]

LOLOLOLOL
You need a sense of humor ezra.....

i have one others can,t handle it......

 

[civilwarbuff]

i have one others can,t handle it......

try us.......

 

[Jim Parker]

aww but that is not communication.that is calling it like i see it.

sounded a bit insulting to me

 

[Papa Zoom]

mod hat on...:nod... ......mod hat off

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

Pappa Zoom Do you have other hats? I've always liked that way of phrasing it. Mod hat on and off.

Ok. Ok. Back on topic stop poking me with that hat.....

 

[jay55]

A quarter of people who describe themselves as Christians in Great Britain do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus

The thing is, these people can describe themselves as Christians, however, by the very definition of a Christian they are not. Very similar to the misguided people who "self-identify" themselves as something they are not (ie. men declaring they are women, caucasians declaring they are negroid etc etc).

 

[OzSpen]

The thing is, these people can describe themselves as Christians, however, by the very definition of a Christian they are not. Very similar to the misguided people who "self-identify" themselves as something they are not (ie. men declaring they are women, caucasians declaring they are negroid etc etc).

Jay,

I agree that the question of, 'What is a Christian?' needs to clarified before saying that a quarter of Christians in the UK do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

Can you imagine the BBC being concerned about the identity of what it means to be a true Christian when asking their kinds of questions regarding the resurrection?

Oz

 

[Jim Parker]

Jay,
I agree that the question of, 'What is a Christian?' needs to clarified before saying that a quarter of Christians in the UK do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.
Can you imagine the BBC being concerned about the identity of what it means to be a true Christian when asking their kinds of questions regarding the resurrection?
Oz

The question "What is a Christian", I believe, misses the point. There is a very large number of people who believe that they are Christians who don't believe in the resurrection.
THAT is the point.
THAT situation identifies the crisis within Christianity that people are so poorly instructed (let alone discipled!) that they don't believe the central teaching of the Gospel. If Christ is not risen then our faith is futile and we are dead in our sins. (1Cor 15:17)

How in the world is it that they do not know that?!

iakov the fool

 

[civilwarbuff]

The question "What is a Christian", I believe, misses the point. There is a very large number of people who believe that they are Christians who don't believe in the resurrection.
THAT is the point.
THAT situation identifies the crisis within Christianity that people are so poorly instructed (let alone discipled!) that they don't believe the central teaching of the Gospel. If Christ is not risen then our faith is futile and we are dead in our sins. (1Cor 15:17)

How in the world is it that they do not know that?!

iakov the fool

Not all churches emphasize the deity of Messiah; the people go on Sunday, listen to the choir, respond to the readings, tolerate the message, worthily or not accept the bread and wine when offered and go home feeling justified for the rest of the week. They don't understand what happens on Sunday does not carryover for the other 6 days.

 

[Jim Parker]

Not all churches emphasize the deity of Messiah

True. Anyone can form a group and call it a church.
The "Church of Scientology" for example is a total scam and, according to science fiction writer and founder, L. Rom Hubbard, was established as a church solely for tax reasons.

iakov the fool

 

[OzSpen]

The question "What is a Christian", I believe, misses the point. There is a very large number of people who believe that they are Christians who don't believe in the resurrection.
THAT is the point.
THAT situation identifies the crisis within Christianity that people are so poorly instructed (let alone discipled!) that they don't believe the central teaching of the Gospel. If Christ is not risen then our faith is futile and we are dead in our sins. (1Cor 15:17)

How in the world is it that they do not know that?!

iakov the fool

I disagree. If a survey reveals that 1/4 of UK Christians does not believe in the resurrection, it causes me to ask: Which part of the Christian community is identifying as Christian? Is it my local postmodern minister of a mainline denomination? Or is it one who has confessed her sins, repented and trusted Christ as Lord and Saviour?

I agree that the point I raised was about the large number of 'Christians' who self-identified as Christian and didn't believe in the resurrection. Yes, that does identify a crisis in Christianity because belief in the resurrection of Jesus is at the core of genuine Christianity: 'And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless', 1 Cor 15:14 (NLT).

Oz

 

[Jim Parker]

If a survey reveals that 1/4 of UK Christians does not believe in the resurrection, it causes me to ask: Which part of the Christian community is identifying as Christian? Is it my local postmodern minister of a mainline denomination? Or is it one who has confessed her sins, repented and trusted Christ as Lord and Saviour?

I suspect that the surveyors assumed that anyone who said they were a Christian were, in fact Christians. So that could be anyone from Saint Paul to Simon Magus.

So, I was looking at who the people conducting the survey called Christian as well as the abysmal level of understanding among confessing Christians about what Christianity actually teaches.

jim

 

[OzSpen]

I suspect that the surveyors assumed that anyone who said they were a Christian were, in fact Christians. So that could be anyone from Saint Paul to Simon Magus.

So, I was looking at who the people conducting the survey called Christian as well as the abysmal level of understanding among confessing Christians about what Christianity actually teaches.

jim

Jim,

Since it was the BBC that conducted the survey, I could expect that it would not be of interest how one defines a true Christian.

I agree that it could be someone from Martin Luther to Bart Ehrman. See a critique of Ehrman's, How Jesus Became God by an Aussie who teaches at an evangelical Anglican college (where Leon Morris used to teach).

Sadly, I have to agree with you about the 'abysmal level of understanding among confessing Christians about what Christianity actually teaches'. I'm currently teaching my way through 1 Corinthians with a seniors' growth group of about 15 people and last week a fellow spoke about what happens at death for believers. He didn't have a clue, but thought he did. Others corrected him, but I asked him to hold off until we get to 1 Cor 15 when some of those questions will be answered.

I had a great laugh from the answers I received a few weeks ago when I asked this generally cessationist group: 'What is the meaning of glossolalia?' They had answers that were a million miles away. They had never heard the term. This is a cessationist church, but the pastor is a South African from the Apostolic Faith Mission (Pentecostal).

Oz