Am I suggesting that 13 million is too few?

You bet your bippy.

Your opinion is skewed by your negative perception of us, IMO. Even though you’ve seen that we’re not all Phelpsian, you’re still scared that we are.

We’re not.

Even one Fred Phelps is too many.

13 million people who think and act like Christ (try to, at least)?

That’s too few.

And 13 million have a Biblical world view.

13 million. That may not be the majority of the adults in this country, but Jesus never waited until he had a majority. 13 million people can change the world!

Our world needs changing. There are 27 million people enslaved in this world today. Around 8% of the US population is homeless - and we’re one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

We need a revolution.

A revolution of faith. A revolution of compassion. A revolution of mercy.

Are you suggesting that the 13 million is too small?

I agree we need a huge change. But the required change, the only one that has a chance of bringing unity to world of dischord, is one in which we all base our actions and reactions toward the good of humanity, not someones version of one god or another. That route is one we have taken for thousands of years and is the route that got us here. We as human beings have never taken a route where we base our choices on only evidence.

13 million people who think the world is only 6000 years old is 13 million too many.

sorry.

I would say that the language can bias the results and that polls aren’t always accurate.

That being said, I understand the desire for Church to be more and better than it is.

The distinction Barna is making is between those who *say* they are a Christian (”Christian”) and those are *are* a Christian (born again).

That distinction has to be made because of the many people in this country who say they are Christian because their grandma was a faithful servant. People think you can be born into faith, but you can’t be. To be a Christian, you have to make your own personal decision for faith. That is the defining characteristic of a “born again Christian.”

Emily -

I addressed this is an email to you, but here it is again…

I went online to Barna.org to find out who they consider “born-again” and it isn’t based on how individuals classify themselves.

In Barna Research Group studies, born again Christians are not defined on the basis of characterizing themselves as “born again” but based upon their answers to two questions. The first is “have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?” If the respondent says “yes,” then they are asked a follow-up question about life after death. One of the seven perspectives a respondent may choose is “when I die, I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.” Individuals who answer “yes” to the first question and select this statement as their belief about their own salvation are then categorized as “born again.”

Since it’s based on the answer to those two questions, it has nothing to do with the negative connotation of the phrase, because the phrase itself isn’t used when the questions are asked.

- How are the surveyors defining ‘born again’?

- How would those being surveyed define ‘born again’?

- Do you think people shy away from the term ‘born again’ because of negative connotations (i.e. Bible thumpers)?

I’ll admit, I would never use the *term* ‘born again’, though I would consider myself to be a born-again believer. But it’s NOT a universally used phrase, and in fact, some of the most devout Orthodox believers I know would scratch their heads if asked “Are you born again?”. Doesn’t make them less Christian. I think the problem here may lie more with the terminology, and less with people’s personal faith.