AMERICA’S CHANGING RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE

“Men of Athens! I see that you are religious in every respect.” Acts 17:22

As I looked over a website about the “Things to Do” at New Smyrna Beach I was stunned to see rated number one was “Bikram’s Yoga College of India”. Now I know your immediate thought might be like mine, “Boy, there must not be much to do in New Smyrna!” However, below the number one rated yoga college were charter fishing outfits, golf courses, a marine science center, Smyrna Dunes, and even the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse, which you can climb up and is the tallest lighthouse in Florida. Yet all of these attractions were rated behind the yoga college on the “Things to Do” list. Wow!

Now I’m not sure how this site gave out their rankings, but the rating system seems a little odd to me. Still it is very intriguing to me that in a small beachfront community in America that there would even be a yoga college, much less that it be considered a top “thing to do”. Yoga in New York City might be expected, but in New Smyrna Beach—not so much!

Now I am not ranting about yoga here. And I know this is simply an anecdotal piece of information. Nevertheless, this oddity served to remind me of the ever-increasing presence of religions like Buddhism on United States soil.

While yoga has long been a practice of Buddhists in Asia, now some form of it is a regular exercise offering at gyms and exercise centers across America. Karma is a specific doctrinal belief within Hinduism that motivates the actions of most Hindu’s throughout the world. Yet now that concept has worked its way into the everyday conversations of many Americans, even if in a joking way. Of course, I don’t need to tell you about the proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York City or the rapid rate of Islamic mosques appearing in urban areas all over America.

Clearly, the religious make-up of America is changing. Our nation has become more pluralistic in every way than ever before in history. For followers of Jesus this is not a cause for alarm or fear. Yet neitehr is it a time for passivity and ignorance! Sadly, many Americans and many Christ-followers remain uninformed about the basic beliefs of these ever-growing world religions. This makes dialogue with their adherent’s difficult, mutual understanding problematic and redemptive witness toward them near impossible.

However, at FBC, Lake Wales we are working to change that. We want to equip you to dialogue with and lovingly minister to those from these varying belief systems and their worldviews. We want to inform you of their basic beliefs and how they differ from what the Bible teaches is the truth. Therefore, this coming Wednesday, May 4, I will begin a series for the summer months entitled “What’s the Difference?” It will be a study of world religions and a couple major cults. I will present much of the material and utilize various resources including multi-media. Additionally, others will present on some of the religions and cults we will study. I hope whether you are a young adult, a median adult or older adult you will want to learn of these faith systems so you might be better prepared to listen, understand, and maybe eventually share about your faith in the Risen Christ to someone who believes differently than you. Our hope is that you may be as confident and conversant as the Apostle Paul was at Athens!

Friend, the religious landscape of America is changing. And you can either bury your head in the sand or you can be equipped to live for Christ in the new, more pluralistic America. I hope you will choose the latter, even if that means changing your schedule to somehow make it to FBC on a Wednesday night by 6:15 pm. It will be exciting to learn many of these fascinating beliefs and become more strongly anchored to the distinctive beliefs of the Christian faith. I hope you will join me!

Loving & equipping you for Christ,

Pastor Scott