Church Membership Down ‘Sharply’ Over Past Two Decades

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Half of Americans are church members, which may seem encouraging at the outset, but this figure is down from 70% in 1999.

What are the reasons, and will the trend continue, asks the American Pastors Network. 

The findings are the result of a new Gallup poll, which attributes the decline to an overall decrease in church attendance as well as an increase in the percentage of people who claim no religion at all, also known as “nones.”

“There was once a time when most families would hardly question being at their home church on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights, too,” said APN President and national radio and television host Sam Rohrer. “But today, worship, Bible study and Christian community are being pushed out of our lives. In reality, it’s God Himself who has been replaced with ‘other gods and other worship,’ and the effects on the culture are evident! As secularism abounds, families are split and hurting, and individuals are confused, with even some pastors giving up and refusing to preach the whole counsel of God and the true Gospel at a time when truth is needed more than ever.”

The Gallup poll also found that since the turn of the century, the percentage of U.S. adults with no religious affiliation has more than doubled, from 8% to 19%.

“The decline in church membership mostly reflects the fact that fewer Americans than in the past now have any religious affiliation,” according to Gallup. “However, even those who do identify with a particular religion are less likely to belong to a church or other place of worship than in the past.

The Christian Post reported last month that the “nones” group is now as large as evangelicals in the U.S., with 23.1% of those surveyed identified as having “no religion,” while those who are evangelical, and of any race, represented about 22.8%. The data was gathered through the 2018 General Social Survey, a biennial project run by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

“What can be done about this devastating trend?” Rohrer asked. “And how much further will our culture fall without those who are grounded in their faith and who are engaged members of the local church? It’s not about church marketing, bigger buildings, louder music or attractive programs to entice people to choose church attendance or membership. It’s a heart matter and a matter of truth. Without debate, pastors and church leaders must lead the way in reaching out to their communities and strongly imploring that a life without Christ is no life at all, neither here on Earth nor for eternity.”

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American Pastors Network: How and Why Socialism Is on the Rise in America

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Socialist ideas were once subtly introduced into American policy, somewhat disguised and under the radar.

But now, says the American Pastors Network, socialism is touted overtly, with no attempt to cover up the fact that the concepts are outright socialist.

APN president and nationally syndicated radio and television host Sam Rohrer has explored the topic of socialism and how it is on the rise in America on the daily, live, one-hour radio program, “Stand in the Gap Today.”

“Socialism’s acceptance isn’t just within those identified as the ‘Left.’ but entrenched within the professing church as well,” Rohrer said. “One very shocking and disturbing fact is indicated by multiple studies conducted in the past two years,” Rohrer said. “These surveys indicate that between 44 and 58 percent of millennials say they favor socialism as an alternative form of governance to what we have in the United States and, specifically, that they prefer socialism to capitalism.

“So, it prompts the fundamental question, how did we get to the place in the United States today where our younger Americans are seemingly embracing what we and our fathers and grandfathers fought and died to oppose?” Rohrer continued. “How could the godless, atheistic ideology that drug America into two world wars become embedded into American culture? How could the nation where ‘in God we Trust’ appears on our coins and in our media and culture become ‘in Government we trust’? How has God become so dethroned and rejected? How could the institutions of learning, the media, the government and the church become so silent and even enablers of the very values that were once clearly opposed by our nation and opposite to a Judeo-Christian worldview? How could such erosion have occurred and so dramatically affected our next generation—and so quickly?”

The question, Rohrer said, should no longer be “Do we have a generation and nation who considers socialism with its root in atheism acceptable?” but rather, “How did atheism and the promoters of socialism and cultural Marxism actually penetrate the institutions of America and our Judeo-Christian worldview sufficiently to move our nation to this perilous point?”

“The apparent meteoric rise in the acceptance of socialism in America is baffling even to the most astute, but in reality, where we are is the result of where we’ve been heading for a long time,” Rohrer said. “In 1933,the Frankfurt School was invited to the U.S. by John Dewey with the goal of destroying America from within, embracing the philosophies and views of thought leaders like Marx, Nietzsche, and Hegels. The dethroning of God in America, which was Marx’s goal, to Nietzsche later declaring that God had been killed in the minds of the American people to where we are today requires an enormously powerful presentation of deception.

     “Over time, it was a purposeful and repeated deception of the American people through the technique of brainwashing, namely through the four Marxist steps to successful brainwashing—1) demoralization; 2) destabilization; 3) chaos; and 4) new norm or new order. In each of these steps, a person, a group of people or an entire nation is moved in their thinking and beliefs away from absolute truth, God, a biblical worldview, traditional family and God’s view of human sexuality to, ultimately, a position of chaos with an ultimate craving to cry out to government for help in bringing societal order and thus inviting in atheistic socialism. Does this sound familiar in politics, public education or even some churches? It all starts with sowing seeds of doubt, just as the devil did in the Garden of Eden.”

For more on this topic, listen to two “Stand in the Gap” programs featuring guest Brannon Howse, founder and host of Worldview Weekend TV and radio, at the links below:

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Easter is About the Power of God, His Hatred of Sin and His Great Love for an Undeserving Mankind

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What’s Easter all about?

What does Easter say about God? About Jesus? To mankind? And what difference should Easter make in our lives today?

These are questions being explored this week by American Pastors Network President and national radio and television host Sam Rohrer on his daily syndicated, 60-second radio feature, “Stand in the Gap Minute.”

“Easter week is the most sacred of all Christian holidays,” Rohrer said. “But why is it so special? Easter is about God’s plan for the ages, the humans created in His image, the reality of Sin, Satan and rebellion, God’s wrath and justice against sin, and His plan of redemption. Early in Genesis, God promised that one day His heel would be bruised but the head of Satan would be crushed. Christ’s crucifixion and death on the cross bruised God’s heel but His resurrection crushed Satan’s head, confirming His victory over sin and death.”

Christ’s blood paid the debt of mankind’s sins and fulfilled God’s demand for justice, providing salvation for all people. All those putting their trust in the Risen Savior, the Promised Redeemer, receive eternal life with Him, Rohrer said.

“God’s promise to crush Satan’s head continued with God’s promise to Abraham of a Promised Redeemer through a promised people,” he added. “Through time, Satan tried to destroy the lineage through whom the Redeemer would come. He led Pharaoh in Egypt to kill the young males and led Herod to kill all baby boys under the age of 2. On the Mount, he tempted Jesus to avoid the cross and tried to destroy God’s redemption plan. But the devil could not trick Jesus, kings could not kill Him, and haters of Israel could not destroy God’s plan.”

That plan included a day 2,000 years ago when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a borrowed donkey. The crowds shouted, “Hosanna!”—blessed is the king of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord. But the envious Pharisees said, “the world’s gone after him,” and they plotted His murder.

“That plot worked, at least physically, and Jesus gave His life to pay a debt of sin He never owed because we had a debt of sin we could never pay,” Rohrer said. “Some by faith alone accept Jesus as Savior and receive eternal life. Others reject Him and sadly choose eternal death. It is truly a matter of life or death.”

Likewise, Easter is not a freestanding or initiating event, Rohrer said. It’s a confirming event.

“While Easter is a witness of God’s Power over death and sin, a fulfillment of his promise of redemption and proof of His victory over Satan, it’s also an historical event,” he said. “Proven and witnessed by hundreds, the power of Easter is also very personal because it was Christ’s willing death on the cross to shed His blood. Easter is a fact. It happened. Jesus died. He rose from the dead. He paid our debt. This Easter, it’s crucial that all who are willing become children of God, restored in relationship to their Creator God.”

And as Christians mark Good Friday, they remember that the greatest battle ever fought was won. Victory was declared. The end of the war was certain. From the cross, bloody and beaten, Jesus declared, “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

“With those solemn words, Jesus died, fulfilling His words that no man would take His life,” Rohrer said. “The perfect Lamb—God’s promised redeeming sacrifice—became sin for us and died so we could live. What Satan schemed as victory over Christ was Christ’s victory over Satan, death, and hell. At APN, we rejoice in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Because three days later, to the disciples’ ecstatic joy, they heard the glorious words from the angel’s mouth: ‘Remember what He said to you? He is not here. He has risen!’ And to that we reply, ‘He is risen indeed.’ For all who trust in Him alone—by faith alone—death is swallowed up in victory. And that’s the best news ever. Easter is about the power of God, His hatred of sin and His great love for an undeserving mankind.”

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Truth Is Absolute and Comes from Only One Source—the Bible

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What is “truth?” To many in America, truth is relative, and it varies for each person.

But the Bible says people who believe this are “unstable in all their ways” because they have nothing constant or reliable to direct their lives.

“Just as a compass always points us north, Jesus is our ‘true north’ in life—always pointing the way to him, always pointing out what is true and always pointing us in the right direction in life,” said APN president and radio and television host Sam Rohrer. “This is why absolute truth is so crucial. In every aspect of life and culture we can consider, biblical truth has a role—gender, marriage, immigration, fiscal responsibility, government leadership, religious liberty, sanctity of life issues and much, much more.”

So, based on the knowledge that truth defines all things—what is truth?

Rohrer asked this very question on APN’s daily, nationally syndicated, one-minute radio feature “Stand in the Gap Minute.”

“Some time ago, I interviewed a candidate for public office and asked him to define truth,” Rohrer said. “His answer was ‘I don’t know.’ So I asked, ‘How will you make your decisions in office and know you’re right?’ He said, ‘I guess I’ll follow my gut.’ Truth is not subjective. It is not open for debate or found in the gut. Rejecting Jesus as truth ensures no moral compass. Rejecting truth results in confusion, moral bankruptcy, bribery and corruption. Rejecting truth guarantees that no person in office, be they Republican, Democrat or Independent, can lead with integrity, principle and consistency because each desirable character traits hinges on truth as defined by God’s Word and modeled by Jesus Christ.”

That knowledge, however, does not make everything easy, Rohrer said. The enemy will attempt to distort the truth, causing people to second-guess that truth is indeed absolute.

“Isaiah 59:19 says, ‘When the enemy come’s in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against them,’” Rohrer said. “As evil floods our land and truth falls in the streets, Isaiah declares that God’s Spirit will raise up a standard against it. This standard, of course, is Jesus Christ, the Way and the Truth. But God often chooses to raise up His prepared Remnant as the salt and light—the standard to oppose the evil. At APN, we equip, encourage and assist God-ordained pastors in the pulpit to be vanguards for truth. Yet, every true Christian is part of God’s empowered standard to stand against the enemies of Truth. Are we doing our part?”

Because the culture has become morally sick—defining good as evil and evil as good—is there a cure? When truth is rejected and division results, is there healing? There can be, Rohrer said. For those committing to standing for truth—or the Remnant, as Rohrer mentioned, the Bible is the more than just a good book. It’s the only source of truth.

“When it comes to truth, the Bible is always right,” Rohrer said. “It alone defines good and evil. It alone can point the lost and wandering to eternal life. Its truth alone, if obeyed, can heal the lonely heart and restore the broken family. Obedience to God’s Word, the ‘Ultimate Truth,’ can restore our nation and return God’s blessing to us. An absolute cure exists—but only if we embrace absolute truth.”

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