Good morning on this Saturday, October 27th. The Psalmist wrote, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..." (Psalm 33:12). Recently I read a research article which was very troubling to me as both a U.S. citizen and a pastor. The article revealed that 20% of the U.S. population is either atheist (doesn't believe there is a God) or agnostic (doesn't believe that one can know if God exists) and doesn't claim any connection with any religion whatsoever. That percentage has been growing throughout the years. When I entered the ministry almost 50 years ago the percentage of Americans who labelled themselves atheist was only about 4% of the population. That means it has increased nearly five-fold in less than 50 years! Even more troubling is the breakdown by age of the respondents. For those in the age group under 25, the figure is closer to 35% . There is a seismic shift occurring in attitudes toward God in our culture.

Add to that the figure of only 5% of those who are church members being fully committed and devoted followers of Jesus Christ and you have a darkening picture of genuine faith and discipleship in the Christian faith. More and more there is evidence of folks languishing in lethargy when it comes to the things of God.

Adherence to a Biblical world view and Biblical values is also at record lows according to research by George Barna. Humanism and practically every other "ism" has crept into our lifestyles and it is showing more and more in our nation.

We can say with the Psalmist, "Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?" (Psalm 85:6).

In next week's blog I'll provide some solutions to reverse these trends. Be sure to read what I have to say in my next blog.

Our missionary to Nicaragua and former intern, Jason Kratochvil will be speaking in tomorrow's  a.m. services, and tomorrow night we'll have a reception to mark the conclusion of Derek and Melissa Glynn's internship at Edgewood. Please plan to join us for these services.
Mel Brown