Growing Numbers of Christians are Less Interested in Spiritual Principles and more Desirous of Learning Pragmatic Solutions for Life.

1. The World and the Church Cannot Co-exist! Our Concept
of “Holy” and “Unholy” has Shifted
Growing Numbers of Christians are Less Interested in Spiritual Principles and more Desirous of
Learning Pragmatic Solutions for Life.
PressReleaseLeader - March 9, 2013 - When asked what matters most, teenagers prioritize
education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a
back seat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to
achieve their dreams.
Among adults the areas of growing importance are lifestyle comfort, success, and personal
achievements. Those dimensions have risen at the expense of investment in both faith and
family. The turbo-charged pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection.
Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and simplicity are rare. Practical to a
fault, Americans consider survival in the present to be much more significant than eternal
security and spiritual possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other
dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial approach to faith has
become a central means of optimizing our life experience.
As if “spiritual principles” are not practically applicable! Please. This attitude shows that too
many Christians are not being taught the truth of the Word, which is all about how to live, that is,
how to be and what to do in any situation. People cannot be living truth unless they first hear
truth.
The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church. Our biblical
illiteracy and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making discerning
choices for fear of being labeled “judgmental.” The result is a Church that has become tolerant
of a vast array of morally and spiritually dubious behaviors and philosophies.

2. This increased leniency is made possible by the very limited accountability that occurs within the
Body of Christ. There are fewer and fewer issues that Christians believe churches should be
dogmatic about. The idea of love has been redefined to mean the absence of conflict and
confrontation, as if there are no moral absolutes that are worth fighting for.
That may not be surprising in a Church in which a minority believes there are moral absolutes
dictated by the Scriptures. The challenge for every Christian is to know his/her faith well
enough to understand which fights are worth fighting, and which stands are non-negotiable.
How can we present life-changing truth to people if we tiptoe around the basic truths of
Scripture? Of course we want to present them as palatably as we can, but at some point whether
or not a person chooses to ingest and digest the truth is about his own level of hunger. For
centuries precious Christians have been subjected to indigestible junk food, as in, “Gag me with
a fable.”
Look, we are running out of time. Let’s make “Hey!” (as in, “Hey you, come to Christ!”) while
the Son shines. The Devil is not shy about loudly and relentlessly proclaiming his lies and we
should be no less bold in declaring what we know to be God’s truth. People’s lives depend on
it. We dare not mistake “tolerance” for spiritual blindness, an inordinate desire to have man’s
favor, or cowardice.
The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible. Christianity
has arguably added more value to American culture than any other religion, philosophy, ideology
or community. Yet, contemporary Americans are hard pressed to identify any specific value
added.
In a period of history where image is reality, and life-changing decisions are made on the basis of
such images, the Christian Church is in desperate need of a more positive and accessible
image. The primary obstacle is not the substance of the principles on which Christianity is
based. The most influential aspect of Christianity in America is how believers do -or do not-
implement their faith in public and private.

3. It is people’s observations of the integration of a believer’s faith into how he/she responds to
life’s opportunities and challenges that most substantially shape people’s impressions of and
interest in Christianity.
In a society in which there are no absolutes, every individual is a free agent, we are taught to be
self-reliant and independent, and Christianity is no longer the automatic, default faith of young
adults, new ways of relating to Americans and exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith
are required.
Culture is shaped by people, and people are influenced by other people, either for good or for
bad. The primary obstacle is “not the substance of the principles on which Christianity is
based.” The problem is that those truths are not being taught.
It is not that we need “new ways of exposing the heart and soul of the Christian faith.” What we
need to do is teach the heart and soul of Christianity, and that is Jesus Christ, the Living Truth,
Who is not a “God-man” or an “all God and all man” being with Whom we cannot possibly
identify, but a Human Being Who perfectly trusted the same Heavenly Father He encourages you
and me to trust.
Only the Lord Jesus can really touch your heart to the degree that your love for Him makes you a
“bond slave” to Him, and anoint you with the power, authority and conviction to tell others this
magnanimous truth.

4. Getting Back to Basics
“The True Church can never fail. For it is based upon a rock” ― T.S. Eliot
“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon” ― Martin
Luther
“Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man”
― Dwight L. Moody
Click Here for a short Preview of “The Building of A Church”
https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1120964
The book is available worldwide in paperback, e-book and Kindle book at Amazon.com, Kindle
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James Langston is available for interviews, media appearances, book signings, and speaking
engagements.
About the Author:
Langston, a former U.S. Naval military officer, faithfully served his country for 27 years before
retiring in 2003. He is founder and senior pastor of the Pilgrim Outreach Ministries.

5. Langston is ordained and licensed through World Evangelism Fellowship of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. He is a 1976 graduate of El Campo high school in El Campo, Texas.
James and his wife Cecilia have been married for more than 34 years and have six children and
twelve grandchildren.
They live overseas in Italy.
Contact Information:
James Langston, Senior Pastor,
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries Naples, Italy
www.pomitaly.homestead.com
pom_ministry@yahoo.com
“The Building of A Church”
www.amazon.com
Contact Info
James Langston
Senior Pastor
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries
PSC 808 Box 220-R FPO AE 09618
+393429384340
joyells49@yahoo.com
http://www.pomitaly.homestead.com