A Bible scholar examines the reasons why people are abandoning their Christian faith in order to understand where and how other Christians may help them.
During the "Ask Dr. Brown" show, theologian and Bible scholar Michael L. Brown's team outlined the reasons why so many people are abandoning Christianity. These are available on the first episode of Dr. Brown's "Line of Fire" podcast on Truth Network on Nov. 16.
For the second episode aired the following day, Dr. Brown first emphasized the need of reviving the preaching of the Biblical gospel, which causes conviction, repentance, and change. He emphasized that if a Christian's primary spiritual diet is attending church services once a week to hear a sermon, then it follows that the faith would become superficial.
"Grounding people in the Word, helping people be genuine disciples. This makes a big, big difference for the long haul," he said.
Another factor, according to Dr. Brown, is that the majority of Christians do not feel comfortable asking questions or expressing skepticism about anything. Dr. Brown noted that one of the reasons Christians shut down questioning is because they themselves are insecure about their beliefs.
This is also why, he said, he devotes time to answering inquiries from Jews, Muslims, and atheists throughout his broadcast.
"Parents can I encourage you to cultivate honesty with your kids?" he said. "To say, 'Hey, if you're struggling with something, if you don't agree with mom and dad on this, let's talk about. Or if you're having questions about the Bible being real or your friends may be mocking for this when you pray, you don't know if God's will, let's talk about. It's fine. It's okay.'"
Concerning those in pain, such as those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, Dr. Brown advised against offering quick fixes or clichés.
"Let us not give cheap answers to people in pain," he said. "Let us not give superficial answers when it comes to many people falling away."
Then there is the society in which children are reared today, where sex is fairly widespread, whether in movies or games, and the infiltration of LGBTQ propaganda by children's film producers such as Disney. Dr. Brown offers his book "Has God Failed You?" in this section as a starting point for parents to address the key issues surrounding sexuality.
Sex scandals in churches, regardless of denomination, exacerbated the dilemma of Christians abandoning their faith, according to Dr. Brown. Apart from praying for the restoration of God's name's glory, Brown advocated for humility and authenticity in one's Christian life, as well as welcoming observers.
"Let's do some practical service together. Let's live out the gospel together, and then hopefully, little by little, as they see genuine people around, people living out their faith together, people really care, people are willing to make sacrifice for the good of others, their confidence is restored. Little by little, they'll realize, 'Hey there really is a Savior. He really does change lives.'"
Despite the many threats to the faith at present, Brown emphasized that God is still building his church among Jews and Gentiles.
"We must cultivate discipline and holiness - separation - and we must teach God's grace that forgives and empowers. Otherwise we will get swallowed up as well," he said.
