Read an article today regarding “religious affiliation” and wondered what the reactions were from all you blog-readers. The article says in part:
A sweeping new study of religious affiliation in the United States finds a country in which Protestants are becoming a minority, Catholicism is becoming heavily Hispanic, and the number of people who say they are not affiliated with any religion is growing. (Full article HERE)
What does it mean to be affiliated? Do you consider yourself Christian, Protestant or Catholic? Is there a difference? Let me know what you think.
2 comments:
It's truly amazing to see the Spirit at work. He is working and He is speaking ~ and people are listening. It's way cool.
My paper that I did this weekend focused on "identity". The Church has not changed its identity since the first chapter of the Book of Acts. The identity of the Church has remained the same for 2000+ years and its identity will remain the same for all of eternity. (I will email you my paper if you want; it's 8 pages long so I'm not going to post it here.)
Individuals "affiliate" with all kinds of denominations and subgroups of those denominations, but their identity is not determined by a building.
I am "affiliated" with a conservative subgroup of the Episcopal Church which is in turn a subgroup of the Anglican Church. My identity, however, is a member of the Church. The one, holy, catholic Church; the Body of Christ.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
Just to follow up; different denominations have been communicating between each other in recent years and have begun to "come together". We won't see all the pieces coming together under one church, but at least we're beginning to recognize that we are one Church.
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