Holy Families “On the Same Page” – Topical Parent Resource

Dealing With Loss of a Pet

How do we live as “Holy Families” when we lose a pet?

Loss is always difficult. When we lose a family member, friend or another person, it is di cult regardless of the circumstances, their age or even our age. Loss is hard when it is expected and when it is not. While losing a person we know or love is di cult, losing a pet can also be very di cult, especially for children. Teaching children about loss is one of the hardest and yet most signi cant tasks par- ents must tackle in their ministry to their children.

Some of the most painful moments come when our children are hurt or sad. There are few things as painful as seeing your own children in pain, especially when you do not feel equipped to handle the problem. It is natural to want our children not to experience pain, yet pain and loss are a reality of life. We have an obligation to help our children deal with pain and loss as we prepare them for adulthood.

The loss of a pet can feel as signi cant as losing a person, especial- ly to children. Pets are not people, but they are often family. Many of us can be very thankful that as children we grew up with pets; pets teach responsibility, care and love, amongst other things. All creation matters to God, and all creatures have been created by God to display his glory, grace and love, even those animals, in- sects and other creatures we are not too fond of! Helping children understand our unique place in God’s creation as human beings made in the image of God is important. Helping our children value all of creation is also very important as we have been given the task of care-takers of the creation.

What do we do, as parents, when we face the loss of a pet in our family? First, we thank God for all creation, especially the pet that we have lost. Teaching our children to start with thankfulness is essential. Second, we allow ourselves and our children to grieve.

Grief is normal and takes on many stages and forms. It is di erent for every person in every situation. Model and allow grief. Third, we ask God to be with us in our time of grief. God always walks with us, espe- cially in our pain and we can trust God with the future. No one can say for certain what happens to our pets when they die, but like our own salvation, we trust in God’s love and grace.

Loss is never easy. We thank God for family, friends, and for all of creation. We can trust God in the midst of our grief and walk with our children in the midst of theirs, reminding them that Jesus walks with them always.

Holy Families “On the Same Page” – Topical Parent Resource

Dealing With Fear

How do we live as “Holy Families” in the face of fear?

Fear is a very common and natural feeling. We all have things we fear. Some of them are things like snakes or spiders; others are speci c situations such as heights or water, and others might be life challenges such as nances or health issues. We all have things we fear as individuals and as parents. Being a parent is certainly one of the scariest adventures we may ever experience. Worrying about the health and well-being of our children is a natural, yet unpleasant reality we all face at various times as we raise our kids.

Fear is not something unique to an individual, nor is it unique to our time. The Bible is lled with stories of people, of God’s chil- dren, dealing with fear. In fact, words that address the issue of fear appear in the Bible repeatedly, “Do not be afraid.” Every time we read in the Scriptures about a supernatural encounter with God, we see this same comment: “Do not be afraid!” We hear about it when humans encounter angels, Jesus, burning bushes, and en- counters on mountaintops. Over and over again, every time God shows up, the dialogue begins with, “Do not be afraid.”

We live in a world driven by fear; our media sells it, businesses market with it and our government runs on it. Fear dictates our words, actions, feelings, and relationships. This is unhealthy, false and not at all what God wants for us. Fear has far too much power in our lives and Jesus has far too little. Jesus brought an end to a world driven by fear and we have become so familiar with the story, we have forgotten that. We have forgotten how to let the story of Jesus and our story as his people dictate how we operate. Instead, we let the story of fear that surrounds us, rule us. That is not the life Jesus wants for us; it is not the life we have to live.

The Bible does talk about fear in another way, fear of the Lord. This does not mean what we often think it means, to literally be afraid of God. Rather, it refers to a posture of respect, honor and awe, which is an en- tirely di erent thing. Instead of knee-shak- ing, nail-biting fear, God calls us to a life of trust. Trust is the opposite of fear.

Nothing good has come from fear in the long term, but life is always found and en- hanced in the midst of hope, regardless of the circumstances. We are a people of hope, not fear. We are called to trust God in all circumstances. The word faith means “to trust.” In a world that sells us a culture of fear, we are called as followers of Jesus to a di erent way of living. We are called to trust. Do not be afraid for there is hope and his name is Jesus.

Fear has far too much power in our lives and Jesus has far too little.

faith and family

Easter and Star Wars

by Marcus J. Carlson

I grew up on Star Wars as a child. I still love Star Wars. I am proud of the fact I have the Chewbacca mask that makes noise (like the one from the fun lady on the internet). I loved the movies and the characters, and as a kid much of what I enjoyed revolved around Star Wars. As an adult, I have seen every one of the movies made, though like a purest, for years I delayed watching the second set of movies (prequels) that came out because I did not think they were quite worth it.

As the new lms have come out in the past couple years, I have watched and enjoyed them, reliving a little bit of my childhood along the way. When the new lms came out, I also introduced my children to the entire Star Wars series, because we love exposing our children to the things from our childhood we enjoyed. We have taken them to see both lms, the most recent one on opening night, because that’s just good parenting. It has been fun to watch them absorb, enjoy and embrace things that we too enjoyed at their age.

Like many movies, shows and book series, Star Wars has a lot of Gospel undertones. So often, the art in our culture that is not at all faith-based, communicates principles of faith in a powerful way if we are willing to look for it. I have found this to be encouraging and a reminder that God’s truth can be found anywhere. It also has become a great tool in communicating the truth of God to those who do not have church experience or those who may have a negative image of faith, church or Christianity.

It is also a phenomenal tool for communicating faith in a unique and relevant way with children and youth as well. Using Star Wars references in my Christmas Eve sermon this past year actually helped those in the sanctuary understand in a deeper way what I was trying to share from the Bible.

For some, this idea is unconventional, but it is not at all new. Jesus used cultural references all the time to communicate the truth of God, because He knew that would help them understand his message. Jesus used story (we call them parables) to communicate the truth of God over and over again. Children love stories. Youth love stories. Adults love stories. One of the things I often tell people when doing training for children’s ministry is, ‘just tell the story over and over again and let it speak for itself.’ The truth is that as we help our children know the story of God, it will remain in their heart and as they grow older, they will be able to better understand and apply the truth in the story.

Watching the most recent Star Wars lm, Rogue One, I was struck by an important truth communicated in the movie multiple times. As I heard a phrase uttered, two thoughts came to mind. First, this phrase was a theme of many of the Star Wars lms, a consistent theme in the overall Star Wars story. Secondly, it struck me that this phrase communicated the truth of God, the story of Jesus in a powerful way that I needed to leverage and use as I communicated the truth of the Gospel with others. The phrase is “All rebellions are built on hope.”

Jesus started a rebellion, and it was built on hope. We desperately need another rebellion in our world to counter this culture of fear that has been forced on us. We need to live in a world of hope. We need a hope rebellion, and the good news is that all rebellions are built on hope. Hope abounds in spite of what others might tell us, in spite of what we might think, in spite of what we might feel. In the midst of di culty, challenges and fear, Jesus is renewing people and circumstances. Jesus is the author of hope, and it is hope that should rule our lives, not fear. The world has one story to sell us: fear. It is a lie.

I love the Easter story, even in the midst of the pain of the death of Jesus. It is a unique, one time, earth-changing moment, but there is also something that happens in this moment that happens frequently in the Bible and even in our world today. The people see something supernatural, and they are scared. I get that. Seems right, seems true, seems healthy, seems normal. In fact, every time we see a supernatural encounter with God, we see this same comment: “Do not be afraid.” Encounters with angels, encounters with Jesus, encounters with burning bushes, encounters on the mountain. Over and over and over again, every time God shows up, the dialogue begins with, “Do not be afraid.” In fact, some form of do not be afraid appears in the Bible a countless number of times, the conservative estimate being 30, some 365, and the generous one noting that this idea of not being afraid appears over 500 times.

We live in a world driven by fear. Our media sells fear. Businesses market with fear. Our government runs on fear. Fear dictates our words, actions, feelings and relationships. This is unhealthy, false and not at all what God wants for us. Fear has far too much power in our lives, and Jesus has far too little. Easter is all about hope. Our world is all about fear. As parents, grandparents and signi cant adults in the lives of our children and adolescents, we have a call and obligation to care for, minister to, protect and raise our children. We have a call as a church to raise our children and youth up in the faith. Far too often, we embrace the false message of this world, the message of fear, and in turn our children embrace this same message.

The message of fear ignores the message of Easter. It denies the power of Easter, the value of the death of Jesus for us. It denies the power of the resurrection. You see, the Gospel, Jesus, the death and resurrection of Jesus point not to fear, but something more powerful: hope.

When we look to how Jesus viewed children, we cannot deny that they held a special place in his heart. In fact, Jesus called adults to have “faith like a child.”There is something pure, innocent and beautiful about childlike faith. One of the things about childlike faith that makes it so beautiful is that it is based on hope and not on fear.

In Easter, in his death and resurrection, Jesus brought an end to a world driven by fear, and we have become so familiar with the story, we have forgotten that. We have forgotten how to let the story of Jesus and our story dictate how we operate. Instead we let the story of fear that surrounds us, rule us. That is not the life Jesus wants for us; it is not the life we have to live. It is not the story, the life or the message God has for our children and youth.

Do not be afraid: for there is hope, and His name is Jesus.

Holy Families

Parent Pages

How do we live as “Holy Families” when dealing with change?

Change is difficult for us all and often gets more difficult as we get older. Even our children have difficulty handling change. The truth is that the only one who really enjoys change is a baby with a dirty diaper!

Change can be hard and unnerving even for the strongest of families. Regardless of whether the change is good, bad or indi erent, change has a tremendous impact on us. So how do Holy Families deal with change?

The rst and most important thing is to look to God as the source of constancy in our lives. God is the one constant in our lives and in the world. Malachi 3:6a reminds us, “I the Lord do not change.” In a world that is ever changing, our God remains the same. Looking to God as the source and giver of life, remembering that he is the one who gives all good gifts, reminds us that we are not alone. He is our sure foundation as we weather any kind of change in our lives and in our families.

Secondly, we look for God in the midst of the thing that is actually changing. Whether it is good change or difficult change, change we have chosen or change that we did not choose, we look for God in the midst of the circumstances. The Holy Spirit is constantly present and at work in our families and in the details of our lives. God has something for each of us in every situation, season and transition. God can and will do a good work in us. We must look for where the Holy Spirit might be moving in the midst of the change we face and ask God to reveal that work to us.

Thirdly, we ask God for help in the midst of change. So often when we face change, we try to handle it on our own or we wait to go to God as the last resort. God is always with us and cares about every aspect of our lives. It is in seasons of transition and change that we often need God the most. Prayer is essential to our lives, and it is essential in times of transition, uncertainty and change. We can go to God with any thought, feeling, joy, worry or fear we have. God hears us, understands us and cares about us. He embraces us in love without condition.

We look for God in the midst of change.

Things to Pray and Talk About:

a) How do you feel about change? How do you think others feel about change?

b) What are some ways you can ask God to help you in the midst of change?

c) What can we do as a family to rely on God during change?

d) How does your faith in God impact how you think about and deal with change?

Asking for God’s Blessing:

God, we thank you that you never change. Your faithfulness endures forever, and your love never fails. Help us to look to you in the midst of any change we may face. Help us to listen to the move- ment of your Holy Spirit and to trust you in all seasons of life. Open our eyes, our hearts and our minds to what you have for us. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Holy Families! Initiative © Sola Publishing, 2017 (www. solapublishing.com). Written by Marcus Carlson. Permission granted to copy for congregational and home use.

faith and family

Superheroes In Our Midst

by Marcus J. Carlson

Like many young boys, as a kid I loved and was fascinated by superheroes. I also grew up on Star Wars, making me part of the greatest generation, but I digress. As we grow older, we lose our fascination with superheroes. I have seen this in my own children, in spite of our attempts to encourage their childlike nature to remain as long as possible. We assume there are no such things as superheroes, and while most of us do not have a guy with the skills of Spiderman in our lives, we forget the real superheroes.

In fact, not only are we blessed by many superheroes in our lives, we all have the potential to be a superhero in the life of someone else. I could never begin to count the number of friends, family members, colleagues, mentors and even strangers who have played the role of superhero throughout my life. You see, superheroes are not really those gures with inhuman powers or special skills; they are the everyday people who go above and beyond to do and be what we need in the subtle and signi cant times of our lives.

The theme of this issue of Connections is Pastoral Ministry. When I began to think about pastoral ministry and our children and families, my mind went right away to superheroes. This is not because this pastor would ever believe he or any other pastor is a superhero, but because so often when it comes to pastoral ministry, we assume it is those with the title, degrees and ordination who do the real ministry in our lives.

The truth is we are called and responsible for pastoral minis- try to those God puts in our lives and calls for us to minister and care for. There are special roles for ordained pastors, but ordination is not required to do pastoral ministry. In fact, we are all called to be ministers in our church, our communities and to all the people that God puts into our lives. We are all the superheroes.

We all need superheroes. While we may not have special powers, degrees or a superhuman physique, we have the one thing who is greater than any power, education or resources in all the universe: Jesus. This is not a cliché. It is the reality we often fail to embrace in our daily living.

As a parent, I have found I need superheroes more now than ever before in my life. The notion that it takes a village to raise a child is not a cliché or political saying (it is originally an African proverb), but it is the truth of parenting and of human relationship. It is also one of the reasons the church of Jesus Christ exists, to be the “village” to those in their church and community. Reality, the Bible and research all tell us the same thing in a variety of ways: we need each other. We need relationships. Our children and youth need healthy adults in their lives. It takes a minimum of ve healthy adult relationships in addition to two parents to raise a balanced and healthy child in today’s world. That’s a minimum.

The moral of the story: our children and youth need superheroes in their lives. They need superheroes who love them and love Jesus. There is no such thing as too many superheroes for our kids, and most of them have far too few in a time and culture where they need more than ever. At the same time, most of our children and youth have many more superheroes in their lives than realized.

While I have always known these truths, I have learned them all in a new and more profound way. After more than 15 years working with children, youth and families in the church, I know rsthand what a superhero looks like; but now as I do that ministry with a bit more distance, those I thought to be superheroes are even more so, especially when it comes to my own children.

Who are these superheroes? They are the pastors that care for your children. They are the teachers of their Sunday School classes. They are the leaders of Vacation Bible School. They are the older couple that always says “Hi” to your kids, tags them in the sanctuary, o ers them some candy and love — even when they are not sure they want it. They are the volunteers of your youth ministry.

Youth workers, in my mind, are the greatest of superheroes. They volunteer to spend time with angsty, pubescent, struggling teenagers who rarely know how to show appreciation and thrive on challenging authority. These superheroes give of themselves because they know we all need it, especially teenagers. During my time leading youth ministries, I have found these individuals go unnoticed and are vastly under appreciated, and I know I could never provide pastoral care to the youth of the church without them. Many of our churches are blessed with youth workers, and I know as a parent I cannot imagine trying to raise healthy children who love Jesus without them.

2016 was a challenging year for one of our children. Undiagnosed medical issues created a variety of emotional, behavioral and social issues. While not a signi cant medical problem, its impact, especially on such a young individual, was hard to watch and to walk through as their parents. We have always known we could never care for and help our children alone, but this year we were forced to live in that reality for the rst time.

We needed superheroes. Not the earth-changing, mountain- moving kind of superheroes. Not the ones who solve a major disaster, but the ones who would love and support us and our child in the midst of a challenging season of life and beyond.

It was the band director who mentored our child with private meetings for lessons to provide normalcy and a meaningful interest. Relationship was built, a skill learned, a passion developed. It was the assistant principal who recognized the needs of our child and found a way to o er support in both the short and long term, while connecting our child to other adults in a meaningful way.

It was the adults in our lives who knew the challenge we faced, and supported and prayed for us. It was the youth pastor who took our kid out to lunch, lovingly spending time and giving opportunities for our child to grow in faith.

It was the friends in our church who came alongside and went out of their way to show our child a good time and to embrace our child during a time when our child felt like anything but normal. Ordinary people doing ordinary things with an extraordinary impact. We could not be more grateful, and we never could have done it alone.

The truth is, we all need superheroes in our lives — especially our children and youth. The joy is, we not only worship the One greater than all superheroes, we also are surrounded by superheroes who love the same God we worship. We have been given the gift of superheroes, and the gift of having the opportunity to be superheroes to others.

faith and family

by Marcus J. Carlson

faith and family

The Three-Legged Stool

by Marcus J. Carlson

One of the images that was used often in my own education was the image of the three-legged stool. Three is a good number for Christians, primarily due to the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Great Commandment is to love God, love others and love yourself. A stool with only two legs is not quite strong enough, but having a stool with too many legs is unnecessary. Three brings a great sense of balance. When we think in threes, it is simple and easy to remember as three is not too large a number. I have also found the number three to be valuable as I think about ministry, being in uenced by the use of triangles to describe, de ne and diagram various aspects of ministry in the church. Much of this imagery comes from a couple churches in Shef eld, England.

When thinking about the spiritual formation of children and adolescents, the image of the three-legged stool is also immensely helpful. Building the spiritual life and faith of our children and adolescents can feel like an overwhelming call, so simplifying it truly is a gift. The spiritual and faith formation of your children and adolescents happens primarily in three different contexts, and it is these three contexts that make up the three-legged stool of spiritual formation of children and adolescents. The three contexts are home, church and community.

Parents
Parents are the most significant in uence in the life of a child or adolescent. All solid research, as well as natural order and the Biblical story, point to this truth. This does not necessarily mean or translate to parents being the rst, main or majority spiritual in uent in the life of their children, but they certainly are the most signi cant. Children and adolescents spend most of their time either with their family or in school. As a result, the home is a one of the three contexts in which children and adolescents experience their spiritual formation. In order for this leg of the stool to be strong, parents must be intentional. Three of the key ways to keep this leg strong are modeling; engaging in worship, prayer and spiritual life together (inside and outside the home); and making your own growth in discipleship a priority.

The Church
The church has long been seen as one of—if not the main source—of spiritual formation, faith and discipleship for children and adolescents. As signi cant as the role of the church has been, the church has not always embraced this role. While the church has always been a source of information in the faith of children and adolescents, it has not always been focused on relationship, discipleship and the overall spiritual formation of the children and adolescents in its midst. While the faith formation, spiritual formation and discipleship should be shaped in part by the church, the church cannot do it alone. It is imperative that we do not farm out the spiritual formation of our children and adolescents to the church alone. The church must also take seriously its role in faith development and formation of children and adolescents. It is a high call and one that cannot be ignored. Three of the key ways to keep this leg strong are mentoring relationships, intergenerational ministry and a strong focus on church as a community of adopted children of God.

In the context of Christian groups or adults, there is a call to assist in the Christian discipleship of the children and adolescents that they encounter. Three of the key ways to keep this leg strong are mentoring relationships, unconditional, healthy concern and support and modeling a strong faith to them. Each of these areas have value and it is futile to assign one more value than another. To assume even that one is primary would be a mistake. It is all a balancing act, both literally and guratively. We often only notice the leg of a stool when it is weak, loose or broken. Even in that moment, we know that leg is still as important as the other two, which are now bearing more of the burden. This analogy may seem confusing or even simplistic, but careful observation, solid research, the nature of Creation and common sense tell us otherwise. Each of these contexts are centered around relationship. Research, experience, the Scripture and our Christian faith all point to the important truth that relationships are central and that most of ministry happens in relationship. When once asked to describe and de ne discipleship, my rst response was to note that discipleship happens life on life. Discipleship, spiritual formation and spiritual growth all happen in the context of relationship.

When I think about this relationship as a parent of two children, one of whom who has started entry into adolescence, I nd myself carefully examining our own three-legged stool for each of our children. As a parent, I know I bear responsibility for each of these three legs, perhaps more signi cantly so because I also serve as a pastor. As both a pastor and a parent, I recognize that I must sincerely ask myself about the strength of each of these legs. Which is the strongest? Which needs tightening? Giving my children the very best environment to grow and thrive, particularly in their faith, is more than a passion, more than a call—it is my absolute, God-designed role as their parent. Perhaps the most important truth in this illustration is that we are all in this together. For the healthy spiritual development of our children and adolescents we all must work together, making discipleship a priority in our homes, churches and all places in which we encounter our children and youth. Discipleship happens life on life. Discipleship happens in relationship.

faith and family

The Threat Within

by Marcus J. Carlson

The focus of this issue of Connections is the challenges facing the church in North America today. It is a topic near and dear to my heart as a Christ follower, pastor and parent. I want the church to still exist and be thriving throughout the lives of my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond. That said, the church is ultimately only one generation from extinction. The church in North America is in decline and failing to reach young people, young families, the lost and a whole generation. While the church of Jesus Christ will never die, the church as we know it in North America could. It is time to sound the alarm and take the challenges we face seriously, if for no other reason than for our children and grandchildren.

I recently returned from a trip to England with several pastors, ministry leaders and church consultants. The purpose of the trip was to learn from the successful churches and ministries in England. What we know from church experts, missiologists and consultants is that what happens in the church in England is about 15-20 years ahead of what will happen here in the church in North America. Having been through a massive decline in the church and the rapid secularization of culture, England has been where we now nd ourselves.

There was one church that simply amazed me for what it had been through and for the ministry it was doing in terms of reaching the lost and young people. Beyond that, it was the closest representation of the New Testament church in a contemporary context that I have ever seen. As the lead pastor told their story, he shared this:

We had to ask ourselves as a church, with the way that the world is changing, do we want to have the church around for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

It is a legitimate question. While the obvious answer is, “Yes,” our churches, ministries and visions do not line up with this priority. It is well documented that the church is not reaching the millennial generation (those born 1982 and after) or the generation after them. This factor, combined with the number of unchurched, dechurched and lost people in North America, reveals that we cannot ignore the need. The greatest challenge the church is facing is reaching the young generations and the lost.

That said, when we think about the state of the North American church in order to ensure it is here for all future generations, we must look at the greatest threat to the North American Church. Again, while the church of Jesus Christ can never die, our expression of it in North America most certainly can. If you were to ask most Christians what the biggest threat is to the church today, you would get an answer that would likely t into one of three categories: government, culture or Islam. I do not believe that any of these three things or anything that would t into these categories is the biggest threat to the church in North America today. Yes, radical Islam is a challenge for us all, as is any radical expression of any faith. Yes, the government and the culture present the church with a unique challenge, but also an opportunity. With all the challenges we face in the world today, the world is as ripe as it has ever been for revival.

The only thing that can destroy the church in North America is Christians. Only those of us on the inside can destroy the church, and for this reason and others we represent the greatest threat to the church in North America today. Being fully aware of how controversial a statement this might appear to be, let me elaborate. The greatest threat to the church today, especially in North America is nominal Christianity or nominal Christians.

What exactly is nominal Christianity? I am so glad you asked! There are two forms of nominal Christianity that exist in the church in North America today. They have spread to and are impacting our children, youth and families. The rst is a lack of commitment: the second a commitment to the wrong things.

Many people like Jesus, even want to follow Jesus, but few want to fully commit to following Jesus in every area of their lives. North American culture and churches are lled with Christians who lack commitment to Jesus, to their faith and to a faith community. Faith, Jesus and the church have become matters of consumption and comfort rather than the source and center of our lives.

Our world is lled with believers yet short on disciples. A disciple is one who learns, one who grows, who imitates. A disciple is an apprentice. Discipleship is hard work: emotionally and spiritually. It requires deep commitment. Commitment is not particularly popular in our fast-paced, connected, globalized world. In this way our faith lacks depth, and faith without depth is not sustainable.

Second to a lack of commitment is a commitment to the wrong things. Some common examples of the wrong things we are committed to in the North American church today include comfort, worship style, personal preferences, having our needs met, programs, music, individual leaders and many other things. If our commitment in the church (or anywhere really) is in anything other than Jesus, it is at best a shallow faith — if not idolatry or heresy.

These are strong words, but we face a great challenge in the church today. We are so committed to our own desires, needs, wants, comfort, preferences and style that we have completely lost sight of Jesus. In the midst of focusing on the little things, we have lost sight of Jesus and lost sight of the things that matter. We have failed to reach the lost and the young people in our churches and communities. We truly are the greatest threat to the North American church!

Nominal Christianity is not just a preference, it is a problem. While many stop there on their journey of faith, far too many stay there. We are not called to a nominal or shallow Christianity. We are not called to put anything inside the church or outside of the church as a higher priority than Jesus. For all our criticism of the lack of character, morality and faith in our culture, we must look in a mirror and ask ourselves, are we any different? Are we making a difference? Are we a people who are being transformed and transforming others?

You see, discipleship does not happen by sitting in a pew and consuming. It happens life-on-life in the everyday moments of our lives. More discipleship occurs outside of the church than could ever occur inside the church. We must move be- yond a nominal faith if we want the church to survive.

What exactly does all of this have to do with our families? It’s simple, really. If the church continues to decline and if the church continues to embrace nominal Christianity, the best we can expect for our children is a culture with no church and rare instances of nominal Christianity in pockets of North America.