Volume 3 Number 6 March 26, 2008

MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective
in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.
Introduction

Have you ever had any doubts about your faith? Do you have friends who have had such strong doubts that they left the
faith or simply dropped out of church? Have you ever had a period of time in your life when you, yourself, were a drop-
out? As I am sure you have observed, it is a pretty common phenomenon.

There has actually been research done on this topic and we will look at some of the results of that today. But there is
something that is even more important than knowing survey results. The question becomes: What can be done about it?
We will address that too. There is a lot that even we can do to help people out in this arena.

Well, what did you think? Did you enjoy the last issue of the newsletter on “The Gospel According to PETA?” I hope you
did. And I hope you will take some initiative to partner with us to get this out even more. (In fact, this could be one of those
things you can personally do to help folks who are struggling with their faith). Would you take that article and send it to
everyone you know? If you can’t dig it up quickly, you will find it at the MarketFaith Ministries website
(www.marketfaith.org) in the “Newsletter Archives.” You might not have a lot of other ways you can be a witness and can
help other Christians grow their faith, but it is certainly easy enough to simply pass on an article. Thanks so much.
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Why People Leave the Faith

Recently, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life con-
ducted a survey about the religious affiliation of the Ameri-
can public. This survey indicated that there is a huge shift
taking place in the religious affiliation of Americans. They
found that more than one-quarter of American adults have
left the faith of their childhood for another religion or no reli-
gion at all. And that is only for people completely changing
religions. If you count those who have moved from one
Protestant denomination to another, that figure rises to for-
ty-four percent.
In trying to analyze the reasons for this shift, the Pew Fo-
rum drew several conclusions. Their belief is that there are
actually several reasons for this massive shift. They attribut-
ed part of it to American society’s “competitive religious
marketplace. ”Another factor is a “dropping confidence in
organized religion.”
I am certain that these conclusions have an element of truth
to them. But they do not tell the whole story. There is anoth-
er factor which is absolutely critical to understand if we want
to get at this issue in a way that allows us to actually do
something to turn the tide.
We human beings have a deep seated need to connect
with God. It is a part of our very being. God created us as
spiritual beings with this element built into us.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of people don’t know how
to effectively do that – even many who are affiliated with a
church. In America, other worldview beliefs have become
such a part of the fabric of society that we don’t even tend
to think in terms of a real Christian worldview anymore.
Even the conclusions of the Pew Forum are based on Nat-
(Continued on page 2)

Contact MarketFaith Ministries

312 Anton Dr. Toll Free: 888-883-0656
Tallahassee, FL 32312 info@marketfaith.org Phone: 850-383-9756
http://www.marketfaith.org Fax: 850-514-4571

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(Introduction - Continued from page 1)

Since no one in MarketFaith Ministries takes a salary, our financial needs are not huge. But we do have office supply and
web upkeep expenses. If you would be willing to help us a little with these by sharing a monetary donation, it would also
be greatly appreciated. Your gift is tax deductible and can be sent to: MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahas-
see, FL 32312. You may also donate online by using the “Donate” button on the website to make a contribution by credit
card.

Feel free to contact us any time. We would love to hear your comments, questions and suggestions.

God bless,
Freddy

Why People Leave the Faith - Continued from page 1)

uralistic methodologies rather than Christian ones. They have looked to the “sociological reasons” rather than “spiritual
reasons” for the changes. They see it as what is going on in society rather than what is going on it the heart of the indi-
vidual.

What is even more tragic is that the average church is not effective in stemming this tide. The evidence for this is seen in
the results of the survey. Too many churches have so been so swamped by other belief systems that they have either
bought in or been overwhelmed and defeated by them. There are even entire denominations which are crumbling from
within as they fight over such things as whether or not homosexuality is a sin and whether or not Jesus’ death and resur-
rection were actual events which supply the means for the salvation of mankind. As a result, these churches are not
helping their members understand the fight they are in and not giving them the tools to stand strong in their faith.

So what happens? Since people don’t seem to be able to find the answers to the yearning of their hearts in the church,
they begin looking, in large numbers, for other places and ways to have their spiritual needs met.

The problem here is a worldview problem. Society is laying a worldview foundation which says that ultimate reality is
founded strictly on the natural world or on some set of spiritual principles which is contrary to Christian teachings. To the
degree that people buy into that, they are not looking to a personal relationship with God to meet their need. The result
is, they look somewhere else.

In order for Christians to reverse that trend, we must go to go back to square one and once again lay out a Christian
worldview foundation in a way which helps people have confidence in their own faith. With this, they will have the motiva-
tion to share that faith with people who are moving in a different direction.

So, what exactly is necessary for us to pull this off? How can we make sure that we, personally, have the right perspec-
tive and are channeling our energies in a direction which will make a difference?

In order to turn the tide, there are two things which we must do. First of all, we must understand the problem and deal
with it on a personal level. Secondly, we must make our own personal relationship with God a real and active personal
relationship. Let’s look at these briefly and see why these are so critical.

(Continued on page 3)

Find these books along with other

great worldview resources at
www.marketfaith.org

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Understanding the Problem and Dealing with it on a Personal Level

This first matter relates to understanding worldview. I know we hammer on this a lot, and that it is not understood as a
critical matter by most people. But the fact is, everything that we do in life, without exception, is based on our worldview
foundation. You cannot address any issue in life outside of that truth. So the question becomes: What do you do when
you confront a person who is a Secular Humanist or a Wiccan or a Buddhist or a Jehovah’s Witness? Do you know what
they believe? Do you know how they think? Can you share Christ with them in a way that allows them to understand? If
one of them attacks your faith, are you able to turn the tables and help them understand why their attack is baseless? And
even more telling, do you think that it is important to even be able to do this?

Your answers to these questions reveals two important things. First, they reveal whether or not your own worldview is
based on a Biblical view of life. If you don’t see the need, you are obviously coming from a worldview belief system that is
not based on the Bible. Secondly, they reveal whether or not you have the tools to engage people who have other belief
systems with the gospel message. For instance, if you try to share the love of God with someone who says they don’t be-
lieve in God (or who has an entirely different understanding of God), simply giving a gospel presentation may not make
sense to them.

The whole purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to provide you with the tools you need to stand with confidence in your
own Christian faith and to share the love of God with those who don’t know him. An understanding of worldview is not an
option any more for Christians who are serious about living a life of obedience to Christ.

Making Our Personal Relationship with God a Real and

Active Personal Relationship
The second matter we must address if we want to turn the
tide of people converting to other beliefs is that we must
make our own relationship with God personal and vital. A
great knowledge of the facts and possibilities, even regard-
ing worldview, is not enough to motivate us to actually live
our lives for Christ. The only thing that can do that is for us
to continually experience a personal and active relationship
with him.
The real question is: How real is God to you? If you truly
believe that God is a real person with whom you are able
to have a real, objective relationship, it changes the way
you evaluate and live life.
Here’s how this concept plays out. If God is, to you, simply
an abstract concept or principle, then the service you do
becomes impersonal – like a duty or a good deed. In this
case, you do the deed because it seems right to do good
deeds. Now, most Christians will acknowledge intellectually
that God is, indeed, a real person. But all too often the in-
tellectual acknowledgment does not translate into an actual
personal interaction.
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On the other hand, if we know God as a real person and

learn how to listen to him speak directly to our minds, and if
we can use our imagination properly to experience his ac-
tual presence with us, we become able to interact with him
in the same way that we interact with people who have
physical bodies. When we can experience God as an actu-
al person that we personally interact with, our service then
becomes personal and we do it out of love for him rather
than out of a sense of duty. The difference that this makes
regarding our motivation to serve God is dramatic.
Support MarketFaith Ministries
The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Body
of Christ to become more effective by sharing the practical
applications of worldview. We are involved in developing
training and resource materials for that very purpose. If
you would like to partner with us in this effort, you may
send your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-
tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.

(Continued on page 4)

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Helping People Who Are Confused

If we want to be able to deal with the struggles which cause people to change religions and turn away from Christ, we
must deal with their beliefs on a worldview level. People won’t turn away from Christ if they know him as a real person and
experience his work in their lives. By the same token, people won’t stay with a church or a religion which does not give
them peace in their hearts and assurance of the rightness of their beliefs.

If we wish to be instruments of God to help people who are struggling with the truth about Jesus Christ, we must know
and be convinced, at a worldview level, that our own faith is the truth. Then, we must be able to articulate that truth to oth-
ers in a way that helps them understand and become convinced in their own hearts. When enough Christians become
able to take this step, we will begin to stem the tide of people drifting away from faith in Jesus Christ.

[If you have questions or comments about this article, feel free to contact us at info@marketfaith.org).

Next Month’s Article: The Gospel According to Radical Environmentalism