Fluid faith

I read an article in USA Today this evening. It spoke about the current trends in America. Here is part of the article and then some thoughts....
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By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

A new map of faith in the USA shows a nation constantly shifting amid religious choices, unaware or unconcerned with doctrinal distinctions. Unbelief is on the rise. And immigration is introducing new faces in the pews, new cultural concerns, new forces in the public square.

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, documents new peaks, deepening valleys and fast-running rivers of change in American religiosity.

Based on interviews with 35,556 adults in the continental United States, it shows so much diversity and dynamism that a co-author sums it up simply. "Churn. Churn. Churn. The biggest news here is change," says Pew Forum research fellow Gregory Smith.

"It's not that religion won't matter in the future, but that it will matter in new and less predictable ways," says co-author John Green, a political scientist and Pew Forum senior fellow.

Key findings from the survey:

•Faith is fluid: 44% say they're no longer tied to the religious or secular upbringing of their childhood. They've changed religions or denominations, adopted a faith for the first time or abandoned any affiliation altogether.

•"Nothing" matters: 12.1% say their religious identity is "nothing in particular," outranking every denomination and tradition except Catholics (23.9%) and all groups of Baptists (17.2%).

"Fluidity is the rule today, not the exception. There's greater diversity and greater movement — a quantum leap in the rate of change."

So there it is. We are in a time of "fluid faith"....what a strange idea. It's a time when a belief in absolute truth is considered insensitive, rude, or narrow minded. If there is no absolute truth then what do we believe in? Where is our faith to stand? If there is no one true-truth then your faith and mine all swim in a sea of uncertainty rather than standing on the foundation of absolute truth.

This article really excited me. When everyone is swimming in a sea of uncertainty we stand on a sure promise and a strong foundation. We stand on Christ and his word. So as those who are uncertain float by with their ever changing "fluid faith" we can extend a loving hand of hope to them and a sure faith that will never let them drowned.