And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (Acts 2:44)

We Americans are generally a religious people. According to a recent Gallup survey conducted nationwide, more than ninety percent of us believe in God. Eighty-four percent of us believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Two-thirds of us describe our religious faith as a personal commitment.

Yet that same survey also showed a gigantic gap in the American understanding of Christianity. Only half of the American people thought it is important to belong to a church. Seventy-five percent said it is possible to be a good Christian without going to church. In other words, most Americans think that in religion, we can separate believing from belonging.

This is clearly a pervasive and powerful fallacy i…