Oh Boomer Where Art Thou?
As a young person I think I was overly impressed with the Biblical teaching that salvation is a free gift of God, and that there was nothing we could do to earn our salvation. While these are true statements, for the sake of high-volume evangelism it was not stressed often enough to new converts that there are conditions which God the Father requires of us if we truly want to be a part of His Kingdom. The "taking up your cross" and "dying to self" parts were de-emphasized when the main pitch was "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" if you will just pray the sinner's prayer. Many Christian converts of the "Jesus Movement" of the late sixties were invited to join the Everlasting Throng with only a modicum of entry level belief. I remember the Doobie Brothers singing, "Jesus is just alright with me!" Wow, I bet Jesus was just thrilled to have been vetted by the Doobie Brothers and given their approval