Hard Questions: Faithful?
Context – We live in a post Christian America
The facts
The United States had long been a holdout among Western democracies, uniquely and perhaps even suspiciously devout. From 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70 percent. Then something happened. Over the past two decades, that number has dropped to less than 50 percent, the sharpest recorded decline in American history. Meanwhile, the “nones”—atheists, agnostics, and those claiming no religion—have grown rapidly and today represent a quarter of the population.1
The veneer of Christian culture in our country is cracking, if not completely disintegrated. As the president of a college that remains committed to biblical positions on matters like marriage and human sexuality, I am acutely aware that American culture is, at best, indifferent to Christianity and more often—and worse—hostile to the Christian faith. Despite the profound influence that Christian men and women have had in the history of our nation, we find ourselves exiles in a land that worships other gods—gods of self-determination, greed, authenticity, and pleasure.2
Excerpts quoted from an article released online by The Pew Research Center3
United States continues to change at a rapid clip. In Pew Research Center telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009.
Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009. Members of non-Christian religions also have grown modestly as a share of the adult population.
The data shows that just like rates of religious affiliation, rates of religious attendance are declining. Over the last decade, the share of Americans who say they attend religious services at least once or twice a month dropped by 7 percentage points, while the share who say they attend religious services less often (if at all) has risen by the same degree. In 2009, regular worship attenders (those who attend religious services at least once or twice a month) outnumbered those who attend services only occasionally or not at all by a 52%-to-47% margin. Today those figures are reversed; more Americans now say they attend religious services a few times a year or less (54%) than say they attend at least monthly (45%).
In the U.S., the number of religious “nones” has grown by nearly 30 million in the last decade.
Rod Dreher, wrote an article in response to the Supreme Court ruling on same sex marriage. He said, the “ruling constitutionalizing same-sex marriage, the ground under our feet has shifted tectonically.” He entitled his article “Orthodox Christians Must Now Learn To Live as Exiles in Our Own Country.”
Quoting from a study in 2019
Barna research has unpacked faith trends in the U.S. including a general reluctance to engage in spiritual conversations, an aversion to evangelism and the erosion of religious belief and practice. These stories and more continue to point to an increasingly secularized nation made up of increasingly secularized cities.
To qualify as “post-Christian,” individuals must meet nine or more of our 16 criteria (listed below), which identify a lack of Christian identity, belief and practice. These factors include whether individuals identify as atheist, have never made a commitment to Jesus, have not attended church in the last year or have not read the Bible in the last week. These kinds of questions—compared to ticking the “Christian” box in a census—get beyond how people loosely identify themselves (affiliation) and to the core of what people actually believe and how they behave as a result of their belief (practice). These indicators give a much more accurate picture of belief and unbelief in America.
Post-Christian Metrics
To qualify as “post-Christian,” individuals had to meet nine or more of the following factors. “Highly post-Christian” individuals meet 13 or more of the factors (out of these 16 criteria).
- Do not believe in God
- Identify as atheist or agnostic
- Disagree that faith is important in their lives
- Have not prayed to God (in the last week)
- Have never made a commitment to Jesus
- Disagree the Bible is accurate
- Have not donated money to a church (in the last year)
- Have not attended a Christian church (in the last 6 months)
- Agree that Jesus committed sins
- Do not feel a responsibility to “share their faith”
- Have not read the Bible (in the last week)
- Have not volunteered at church (in the last week)
- Have not attended Sunday school (in the last week)
- Have not attended religious small group (in the last week)
- Bible engagement scale: low (have not read the Bible in the past week and disagree strongly or somewhat that the Bible is accurate)
- Not Born Again4
The Struggle (Why it’s hard for Christians to deal with the facts)
We have enjoyed the benefits and blessings of a nation founded with Christian principles. Even unbelievers in the past had some idea and adherence to the “moral codes” of Christianity. The social fabric of our society shared some measure of common values and more’s that were established from a Christian heritage and foundation. We struggle because secularism is becoming more prevalent, and we are feeling the pressure of being marginalized and vilified in our culture. For most of us, we have never been here before. This is new territory and we must remember Paul’s writing to the Corinthian church (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
2 Corinthians 10:3–6 (NASB95)
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
We struggle with the rapidly secularization of our culture because it is foreign to most of us. We feel like “aliens and strangers” in our own country. Yet, this is exactly what God’s Word tells us we will be. (1 Peter 2)
Cultural Christianity is dying!
Growing up if you had asked me, “are you a Christian?” My response would have been “yes.” However, I had no knowledge or understanding of the gospel and what it meant to be “Christian.” There are many who have grown up in church and surrounded by Biblical teaching for many years. Yet, they have assumed a “Christian” identity because of family and/or community expectations. Sadly, they bear no evidence of having been regenerated by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Being “Christian” is a label like being a Bama or Auburn fan for many in the United States. In other words, being “Christian” is more cultural than biblical. Cultural “Christianity” is dying and that is a good thing. Fewer people are choosing to identify as a Christian simply because there is a cultural expectation to do so.
In an interview between Ed Stetzer and Dean Inserra, they addressed the meaning of “cultural Christianity.” The following excerpt is helpful to defining the terms.
Ed: How do you define cultural Christianity?
Dean: Cultural Christianity is difficult to define because there is no established category that exists for this religious group. I believe it begins by understanding that this is an actual religion. Cultural Christians claim to be Christians, but by that claim they mean they are not atheists, agnostics, Jewish, or Muslim. They would quickly answer “Christian” if asked to indicate their religion, but the reasoning for the claim of Christianity has nothing to do with Jesus Christ or his gospel.
Cultural Christians are theists, consider themselves to be good people, and believe they go to heaven when they die. Exactly who is this god, what makes one good, and how one qualifies for heaven are questions the cultural Christian is not prepared to answer or see as relevant.
These are people who are Christians by heritage, morals, and affiliation, but not by actual conversion, or convictions about the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a mistake to think of cultural Christians as only consisting of those in the Bible Belt, because a generic theistic belief exists all over our country and shows up on polls and surveys as Christian.5
Read the following article by Alyssa Roat from 2019:
What’s the Difference Between Biblical and Cultural Christianity?
Being a Christian in the first century was countercultural. Christians were persecuted, killed, and even fed to beasts for sport in the Roman Coliseum. To be a Christian, a person had to be willing to give up everything for Christ.
However, as time went on, Christianity became more acceptable. In 313, Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, declaring Christianity legal in the empire. By the middle ages, the Roman Catholic Church held more power than most secular rulers in Europe. Even once the 1800s hit and the United States of America continued to grow, Americans considered the country a “Christian nation.” It became comfortable to be a Christian. It was respected, even expected. Folks could freely call themselves “Christian” (even if they’d never prayed) just because their family and neighbors were Christians. But as cultural Christianity rose, biblical Christianity suffered. The lines between the two became blurred. So, what is the difference?
Here are 5 ways cultural Christianity is different than biblical Christianity:
1. Anyone can be a cultural Christian.
Renowned atheist and scientist Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion and Outgrowing God, among many other books) has on several occasions identified himself as a “cultural Christian.” He recognizes the benefits of Christian morality and celebrations, though he does not believe in God and is outspoken against religion. This example shows how anyone can be a “cultural” Christian. Anyone can recognize the cultural or moral benefits of Christianity without embracing Christ or even belief in God at all. On the other hand, biblical Christianity is nothing less than a commitment to serving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Son of God, and surrendering oneself to Him for salvation and forgiveness.
2. Cultural Christianity is comfortable.
In a “Christian” nation that generally adheres to Christian principles of treating people well and striving for peace and justice, it’s comfortable to claim Christianity. There are no downsides socially, and it means that one can look to religion for comfort when necessary. In this case, cultural Christianity is often called “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” This belief is usually not clearly expressed, but involves a belief in a loving, mostly hands-off God who wants everyone to be nice to each other and happy. This God might occasionally step in to help when needed if a person asks. Good people go to heaven, and most people are categorized as “good.” Sin doesn’t figure much into the picture.
In contrast, Biblical Christianity requires something of believers. God is not a genie who grants wishes when needed and spends the rest of his time happily in the lamp. He is an immense, powerful God intimately involved in the minutiae of the world who places demands on His people. He is not “okay with whatever” as long as people get along. He condemns sin and enacts justice. He’s more interested in a person’s eternal wellbeing than their temporal happiness. This God requires commitment, repentance from sins, and a relationship with His followers.
3. Cultural Christianity is more about outward appearance than personal relationship with Christ.
Cultural Christianity embraces being pleasant, gathering with other friendly people, and enjoying the benefits of a comfortable social environment. The cultural Christian might even have a fish bumper sticker and attend church from time to time. However, this cultural Christianity misses out on the most important aspect of Christianity. Biblical Christianity emphasizes a relationship with Christ. What defines a Christian is not who one associates with or how often one sets foot in a church. Rather, it is the relationship one has with the risen Christ and God the Father.
A biblical Christian is defined by communication with and submission to God. Those who adhere to only cultural Christianity miss out on the true joy of Christianity: knowing God.
4. Cultural Christianity picks and chooses.
When culture and Christianity clash, the cultural Christian adjusts his or her worldview accordingly. Cultural Christianity focuses on passages about loving everyone and a caring God and ignores passages about sin, death, and repentance. When directives in the Bible don’t line up with what the cultural Christian wants to do, a person will rationalize that God doesn’t care, as long as they’re a nice person. When culture dismisses claims of the Bible as fanciful, such as the miracles and divinity of Jesus, the cultural Christian is often willing to acknowledge Jesus as a “good man” or the historical books of the Old Testament as moralistic tales rather than history.
Biblical Christianity embraces the fullness of the Bible, even when it is unpopular or uncomfortable. Biblical Christianity puts the Bible first, culture second. All of the Bible is considered the true, inspired Word of God (see Hebrews 4:12).
5. Cultural Christianity requires little sacrifice.
It doesn’t take much to claim the label of Christianity. Being a “nice person” doesn’t take much either; a nice person tends to get what he or she wants. Being nice and tolerant leads to acceptance from culture, as does putting in the occasional hours of community service or donating a few dollars to a worthy cause. However, Jesus didn’t say Christianity would be easy. He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus also expected that Christianity would be hard to swallow:
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19)
Jesus demanded radical sacrifice. To the rich man he said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Luke 18:22). Eleven out of twelve of the apostles died martyrs. Even John, the only apostle believed to have died peacefully, faced persecution and exile on the Isle of Patmos before his death. The New Testament Christians were generous givers to anyone who had need. Acts records of the early church,
“There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:34-35)
John put it bluntly. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19). Being a Biblical Christian is more than believing; it means giving up everything to God. Though God may require different things from different people, He will never accept being an afterthought. God demands to be the center of our lives. All actions and thoughts are to be informed by allegiance to Him; He is to be our greatest joy and fulfilment. Only biblical Christianity offers true hope for all.
In many nations, cultural Christianity is declining, with more and more claiming no religious affiliation on polls. Some herald this as a good thing, signaling a clarification of true faith.
However, a history of cultural Christianity still has a grip on today’s Christians. As the public popularity of Christianity dwindles, a nominal, cultural Christianity will not be able to stand in the face of advancing secularism. Only a biblical Christianity based on the Bible and a relationship with Jesus Christ will be able to offer hope to the world.6
A Biblical Response
Statement #1: We believe the Bible is reliable and trustworthy.
Statement #2: The Bible is the filter through which we understand, interpret, view, and interact with the world.
Statement #3: A person’s view of gender and sexuality are directly connected to one’s worldview.
Statement #4: A Biblical worldview will uphold God’s view of gender and sexuality as revealed in the Bible.
Statement #5: A Biblical worldview affirms that all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 9:6; Acts 17:26).
Statement #6: Since all people are created in the image of God, we should affirm and support human dignity, equality, and the sanctity of life (Genesis 9:6).
Statement #7: “The Bible makes it clear that racism is wrong and entirely contradictory to God’s command to love our neighbors, His unconditional love, and the teachings of Jesus.”
Statement #8: The Bible clearly proclaims and demonstrates that God is righteous and just.
Statement #9: The standard for righteousness and justice is God and His Word.
Statement #10: A Christian should always interpret and apply justice from a Biblical worldview.
Statement #11: A Biblical worldview bases justice on God’s standard.
Statement #12: Faithfulness to God is not determined by our prominence in the culture, or our acceptance by the majority. Faithfulness is rooted in the truth of the gospel and our love for Jesus Christ.
Statement #13: Faithfulness is built on the foundation of God’s Word and a Biblical worldview.
Statement #14: Faithfulness is sustained by the indwelling Holy Spirit and faith which is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Jesus told us
Matthew 5:44 (NASB95)
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 10:21–23 (NASB95)
Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 24:8–10 (NASB95)
But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
Mark 10:29–30 (NASB95)
Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 21:12–19 (NASB95)
But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.
John 15:18–21 (NASB95)
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, "A slave is not greater than his master." If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
Acts 11:19–21 (NASB95)
So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
Romans 8:35 (NASB95)
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 12:14 (NASB95)
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
1 Corinthians 4:8–13 (NASB95)
You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; 13 when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NASB95)
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Timothy 3:12 (NASB95)
Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Hebrews 11:36–38 (NASB95)
And others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Jesus instructed us
The reality of persecution!
Matthew 5:10–12 (NASB95)
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, interdenominational organization with a vision for aiding Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ. Go to their website and you can read stories of persecuted believers from around the world.
For most of us, we have come to expect such news from around the world. But is there persecution of Christians in the United States? Jesus made an amazing statement in John 15:18, he said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you." Jesus declared that persecution is not incidental to faithful Christian living but is certain evidence of it. Persecution may take different forms depending on where you live in the world, but its reality is the evidence that you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ.
a. Physical persecution-
“Have been persecuted” (10), “persecute” (11), and “persecuted” (12) are from the same word, diōkō. The basic meaning is that of chasing, driving away, or pursuing. From that meaning developed the connotations of physical persecution, harassment, abuse, and other unjust treatment.
b. Verbal insult- reviling, upbraiding
Oneidizō - seriously insulting, and literally means to cast in one’s teeth. To cast insults is to throw abusive words in the face of an opponent, to mock viciously.
c. False accusation - abusive words used behind one's back
Arthur Pink comments that “it is a strong proof of human depravity that men’s curses and Christ’s blessings should meet on the same persons” (An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1950], p.39).7
The reasons for persecution!
a. Righteousness is confrontational
2 Timothy 3:12 “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
b. A rejection of Jesus Christ - “on account of me”
The response to persecution!
It is not for the Christian to attempt to avoid persecution, but rather to endure it. Not the natural man, but the supernatural working of God.
a. Attitude – “rejoice and be glad”
“Be glad is from agalliaō, which means to exult, to rejoice greatly, to be overjoyed, as is clear in the King James Version, “be exceeding glad.” The literal meaning is to skip and jump with happy excitement. Jesus uses the imperative mood, which makes His words more than a suggestion. We are commanded to be glad.
b. Actions
Someone once said, “To escape from the world is to escape responsibility.” As believers we cannot “escape” but we will one day be removed from this world! By God’s grace, to be “absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
Romans 12:14 "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."
c. Ambition – the reward for persecution is “eternal and great”
We are not merely living for the “here and now.” As believers in Jesus Christ, our ambition is to one day finish the race God has before each of us with faithfulness.
2 Timothy 4:7–8 (NASB95)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Paul challenges us with this thought, "For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." (Philippians 1:29-30, NASB95)
d. Agenda – gospel mission, we are sent ones!!
As believers, we often seem more concerned about people conforming to the moral standards we deem appropriate, than we do seeing them come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Our agenda is a gospel mission. We must see people who are lost as Jesus and the early church saw them:
Matthew 9:35–38 (NASB95)
Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Romans 9:1–3 (NASB95)
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Listen to the wisdom and insights from Charles H. Spurgeon concerning the compassion of Jesus for the lost:
"He was moved with compassion."- Mat 9:36
THIS is said of Christ Jesus several times in the New Testament. The original word is a very remarkable one. It is not found in classic Greek. It is not found in the Septuagint. The fact is, it was a word coined by the evangelists themselves. They did not find one in the whole Greek language that suited their purpose, and therefore they had to make one. It is expressive of the deepest emotion; a striving of the bowels-a yearning of the innermost nature with pity. As the dictionaries tell us- Ex intimis visceribus misericordia commoveor. I suppose that when our Saviour looked upon certain sights, those who watched him closely perceived that his internal agitation was very great, his emotions were very deep, and then his face betrayed it, his eyes gushed like founts with tears, and you saw that his big heart was ready to burst with pity for the sorrow upon which his eyes were gazing. He was moved with compassion. His whole nature was agitated with commiseration for the sufferers before him.8
Concluding thoughts:
Faithfulness to God means a person is steadfast and unwavering. That doesn’t mean we don’t ever stumble or need to get back on course with the race of the Christian life. Every person who claims the name of Jesus Christ must live faithfully for His praise and His glory. I read the following story and it was challenging and encouraging in my desire to live FAITHFULLY:
At a secret baptism in one predominantly Islamic nation, a young adult who had turned to Christ was asked, “Do you understand that you may be forsaken by your family and even killed by extremists for your decision?” Her response was heart rendering, “I was going to kill myself. In fact, I tried several times to commit suicide. A friend told me that I could get help at the church. I went there and heard about the love of Jesus. I prayed and believed in Jesus and decided to follow Him. He gave me purpose and meaning in life. I would be dead today if I had not believed in Him.”
Let us see the wonder and majesty of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us long to hear Him say “well done, enter into your rest. Let us live faithfully for His praise and His glory!
Matthew 25:21 (NASB95)
His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."
Galatians 5:22–23 (NASB95)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Additional Articles to Read:
(These have been copied from posted articles on the internet. You can use the reference to each article to find the original on the linked web address.)
Staying on Mission: What Missionaries Can Teach Us in Post-Christian America
A former Anglican bishop tells the story of when he served as the chaplain of Worcester College, Oxford. It was his duty and privilege to greet every incoming freshman, welcoming them to the university and offering them his guidance. He recalls that the vast majority of students replied in basically the same way: “You won’t be seeing much of me,” they’d say. “I don’t believe in god.” At this I suspect many Christians would want to launch into a full-scale apologetic, defending the rationality of theism and imploring the student to believe the gospel. Instead, the wise bishop would say, “Oh, that’s interesting. Which god is it that you don’t believe in?”
After recovering from his surprising response, most students would go on to describe some kind of angry sky fairy who occasionally intervened in human affairs but whose main activity involves little more than sending bad people to hell and allowing good people into heaven. To the amazement of nearly every student, the bishop would then reply, “Well, I don’t believe in that god either.” Welcome to Post-Christian America!
There was a time in the Western world when the word “God” had a significant level of intelligibility. Virtually everyone recognized God as a reference to the supernatural being who revealed himself in the life of Jesus of Nazareth (John 1:14–18). Even atheists used the word God in this way, for to be an atheist in the West was to disbelieve in this specific deity. Today, however, the West is a secularizing, post-Christian culture. And though all of America isn’t post-Christian yet, even the Bible Belt isn’t far behind. We have arrived at the point where the common conceptions of many vital words—like “God,” “Christian,” “church,” “gospel,” “sin,” and “salvation”—are distantly removed from what the Bible means by them. This profound level of confusion reflects a massive loss of shared worldview. Simply put, if America ever were a Christian nation, it isn’t one any longer.
The Need for a Missionary Encounter with the West
We can’t turn back the hands of time or put the toothpaste back in the tube. And even if we could resurrect Billy Graham, we can’t restore the cultural moment when big revivals seemed to have some level of effectiveness. Instead, America desperately needs what Lesslie Newbigin called “a missionary encounter” between the gospel and the secular West.
Newbigin meant that Westerners, including Americans, must start living like missionaries to their own culture. This exhortation is not mainly concerned with whether we call every Christian a missionary. (In fact, merely changing labels would change nothing much at all.) No, this is about the vital need for the American church to recover a missionary mentality. It’s about the call for us to live like foreign missionaries in our own cities and neighborhoods, which are quickly becoming places increasingly foreign to the gospel.
In order to do this the American church must learn from international missionaries living among those who don’t believe the gospel. In other words, there are three things that those who stay on mission in America must learn from those who go on mission to the world.
1. Expect Confusion, Disinterest, and Hostility
The Bible tells us there’s no natural understanding, interest, or love for the gospel among non-Christians (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 3:10–11; John 15:18). Foreign missionaries know this, which is why they are careful not to assume a shared understanding or agreement simply because of shared terminology. Two people can use the word “Allah,” for example, with drastically different meanings (the God of the Bible and Allah of the Qur’an are both called Allah in Arabic). Likewise, in America, we cannot assume generic “God talk” is anything like evidence of belief in the gospel.
We shouldn’t expect an outpouring of natural interest in the gospel either. Although it is very precious to us, the gospel seems irrelevant to the lives of most non-Christians. They simply do not spend much—if any—of their time wondering what Christianity has to offer. And the few who do give much thought to our faith are decidedly not excited about it.
Indeed, one reason many Christians seem shocked by the increasing levels of disdain and opposition to our faith is because they haven’t fully grasped the implications of living in a post-Christian culture. In this matter, we must remember the apostle Peter’s words to missionary minorities living in foreign lands. He said, “Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you . . . as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Pet. 4:12 ESV). In other words, we’ve got to shift our expectations.
2. Emulate Cross-Cultural Strategies for Missions
The first aspect of the missionary task is entering the world of non-Christians in a particular context in order to understand them, connect with them, and develop an ability to communicate clearly with them. To do this a missionary must be a diligent student of a people’s political, economic, and religious commitments, as well as their habits, thoughts, and values. This strategy has clear and obvious parallels for American Christians.
“It will be hard for us to reach post-Christian America if we keep blasting our neighbors with gusto instead of beginning with the gospel.”
Furthermore, missionaries must love the people wherever they live. They could never be effective in sharing the gospel with people they would rather God judge (Jonah 4; Nahum 2). In a similar way, it will be hard for us to reach post-Christian America if we keep blasting our neighbors with gusto instead of beginning with the gospel. A new heart comes before a new life.
Finally, missionaries go to where the people are instead of expecting people to come to them. In America, this means we must abandon the Field of Dreams approach as a strategy for reaching non-Christians. For when it comes to church buildings or programs, if you build it, they won’tcome—because they don’t care. The vast majority of non-Christians in America will not check out your church plant because you have a cool website. The only fish you’ll catch with that strategy are actually disgruntled sheep. (Let the reader understand.)
3. Embrace the Countercultural Life of the Church
Missionary Lesslie Newbigin noted that the whole church together communicates the gospel more powerfully than any individual Christian ever could. He called the church “the hermeneutic of the gospel” for the post-Christian West, by which he meant the church’s life together should be a countercultural expression of the gospel’s power and effects. In other words, the gospel produces communities of people whose corporate life is simultaneously offensive in its distinctness (1 Peter 4:3-4) yet winsome in its love for the world (Matt. 5:13–16).
Foreign missionaries often work alongside national believers to discern what this looks like in practice, carefully distinguishing which aspects of that culture they must reject and which they must reorient and retain. In similar a way, American Christians must shine the light of the gospel in our post-Christian context. We must embrace a distinctly countercultural way of living together as citizens of Christ’s kingdom (Phil. 1:27).
“We must be a community full of love and hope in a society increasingly fueled by rage and fear.”
Specifically, this means we must share life together as an actual community in our culture of expressive individualism. We also must be a community of grace and truth in a context of moralistic relativism, holding firm to both the truth of God’s Word and the glory of God’s forgiveness. Finally, we must be a community full of love and hope in a society increasingly fueled by rage and fear.
Live Like You’ve Been Sent (Because You Have Been)
Before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the Father, “As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into world” (John 17:18 CSB). After his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I also send you” (John 20:21 CSB). In repeating himself, Jesus emphasizes this point: to be a Christian is to be someone Christ sends to the world. That remains true whether he sends us to a pagan nation or to post-Christian America. In every place, therefore, the church must live like people the Savior sent to the world. Because we have been.9
Bryan Laughlin is the lead pastor of Remnant Church in Richmond, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and four children.
Four Groups the Church Must Reach in a Post-Christian Era
“What’s church?”
That’s one question my kids weren’t used to hearing. But one morning, a boy who lived down the street knocked on the front door to play with our sons. Because it was a Sunday, our young neighbor was informed that they’d have to take a rain check because they were headed to church. Not long before this event, our family had arrived in Denver to start a church. We were surprised at how little common knowledge about Christians could be found on our street. It won’t be long before streets all over America — even in the Bible Belt — are filled with children who don’t know “church.” Their parents have never taken them to a worship service or even mentioned the word.
While this reality is frightening for us as Christians, it’s also a wake-up call for relationship evangelism. The outward-focused church will have an enormous opportunity to reach the non-religious — and religious, for that matter — in the season to come.
The idea of traditionally faith-friendly contexts becoming post-Christian seems daunting, but there’s some encouragement. According to Lifeway Research, 79% of unchurched people agree with this statement: “If a friend of mine really values their faith, I don’t mind them talking about it.” In order to grow in the future, local churches must foster a “here-for-the-community” mentality. As we adapt our ministries to reach the post-Christian people of America, here are four groups to consider:
The Searching Skeptic
While some unbelieving people are staunchly against all organized religion, many of them are not. Because God “has placed eternity in the hearts of people” (Eccl. 3:11), human beings cannot but crave an encounter with God. As C.S. Lewis remarked: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” In planting our church in post-Christian Denver, we discovered that there were scores of people in the community who were still exploring the concept of faith, but were confused by the multitude of messages coming through their devices and TVs. Like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, they needed help de-coding the message of the Bible and understanding how it could be reconciled with today’s strong headlines from people deemed experts. Reaching soft-hearted skeptics is the most enjoyable aspect of ministry. Pastors and church leaders must continue to model an effort for building relationships with those who are searching for God — and having a hard time finding Him.
The Religion Runaway
Unfortunately, “de-churched” is a real term. Many people have a wounded-by-the-church story that prevents them from darkening the doors of another one. It seems as though the only way to get them into the sanctuary is to put someone they love on stage. People will go to great lengths to show loyalty to their loved ones.
At our church in Denver, we discovered that children’s ministry was by far the most effective way to reach this group. Following our kids’ camp (our term for VBS), we would train the kids to sing a song in “the big room” and invite their family to come and see. These Sundays may not have been our highest overall attendance days, but I do believe we had more unchurched people in the room than ever — including Easter.
According to Lifeway Research, our communities are filled with church dropouts — people who used to engage regularly but have gotten out of the habit or given up on God for various reasons. It will take wisdom and strategy to reach these types in future, and kids’ ministry is one of the most winsome ways to interact with them.
The Cultural Christian
The task before the church isn’t just to reach the unchurched. There are people sitting within an earshot of our ministries who haven’t been captivated by the gospel. While this type is harder to find in the Northeast and Western portions of America, the South continues to experience the veneer of Christianity which Paul described as “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). In The Unsaved Christian: Reaching Cultural Christianity With the Gospel, pastor Dean Inserra writes:
A troubling reality in much of evangelical life is that convincing someone they are saved seems to take precedence over making sure someone actually is saved. This must change. Somehow questioning another person’s salvation became taboo in evangelical culture, when it could possibly be one of the most loving things you can do for another; it could mean the difference between seeds that sprout and bloom and seeds that are snatched away.
Of all the groups, this one may be the most difficult to truly reach. They’ve conflated local culture, patriotism or morality with Christianity. Not only does some deconstruction need to happen so they can get on a true path to discipleship, but they’ll also need help adapting to societal realities. A work of God must happen in a person’s heart before they can see the kingdom of God that is at hand. Until then, religious games are readily available and always easy to substitute.
The Jaded Jesus Follower
In Romans 8, when speaking about food being sacrificed to idols, Paul specifically addresses the Jews, the Greeks and “the weaks.” The weak in the church were a source of great concern for the apostle because he knew that the root system had not grown deep for these precious people, and the enemy could easily intervene and steal the seed that had been sown.
Effective churches in the future will speak gently to the weak. People can become jaded and lose their focus on Jesus along the way. It happens to all of us on some level. The challenge before the church is to continue to lead people back to a fresh hearing of Christ.
Dallas Willard, in his classic The Divine Conspiracy, writes: “A popular saying is ‘Take time to smell the roses.’ What does this mean? To enjoy the rose it is necessary to focus on it and bring the rose as fully before our senses and mind as possible. To smell a rose you must get close, and you must linger. When we do so, we delight in it. We love it.”
God’s kingdom is full of people from every tribe, tongue and nation. And it’s also full of life-long believers, prodigal children who have returned home and once-seemingly angry atheists. There’s room for all.
You and I have been put on planet earth for such a time as this. Let’s steward our ministries and our preaching in a way that opens our doors wide to a post-Christian America.10
6 Truths to Prepare the Church for a Post-Christian America
1. True “life on life” is needed.
“Life on life” means intentionally living in close relationship with people with the purpose of seeing them grow spiritually.
According to a Lifeway Research study, “Fewer than half of churchgoers (48%) agree with the statement, ‘I intentionally spend time with other believers to help them grow in their faith.’” That’s disheartening.
Discipleship requires imitation that can’t happen if we don’t consistently experience life together.
2. Contextualize when appropriate.
Jesus didn’t stay in the synagogues and temple courts. He was out talking to prostitutes and tax collectors, teaching to the crowds.
The church buildings and programs all have their purposes, but in a post-Christian environment, we need to think outside of the box to help people find Jesus.
3. The Kingdom of God is for sinners.
The church seems to have forgotten this point. A recent Ligonier & Lifeway Research survey shows that 60% of those who attend church once or more a week believe “everyone sins a little but most people are good by nature.”
4. We need to learn how to filter.
Regardless of where we live, unless we sequester ourselves in our home, we will continue to see a lifestyle that is contrary to Christ in the world around us.
In Europe, it’s impossible to escape secular society. But the entire world has been secular since Eve ate of the fruit. There’s no society or neighborhood “Christian” enough to protect us from evil. Evil exists in us.
“We are neither to seek to preserve our holiness by escaping from the world nor to sacrifice our holiness by conforming to the world,” says John Stott.
What we need to do then is to learn how to filter information so we can speak God’s truth into a broken world.
The Roman world was filled with debauchery—temple prostitutes, slavery, and fornication. The early church had to navigate a righteous path through temptations on a daily basis.
5. Everyone likes stories about Jesus.
Most people say they like Jesus; it’s the church or Christians that they don’t like.
We can start with great stories about Jesus seen in the Bible or seen in our own relationship with Him. Jesus is so counter-cultural He’s magnetic. He draws people in.
Point people to Jesus and He does the rest.
6. God is in control–we need not fear.
When we live in a society that doesn’t honor or even regard God in its daily living, it can seem like a dark place. For some, our current state in the U.S. seems scary.
We’re reminded, however, that God is in control—all the time. He’s not surprised by the conditions of our world. He’s not shuddering at the fact that our country is becoming “post-Christian.”
We stand, then, without fear as well. We keep our eyes on Jesus and live like Him—no matter the culture around us.
We’d be reminded about the essentials: the importance of evangelism and discipleship. Our faith would be challenged and pressed to mold us more into the image of Christ. We would understand more a theology of suffering.
Living in a post-Christian world would help us to not be content with this world, but make us earnestly long for Jesus’ return, giving us an urgency to draw more people to Christ before that day arrives.11
1 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/04/america-politics-religion/618072/
2 https://www.covenant.edu/blog/intro-covenant/faithful-exile
3 https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/
4 https://www.barna.com/research/post-christian-cities-2019/
5 https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2019/march/one-on-one-with-dean-inserra-on-cultural-christianity.html
6 https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-s-the-difference-between-biblical-and-cultural-christianity.html
7 (An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1950], p.39)
8 https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/3438.cfm
9 https://www.imb.org/2019/06/27/missions-post-christian-america/
10 https://www.namb.net/church-replanting/resource/4-groups-the-church-must-reach-in-a-post-christian-era/
11 https://lifewayresearch.com/2020/09/23/6-truths-about-ministry-in-post-christian-europe-that-apply-to-the-u-s/