"The Decline and Fall of Christian America." That was the cover story for the April 13th edition of Newsweek. The words were colored red and were shaped in such a way as to form a cross. It was a pretty ominous site, to be sure. It is never a pleasant thing to think about when the country you love so much is turning away from the Judeo-Christian foundation that it was built upon. In fact, it seems as if the past several decades since prayer was taken out of school and then Roe v. Wade has been one defeat after another for evangelical Christians.
One of the quotes from the Newsweek article did concede that Christianity is not dead in America. They wrote, "The Christian God isn't dead. But He's less of a force in U.S. politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory." I have to agree with that statement. The importance people place upon God has definitely decreased, even among those who profess to be Christian. It's one thing to go to church with the family on Sunday, but then another to be living out your faith during the week. We have somehow separated our spiritual lives from our social lives and therefore we are not allowing God to make an impact in our lives in politics or culture.
However, as gloomy as this may seem, I see a ray of hope in this. This is the challenge for the church today! God is giving us new opportunities to allow our lights to shine like never before. We are no longer living in a culture where people believe they are Christian simply because they are an American. Sure, there may still be some people who think that way. But now there are people who actually recognize that they are not Christian believers. It is much easier to share the gospel with someone who knows they are lost than it is with someone who is lost but thinks they are saved. When you shine a flashlight in the middle of the day, you cannot see the effect of its light because of the light of the sun is outshining it. However, when you shine that flashlight in the middle of the darkness, it shines bright for all to see. That's the great opportunity I see for us as Christians today. More and more people are realizing that they are not saved. As a result, there's a great darkness that allows us to shine bright for all people in our nation to see.
The call for us as believers is to return to a proper view of who God is. We can either let the bleak situation get us down (which I have unfortunately been guilty of), or we can trust in the power and the authority of Jesus Christ to carry us through as we boldly proclaim the glory of God to the nations! Let us be obedient to the Great Commission Jesus laid out for us in Matthew 28 and allow God to declare His glory among His people for all to see! What a great day in age to be living as a true follower of Christ Jesus our Lord!
