Sunday.....Christianity.....Wanted... Inquire Within

There was a bit of a mission involved when I started this blog. Christianity in America is at low ebb as far as the influence that a strong church would have on it, and America itself is in the throes of a downward spiral that can effectively lead to the end of this American Experiment. Our children will inherit the legacy that we give to them. There is a call to action for every Christian and every American. Effective or not, this is the method that I have chosen. A number of years ago, while in London on vacation, we took the train up to Cambridge University and looked for a particular spot where, in the 16th century, a pub stood that hosted the beginnings of the Reformation in England. It was called the White Horse Inn where those gathered would talk over the affairs of the nation. This conversation built into a momentum that altered the course of English history. I am a firm believer in God's moving in even the least likely of people. This blog is no more than an opinion given over a pint of beer. If the comments resonate with you, it is simply a continuation of how they resonated with me when I was drawn into this situation we find ourselves in. Today's topic is the church or American Christianity in general and its weakened status. There are three things that I think we , as individuals, can do and one that we must do and they are as follows:


1) Read and educate yourself. You have to know the history of the church in America, including the doctrinal issues involved in order to understand the many and varied denominations and faddish movements that continually appear. One needs to see the genuine in order to discern the counterfeit. Would it not be presumption to claim knowledge without having gone to school? The attacks on Christianity from secular sources in America are nearly always waged against a straw man that they have built with no sound understanding of Christianity or its history. Concerning God, we have a tendency today to form opinions rather than seek truth. Too old to enter this fray, you can be up to snuff and well on your way within a month if you set your mind to it. I recommend two books that would give a beginning perspective on where we are today. The first is Fundamentalism and American Culture, The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism 1870-1925 by George M. Marsden isbn 0195030834. The second is The Scandal Of The Evangelical Mind by Mark A. Noll isbn 08511111653. Both are by respected historians and the books would probably have to be ordered for finding sound Christian literature on the shelves of even Christian bookstores is difficult today, or try your library. I recommend the websites http://www.whitehorseinn.org/ and http://www.ligonier.org/ and also the ministry of John MacArthur.



2) Support those who are doing the work for you. When the day comes that you begin to see how the modern church has evolved and why we are indeed in need of not only a revival but a reformation, support those who helped you get there. Buy their books, give them away, support their ministry and continually pray for them. If you happen to have a pastor who is in this fight, he is probably alone, or nearly alone, and discouraged at times.



3) Have the boldness to share these thoughts with your family, friends and acquaintances when the opportunity arises. Discipline yourself to keep these issues at the forefront of your mind. You will at times be laughed at and ridiculed. You will be called divisive and worse. Every fiber of your being will say Cease and desist and take the well-travelled path but Jeremiah counseled to Ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. For then you will find rest for your souls. (Jer 6:16 NKJV)



4) Daily introspection. There is a combination of humility and confidence necessary in any endeavor and more so when attempting to defend the gospel against modern abridgements, addendums and assimilations. If you do not have the humility, you may head straight into storms that might have been avoided, and into shipwreck. If confidence, or assurance that your motives are true and that to the best of your ability your conclusions are also true, are not there, your resolve will naturally be weakened when difficulties come, and difficulties will come! Introspection breeds a deep reverence for the task at hand and a deeper humiliation at even attempting it.