I recently heard a statistic that when the pandemic started (March) that a huge percentage of pastors—including myself!—believed that the pandemic would spark a turning to Christ and a wave of numerical growth in the churches. The thought was that the hardships would drive people to their knees. That the sickness and death of so many would awaken people to the brevity of life and put in them a hunger to be reconciled to God.
A more recent survey showed that almost no pastors are thinking like that now. The opposite has been the reality. Another statistic I heard was that ⅓ of church attendees have just disappeared. They aren’t gathering physically on Sundays and they aren’t watching online. They’ve just dropped out and tuned out. Many Christians in relative isolation have not pressed into a deep place with God but have fallen into old habits of addiction to drugs, food, alcohol and media. The lack of connection is taking its toll and large numbers of Christians are falling away at alarming rates.
Since I heard these statistics, and reflected on my own experience of the pandemic in the last 6 months, I came up against my own disillusionment. I had to acknowledge that there has been no mighty revival. There has been no dramatic growth of the church. I’ve heard some good reports of some who have harnessed the isolation to find a deeper relationship with Christ, but those stories are the exception.
I am as guilty as anyone for drumming up excitement for some great coming revival that will change our city and touch nations. Sometimes the vision of what is possible is so clear in my mind I can taste it—it burns in me! And it’s true that God is able and willing to do these things and we should absolutely pray incessantly for his kingdom to come and be manifested dramatically.
But …what do we do in the waiting? I’ve prayed for revival for over 30 years. I don’t mean just once in a while shooting up a prayer. I’ve fasted. I’ve wept and groaned at times. I’ve mobilized the church to pray for 40 days. I’ve repented and mourned, whined and wailed. I’ve gone into the woods and wrestled in prayer at times for hours. I’ve begged and pleaded. I’ve studied the principles of revival and have sought to follow them carefully. I've preached my heart out about revival probably hundreds of times in various settings in the last three decades.
I’m still waiting.
This is not an easy idea to bear but I wonder if we are NOT going to see a revival in America in our generation. I’m 53. If the Lord sustains me I may live another 30-40 years. Will there be a dramatic turnaround in America? Will there be a great revival that results in massive numbers of people breaking down in tears of repentance and being regenerated? Will there be churches overflowing with people once again as in the days of the first and second great awakenings here in America, and specifically New England?
Perhaps not.
It’s not a fun thought to muse on but it’s quite possible that the next 50 years in America could become a lot worse. It is a fact that the Church in America is in decline. Numbers of people are leaving churches and dropping out. Even church attendees attend for social reasons and no longer believe in the basic tenets of orthodox Christian faith. Today, many professing Christians are behaving in ways that are worse than secular people. Where is all this going? Is America becoming a post-Christian nation?
I’m not suggesting that we cease praying for revival—not at all—but perhaps we need to give more serious thought to what it looks like to be faithful and fruitful during the collapse of American Christianity.
If you are like me and grew up in America you have been taught that we are special. America is talked about almost as though it’s God’s favorite nation. It’s reasonable to believe that because of the great revivals in America, and the hundreds of missionaries sent out from America, and all the justice and compassion organizations birthed in America. We have more Bible colleges and seminaries and churches and radio stations than any nation under the sun. We have had so much light.
“To those who are given much, much is expected”, Jesus taught. What have we done with all this light? We produce and consume more pornography than any other nation. We fuel the sex trafficking industry. We take the lives of millions of unborn children. We damage the environment I think as much as any other nation. Kids are killing kids. Our cities have become dangerous. We are constantly at war with one another over something. Drug and alcohol abuse is epidemic. Domestic abuse and sex crimes against children are becoming more common. Our prisons are overflowing. The practice of homosexuality is now almost completely embraced and is taught in schools. Marriage has lost its meaning and divorce is becoming more and more common. Or couples just indulge in sex before marriage. I could keep going.
America is proud and defiant. Why would we even expect God to send a revival on such a nation when the Bible says, “God opposes the proud”? What I’m getting at is that we need to learn how to flourish amidst decline. We need to learn to patiently endure when the idolatrous Christian construct goes up in flames. We need to learn how to stand firm when everything that can be shaken is shaken.
I see two ways that decline is happening. The first is the common abandonment of all things Christian. Most people, even those who had Christian-Catholic parents, are embracing the pop worldview that no one really knows anything for certain and we shouldn’t bother with religion but just focus on being good and happy.
The second decline—more deceptive than the first—is happening within the American Church. It is a gradual eroding of moral convictions regarding doctrine and lifestyle. In other words, there is an outward form of Christianity that is inwardly hollow—no intimacy with God, no zeal, no deep repentance, no passion, no obedience in the secret place, a distorted gospel, and so on. It’s Christian in name only but lacks Holy Spirit Power. And it is happening on a large scale! It has become normal.
None of this should surprise us at all because it was predicted by Jesus and other writers in the New Testament. We are living in the last hours—maybe minutes—of human history. The curtain is closing. So much prophecy has been fulfilled. Jesus warned that the love of most would grow cold. Scripture tells us many will turn away from the truth and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. The Word of God is emphatic that the world will not get better and better before Jesus returns but will become worse and worse.
I’m partly writing this to some of us who may be getting pulled away by various seductions. There is a war for your soul. It’s not a game. It’s actually a spiritual war. Satan prowls around seeking to devour (1 Peter 5). We are called to be sober and vigilant. We are called to encourage one another daily. We are called to patient endurance. This isn’t a time to drift. This is a time of testing. I believe when we come out of this pandemic there will be some who do not believe anymore and will drop out of the race. Others will come forth like gold out of the fire. Which will you be? Let’s make every effort to live holy, to stay near to God and to sacrifice whatever is needed in order to serve one another.