Don't Despair
Editorial by Justin Nash
Are we really losing? Is the church really doomed? I don’t think so. So, don’t despair.
Is the church dying? Is Christianity going the way of the dinosaurs? If you listen to media pundits in the popular culture and the prophets of woe in the church, you might think so.
Yes, there have been significant declines in church attendance, and fewer and fewer people are identifying with any religion at all. Culture continues to decry and vilify biblical convictions, while, at the same time, it celebrates and promotes ungodly systems of belief and behavior.
Almost daily we are battered with news of enemy advance and increasing losses on our side. If this was a war, our side looks like it is on the verge of surrender. We can easily get discouraged when we see the church shrinking and her influence waning. But are we really losing? Is the church really doomed? I don’t think so. So, don’t despair. Instead, we need to do three things.
Remember our history
We are used to being the dominant worldview and religion in the nation. Most of us in America have enjoyed religious freedom and a favored status for Christianity, and we just expect it is supposed to be that way. That hasn’t always been the case for the church. Christianity has operated as a persecuted and marginalized faith for much of its history. Yet, it is in its times of greatest persecution that God has seen fit to advance and strengthen his church. Maybe the church in America will face significant persecution in the near future. Maybe that will be a good thing as God uses it as a time to revive and renew his people as he has done throughout history.
Keep a global vision
Christianity may indeed be on the decline in North America, but we aren’t the only Christians in the world. The kingdom of God is comprised of people from every tribe, tongue and nation. The faith is declining in the formerly Christian nations of western Europe and North America, but it is exploding and growing exponentially in the global south. The growth of God’s kingdom is exponential in Africa, Asia, and even in places like Iran. Jesus promised he would build his church, and he is doing so with vigor in other parts of the world. The church is growing, not shrinking.
Play the long game
We are fairly short-sighted as finite creatures. We don’t see the beginning from the end and we have a tendency to see everything in terms of its immediate impact. We might see how things today will affect things tomorrow, but we have no idea how they will affect things 100 or 1,000 years from now. We simply cannot see what God is doing. Perhaps this is a time of discipline for the church in America. Maybe he is pruning for greater fruitfulness in the future. While we don’t know what God is doing, hope and faithfulness planted in the face of decline and despair may bring forth a great harvest that we will never see. God wins in the end. He has a plan that will not fail. We can rest and rejoice in that regardless of what we endure now.
And remember the outcome is already decided
The church of Jesus Christ is not in decline. She is advancing with all the power and authority of her king. We need not despair. Regardless of our current situation, victory is assured. That was decided before the foundation of the world. So, when you are given to feeling defeated or discouraged about the state of the church, remember your history, develop a global vision and take a long view of things. Hope is sure to follow.
Justin Nash, “Don’t Despair,‘” The Advent Christian Witness, Summer 2022