Interestingly, I occasionally hear people blame this decline on our culture's hostility to the Church, citing things such as "removing prayer from schools." But even the most vocal advocates for America as a full-fledged, Christian nation would never argue that US Christians face the sort of hostility reported in the book of Acts. No one gets arrested for saying, "Jesus is Lord." In fact, state legislatures routinely invite local pastors to offer prayers, and pastors and Bibles are regular attendees at presidential inaugurations. So why is it that the Church in Acts is growing while so many American congregations are declining?
I think a clue may be found in the language used by many Christians to describe the situation. A great deal of angry words from Christians lament our loss of prominence and power in the society. Such language seems to think of power as something that can be bestowed or removed by the culture. But the power the Church displays in Acts is present despite all attempts of cultural authorities to stamp it out. Where is that sort of power in our churches today?
It is an interesting contrast. The Church of the First Century had no official powers, no legitimizing endorsements from the culture, but it was alive with divine power. The Church of our day is accustomed to walking the halls of cultural power, to being propped up and supported by the culture, but often we seem dead when it comes to spiritual power. And I'm pretty sure that no official, cultural, or societal power will be able to resuscitate us.
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It seems that persecution of Christians in America is too often defined, as you suggest, as a lack of political and cultural clout. I've also heard it reduced to something along the lines of "being laughed at," which is testimony to how poorly understood actual persecution is, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the American church isn't monolithic. For those who feel that they have lost power, the experiences of the so-called "underclasses" are either ignored or not defined as persecution for the sake of Christ.
By the way, I also am a Pastor James!
Thanks for the interesting comment, Pastor James.
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