"The Coming Evangelical Crisis" - A Response

Michael Spencer writes:

"Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the "Protestant" 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.

This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.

Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I'm convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close."

I don't doubt any of this will come to pass. We can easily already start to see it happening. But I have to humbly ask: Who cares?

I wrote this a few months ago and I think it completely applies to the above comments.

"How easily we forget church history to our own detriment.

May we keep in mind that Christianity emerged under the hand of the Roman Empire which at that time was the most ruthless force of bloody domination the world had ever seen. What is even more remarkable is that contrary to Roman will, amid these odds defying circumstances, Christianity became the most explosive religious movement the world had ever seen.

The mere fact that Christianity exists is a miracle of God. Our culture is dark, yes, but I am still full of faith for Christianity to continue well in the future."

Mr. Spencer is not being alarmist here. If you read his whole piece to the end you will see that he doesn't think the sky is falling for Christianity.

It's important to remember that when Christianity has been persecuted in the past (and in other parts of the world today) it tends to purify and flourish. I think we will see that in the days ahead. So let's press on and speak the gospel and demonstrate the gospel through acts of love. Let's fight for justice, but not be the least bit surprised when this pursuit leads to greater and great persecution and less and less of institutional Christianity. Institutions and the political power they represent will come and go. Church history clearly tells us this will be the case, but the Church will continue regardless.

Practically speaking, if Mr. Spencer's predictions all come true I don't think it needs to affect us in the least. If you love the gospel and take seriously the call of evangelism, just keep doing what you're doing and we'll be ok.

Matthew 16:18 - "...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."