The church of the present and the future must be a wartime church. The days of peace are over, whether you want them to be or not. Prepare.
Rod Dreher warns us of what is coming
The points Dreher makes are more the case for the Church in the West but if those of us in other parts of the world think that the battle is not ours to fight, we are rather deluded. We all - the body of Christ - need to prepare for war always remembering of course that He will win every battle.
If the church largely neglects the task of dominion and the development of truly Christian forms of power and mission in the wider society and mostly focuses on the internal concerns of its communities, it is unlikely that it will be a place that produces mature Christian manliness.
For more on this read Alistair Roberts' excellent piece
We're living through a crisis of faith, love, and hope. The coronavirus didn't create the crisis, but it has shone a spotlight on it and made it worse.
Healthy societies thrive when guided by recognized, trusted authorities. Whom do we trust? Science? Have you seen the models? Bureaucrats? The media? Experts? Institutions of higher education? Sports heroes or celebrities? Politicians? You're joking! Try to think of any authority recognized and respected by everyone?
With no common objects of trust, it's no surprise we're divided. Some of us trust some experts, others trust other experts. Some watch CNN and read the New York Times; others watch Fox and read Breitbart. More than anything, we're united by our cynical distrust.
Scattered like sheep without a shepherd, we lose hope. Will the centre hold? Will things ever return to "normal"? Hopelessness is dangerous, as we're tempted to latch onto the first person who tells us he can lead us to green pastures.
This leaves the church with an immense mission challenge and mission opportunity: To be truthful and trustworthy so as to gain trust, to love without hypocrisy, to hope against hope as we serve the God who raises the dead
Are we up for it? I don't know. I pray we will be.
Slightly adapted from Theopolis
“Remember, there is no way to avoid walking this road. It will either lead us to God, or to condemnation. It’s the same road, but the destination at the end depends on us.”From Rod Dreher which even though it is a few months old is spot on.
