Cultural shift occurs now more quickly than it ever has. Among the swings are attitudes toward faith, church, Bible, Jesus and sin. The new normal is tolerance of just about anything. This is a pluralistic culture that despises Christianity and any religion that speaks in opposition to abortion, homosexuality and gay marriage. Some social commentators maintain that Christianity is in recession. At least many mainline churches in this century are closing. Many fundamental and evangelical churches struggle to withstand shrinking attendance and incomes.
Canada is not a Christian nation. Many Americans still think USA is a Christian nation, but they are living in a bubble. The greatest percentage of citizens do not profess to be bible believing Christians or believe there is a hell or believe that sexual orientation matters to God. They do not know what the bible says about key issues. More concerning to me are evangelical churches, leaders and believers who have opted for a vanilla version of Christianity that accommodates to much of the shift that now characterizes the culture around them. This becomes a soft faith and a soft church with a no pressure approach to gospel and Christian life. It seems harmless but it's dangerous.
If that's what your church is doing, I don't blame you for walking in a different direction. The church for the 21st century should take steps to turn inward facing ministries outwards. That is, stop tending the same sheep who by now should be disciples who capably serve. It is justifiable for a church to contextualize the gospel by improving its décor, acquiring a quality website, making use of good technology. Most importantly, a determined choice must be made to let God's Word speak with the knowledge that God uses it to change people's lives. Don't make the message easier for people to swallow. God is greater than any culture so the church for the 21st century must boldly live out and talk out the good news that make the good news compelling.
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