Our Current Situation in America

The Bible and its teachings are routinely denied a public hearing in America. Many deny this, just like WWII Germans denied the holocaust was occurring.  They just turn away from the news items or the news media just doesn't report it, but it is happening almost daily. Worst of all is the denying of our children to know the Biblical truths that our nation was founded on by espousing the false doctrine of 'separation of church and state', which was foreign to our forefathers.

But, the greater tragedy is that the Church has also failed to transmit its foundational truths to its members and to its youth. It is "bored with the Word of God". According to the Barna Research Group only about 1/3 of American teenagers claim to be 'born again' believers. That represents a grim view for America's future by itself, but of that 33% only about 9% believe that there is such a concept as absolute truth. Slightly more than half of all teens believe that Jesus committed sins while he was on earth and about 2/3 believe Satan is just a symbol of evil, not really a living being. Only 6% of all teens believe there are moral absolutes.

 The Church has turned its children over to a secular school system teaching humanism as its basic philosophy and at the same time not given its teens any truth to combat it! Ron Luce of Teen Mania estimates the number of committed teen believers to be more like 4%, which is a 'free-fall' from the 87% they had after WWII. The New Testament describes believers as an army, but what would happen to the army's generals if they sent their troops into battle without proper weapons? That's exactly what the American Church is largely doing. Not content with giving our children to the world, the church is also giving its seminaries over to Islamic influence, training young men to be Imams.

Yet, most of the American Church is more concerned about numbers - therefore it must have feel-good sermons and lots of programs designed to interest it teens. After all they must keep the offerings flowing to pay for the extravagant edifices they call churches. There is seldom 'heard a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day' - even if they are! Its so-called worship sessions are more like a pep rally or a concert than a time of heart-felt repentance and thanksgiving.

There is seldom any proclamation of the foundations of Scriptural truth, such as sin will kill us. Most know that adultery is wrong but how many know the connection between divorce and adultery? Yet, 50% of the church is divorced! Lying is just as bad but, how many make room for little 'white lies'. Are the Christian businesses in the church honest? How much truth is given to our teens concerning creation versus evolution even though pure scientific knowledge weighs heavily on the creation side? How many in the church know the power of the blood of Jesus and how to use it? How many can exercise power over demons? Are these just historic concepts of a time long ago? Where in your church is there room for the Holy Spirit to move with His manifestations which are given to each one for the profit of all (1Cor. 12:7)? And if there is no moving of the Holy Spirit is there repentance and weeping at the altar?

God declares, "I am God and I change not"! That is absolute truth. Many churches are aiming at bigger numbers and there are many church growth programs floating around. But if you grow to a church of 2000 and only 6% really believe, you only have 120 believers! Jesus only cared for those the Father gave Him and that's all we can do. How do we overcome this dilemma we see in the American Church? Only by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us back to the truth.

For me, I have had enough of 'organizational' church. I have joined with several other families to meet for 'house' church. We are gleaning truth that the Holy Spirit is bringing from many sources. We have about half our number that are children and teens and we are paying attention to train them in the foundational truths of Christianity. At the same time we are learning to yield to the Holy Spirit and His moving. We are not perfect and have much to learn, but I am excited and expecting good things. We want to be prepared for what is coming. I recognize that the family is the basis for the church and if our families are not functioning as God intended, neither will the church.

While the situation in America is not good, God is not surprised and He has the answer waiting for all who will search for it.

Pastor Charles Cooley