the downgrade of the western church

many people have compared the united states to the roman empire, and there are those who support as well as disagree with that theory.  however, one comparison that has been largely overlooked is the comparison of the organization of the church with that of the roman empire.  in the early days of the church, people met in homes in secrecy, for fear of the government and persecution.  then, upon the emperor constantine's conversion to CHRISTianity, the church got thrust from the shadows into the light and placed in a position of prominence.  while this was seen as a welcome change to many in the church of that day, it became a chink in the armor of the church as corruption infiltrated the church by those entering the clergy with a lust for power instead of a desire to follow the CHRIST of the church.  it became a social institution used for political gain, and the ethics and morals that were hallmarks of the church were replaced with greed and tyranny.

fast forward to the founding of the united states.  the founders of our country fled religious persecution to come to a country where they were free to worship CHRIST in the manner they felt was biblical.  the church experienced a revival, only to find herself subject to the ebb and flow of societal popularity, but for the most part remaining a personal aspect of the individual rather than the collective.  in post ww2, there was a heightened sense of national pride, and consumerism experienced a significant flux as the baby boomer generation burst onto the scene, and the economy shot through the roof.  it was then that a return to the church arose, and church got thrust out of the individual homes and into the public spotlight and a place of prominence.  church membership became synonymous with national pride and americana, and the consumer culture that pervade society made it's way into the church.  church became a commodity, a place to network, and a mark of a person's patriotism and societal standing.  while many baby boomers today look back to what they refer to as the "golden age" of the church and the "good ole days", the 1950s was a great boost to the church as an organization, but was one of the great detriments to the church as a biblical entity.

as the 1950s lingered on, the spiritual depth of the church became shallower and shallower, with CHRISTianity becoming replaced by a religion of morality.  This left the children of the 1950s generation disillusioned with the politics and the superficiality of their parents, resulting in the rebellion of the 1960s against everything having to do with the church and the religious moralism modeled by the previous generation.  there were slight returns to biblical CHRISTianity, but the consumer CHRISTianity that was germinated in the 1950s had taken root, and every return to biblical CHRISTianity was preyed upon by the consumer culture, like a leech sucking off of its host, but never killing it.  this cancer of consumer CHRISTianity has affected the church, and not in a good way.  the church has become a religious country club, where the command of "go" given by CHRIST has been replaced with post-modern tribalism, with church members hiding behind their million-dollar church walls and denominational signs, isolating themselves from a decadent society, but not out of a sense of fear and survival, but rather out of a need to not be bothered or taken out of their comfort zone.  this shallow version of CHRISTianity has led to a replacement of biblical principles with political correctness and a denial of the promise of CHRIST that His followers will suffer for His Name's sake.  we are told by pastors such as joel osteen that our life in CHRIST should be a dream life with God as our own personal genie, waiting to grant our every wish.  we are told by pastors like rob bell that we should ignore biblical definitions of sin in the name of love and acceptance.

in the midst of this bleak outlook, there is hope.  CHRIST founded the church, and promised that she would endure until the end.  however, the biblical church, which is made up of people, and not bricks and mortar, will carry on in a far different way than what we have seen of the church as an organization in the past half-century.  the church as an organization will carry on, but i believe it will fundamentally change to reflect the societal shifts and political pressures being placed upon it.  there is still big money to be made utilizing the CHRISTian name, and as long as there is money to be made, there will be a need for the organization to exist.  but i foresee the biblical church having to go back into the shadows in a future of increasing persecution.  the good news about this is that the biblical church has always thrived under intense persecution, and the church has always grown historically during those times.  but it is a qualitative growth vice a quantitative growth.  more time is spent actually making disciples and not converts, and the original model presented by CHRIST for the church prevails.  this happens all over the world on a daily basis, and the church thrives in those countries where persecution is heaviest.  the question CHRISTians in the united states must answer is what are we willing to endure for the sake of CHRIST?  because i have a feeling that in the not too far future we will see who is willing, and who is merely giving lip service.