12 Reasons Why We Need Godly Men More Than Ever
by on Oct 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am
#4 - Being a Christian in America Is Getting Harder
Maybe I am just alone or crazy, but the longer I live the more I think that times are changing in an irreversible way. The comforts and assumptions of former generations do not seem like they are going to work as well for us. I grew up being told by my parents and grandparents that I should get a bachelor’s degree and work for a company until I retired with good benefits and the promise of a nice Social Security Check. In the meantime, I could put money in a savings account to earn good interest or place it in the stock market and enjoy 10% returns for 40 years.
Yet, a bachelor’s degree earns a person very little in today’s market, which means that more schooling is necessary to feed a family (a.k.a. 4-8 more years of school debt with little to no income). Most companies do not keep you for 35 years, and even fewer let you leave with a strong benefits package. The interest on a savings account is a joke, and the stock market plunged 40% the year I invested 50% of my savings with little hope for a sustained return of 10% over the next 40 years. Oh, and do I even need to mention the useless notion of depending on Social Security to be waiting for me in 2045?
The religious values of American society are also changing, and we cannot expect to live under the same religious conditions as our predecessors. Christianity is no longer respected as in times past. Where it was once encouraged, it became accepted, then tolerated, and now it is despised. Based on that trajectory, the next step is to go from passive disdain to active hatred.
As a Bible-believing, creationist who believes that men are biblically charged with headship in the family and church, and that homosexuality is as unbiblical as any other form of sex outside of heterosexual marriage, I sometimes get the feeling that I fit in better in a different century. I also feel a growing tension that is tempting me to either keep quiet about my faith in order to maintain respectability or vocalize my trust in Jesus at the risk of future stability. Again, maybe I’m alone in thinking this way, but I have the sneaky suspicion that others are noticing how the rules of the culture game are changing.
If the current trajectory of our culture’s posture toward Christianity continues, believers will eventually face some choices that will have serious ramifications for their physical and financial well-being. The era of having our cake and eating it too is evaporating, and this can either lead to American Christianity’s most embarrassing chapter or its finest hour.
If we are not serious now about growing into spiritually strong men of God we will certainly crumble when those hours of decision arrive. The days of easy believe-ism is drawing to a close, and instead of fearing it I am actually thinking that it could be good for those of us who think that being made fun of on television constitutes intense persecution.
One positive aspect of the intensifying disdain of Christianity is that such cultural pressure will kill the motives that some people use in order to sustain their form of casual Christianity. The level of serious commitment could skyrocket in churches throughout the country, shaking off the corrosive remains of apathy and passivity.
Another opportunity for believers who face personal loss as the cost of their faithfulness is that our lives will become more focused. Spiritual clarity could be restored. The simplest and most intense spiritual moments in my life all revolved around tremendous crises. If you have ever experienced a personal brush with death or have walked through a serious situation with a loved one you can identify with the way that these events remind us of what matters most in life. A brief moment of clarity is given to us, and persecution has this effect in a spiritual way. We have to live by faith, and the daily provision of grace and strength that the Lord provides His people in these situations begins to mean much more than what we used to clamor to own.
The church cannot thrive in the midst of times of rejection or persecution if there are not men of God who are strong in the Spirit. I am talking about men who will have the strength to endure physical, mental, and emotional pains without compromising their faith or confidence in Christ Jesus. This type of strength is Spirit-given, but the Spirit also works through those who have made themselves ready for His empowerment. So, we need to be readying ourselves now, doing a gut-check, to see if following Christ is a serious matter to us.
On the other hand, my interpretation of the spiritual trajectory of our culture could be completely wrong. Revival may break out, and the loss of respect and fear for God could be restored. I would rejoice tremendously at this change, and I have given the greater portion of my life to invest in Christians so that this revival can happen. However, cultural revivals also demand men who will live with the singular vision of doing God’s will at whatever cost. Therefore, whether Christianity is loved or hated in the future of this country, the need for men of God is elemental.