I was just sitting here thinking who is responsible for the depraved state of christianity in this nation.
Must be Satan, or humanism, our lack of discernment, our sinful nature. So many more possibilities!
Also when did it all start to change! Then what and who changed, that has taken us to where we are today!
There are so many answers to this one that I don't think anyone will be able to hit the nail on the head. I guess we have to go back to pre-Christian times In Genesis 4 v7 God tells Cain...and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And it's desire is for you, but you should rule over it.
As Christians, washed in the blood of the Lamb and having the Holy Spirit, we really have no excuse to sin. If Cain did not, then why should we? However, satan isn't going to get away with being innocent. He isn't. The Bible calls him the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, Eph 2v2. And is he at work! As for the depraved state of Christianity, Christians are responsible in my eyes. Christianity is flourishing in China and Muslim countries, but almost dying in Western nations ( I live in England). So Chiristianty can flourish in the West. Which is why so many are desperate for revival. The Church needs to be revived.
Until we stop seeing prayer as a take it or leave it option, and see it as the very breath of our being, and eat the word of God and breath it out, and fast and seek the face of God, the downward spiral of Christianity will continue.
As I said, there isn't just one answer. Someone else will say something else. I've said enough. God bless.
I was just sitting here thinking who is responsible for the depraved state of christianity in this nation.
I think dry-eyed, prayerless Christians en masse are directly responsible for this. As the church goes, so the nation goes. Satan is held in check by the church; when saints stop praying to thwart his cause, everything goes downhill. Public schools are not riddled with violence, sex and drugs because evolution and humanistic principles are being taught. Schools, rather, are the way they are today because God was ruled out of them and morning prayers outlawed. And how could this happen? Because, in a much larger sense, the CHURCH was in a prayerless and apathetic state! I think the degradation of our society is but a direct reflection of the church's depravity.
As I said, there isn't just one answer. Someone else will say something else.
The Bible explains why a society deteriorates: The people no longer want God so he lets them go their own way.
"So I GAVE THEM OVER to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." Ps. 81:12
So he "GAVE THEM OVER to the sinful desires of their hearts."... "God GAVE THEM OVER to the shameful lusts..." Rom. 1:24
And yet:
Taking the "who done it", "who started it", or "who's fault is it?" approach doesn't tend to get us anywhere (something we learned back in our sand-box days). There is a better way - and that is to consider how we ourselves can influence our world for the better.
I remember being in a prayer room during a denominational conference several years ago. The Lord burdened me with the need for revival. So, I prayed, "Lord, we need revival here, and I want to be the first one in line."
At the time I hardly knew what I was talking about. But now I realize that the only person we are responsible for is ourselves. And the best gift we can give our world - our families, our churches, and society is to give ourselves to God.
Diane
I agree wholeheartedly Paul. the American Church is a shambles. I think it is because of the cheap Christianity that is taught in our churches. Generally speaking, most people are Christians in name only. I have found myself falling into that category, I am shamed to say.
Please Lord God, call Your People back to you, away from the distractions of this world! Forgive me for transgressing Your Name!
One of the posters mentioned the fact there are many answers to this question. I agree.
Many would say prosperity is a cause for the decline in Christian spirituality in the western world. This trend is nothing new. The Jews faced it when they entered the Promised Land. God warned them: Deut. 6: 10-12:
10: And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11: And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12: Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Human nature has not changed any since then. You see when people have ALL the needs and wants supplied they feel no need for God. Have you never been tempted in this way? I have.
Another thing I have witnessed in my own denomination is when "Hellfire and Brimstone" preaching was being replaced by a self-centered gospel - a "God exists to make us happy" theology. In this theology people will discard Biblical truth which they deem to be unnecessary for moderns. In other words, moderns are guilty of violation of the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me." People have displaced God's word for one of their own making. When this happens, what else can you expect?
This is my two cents worth...
ginnyrose
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