The decline of the church – The decline of a nation.
The decline of the Church – The decline of a nation
I wasn’t sure how to begin this blog; I have so much on my mind and within my heart. So I decided to begin by commenting on what is happening to our country today (Current events). Up until the last twenty-some-odd years I never really paid much attention to what was going on in our government or our country. My focus was on me and my little world. But as I have grown older, I can reflect back and see the changes that have occurred.
When we are younger we don’t have a good personal reference point regarding our knowledge of history and the changes that have occurred within our nation and the world. Other than what we learn in school, we are dependent upon other people’s views and experiences as we begin forming our views. So, we tend to accept things as being the norm when in fact they are far from that. This is especially true regarding what is happening to our country today.
Divided We Will Fall
It really concerns me how divided we are as a nation. There are evil forces hard at work trying to divide in every way possible. If it’s not politics it’s by race, it’s by some sort of gender equality or religious beliefs. We have to take a step back and ask ourselves why. Why so much division? Why so much hatred? What is happening to our country?
Many people tend to pick one of the above-mentioned areas and focus their attention on that particular subject or belief. But let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. It is all aimed at division and chaos. Could all of these people be connected somehow? Doubtful at best. But why then? Why is all of this happening within our country?
There have always been people living together in this country who each have different beliefs, goals, and aspirations. That’s people. The beauty of our free nation is that we can all exist together. We may not all agree on everything but we can still have conversations and relationships. I wouldn’t want a nation where everyone was of the same belief as me. That diversity is what has made our nation the greatest nation on this planet. But what has changed? Something is definitely different and it’s getting worse.
What Will It Take To Bring Us Together?
Today, church attendance is at all-time lows when you factor in per capita and population growth numbers. This is especially true for the 18-35 age group. COVID-19 was especially destructive to overall church attendance as well, but this decline began way before that. The last time we had church growth as a nation was just after 9/11 when the nation was brought to its knees by terrorists. However, that quickly faded almost as fast as it began and life returned to “normal”.
Why does it take a tragedy to bring us together? What happens inside of us at that instant that allows us to put our differences aside and help one another, to care for one another with love and compassion? Today, we are bombarded with the tragedies of the world every day on our news feeds making us somewhat numb to the horrors and loss of life. If it isn’t in our “backyard” we just keep scrolling, indifferent as long as we are unaffected. When it does, and it will begin happening in our own country, who and where will we turn to?