The Choice Ahead 

Churches must choose between compromise or following Jesus

Mainstream churches in the UK must have a death wish. Faced with increasing irrelevance and decline, they accept the inevitable and attempt to control their descent into meaningless unimportance. This is epitomised by the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The largest Protestant denomination in Britain, facing dwindling membership and an increasingly indifferent and sometimes hostile population, has chosen as its head not an evangelist, not a spiritual leader, nor someone with deep experience of the parish system and pastoral ministry, but a manager: someone with more experience in running an organisation than the priesthood. 

At a time when Christian people are looking for inspirational spiritual leadership, the Church has chosen someone who, judging by her New Year’s message, will continue along the same failed path of offering progressive bromides to a people needing uncomfortable truth. Ezekiel 33:1-20, with its warnings about silent watchmen, would be a useful suggestion for her reading list.

What they certainly don’t want is more of the same moral confusion they find in the world, only with a spiritual veneer.

The supposed Quiet Revival, whilst it has brought a number of young people to faith, is liable to have its gains squandered. In too many congregations seekers find, not the challenge they seek, but more of the same old bureaucratic flummery which confuses outward show with inner reality. These young people are looking for something which will confront them with a renewed life and draw them on to a radical reordering of their existence. What they certainly don’t want is more of the same moral confusion they find in the world, only with a spiritual veneer.

Today’s Church faces a crossroads; either we get serious with the challenges of the gospel, start preparing for a very different future, or we continue in the same old way. New believers or long-time pilgrims, the Church is confronted with a choice which will shape the future of the Church in the West.

More of The Same 

There is the prevalent mindset which thinks that if we Christians modify the claims of Christ, downplay the imperatives of the gospel and are careful not to give offence, then the world will accept us enough to give us a hearing. They won’t.

Jesus speaks quite clearly of the opposition of the world (John 15:18). Many in this category want the Christian worldview demolished and eventually eradicated. The decades of mainstream churches watering down the gospel and doing theological gymnastics to avoid the clear meaning of Scripture, especially concerning sexual ethics, have proved this. Instead of winning a hearing from unbelievers, it has resulted in the increasing worldliness and irrelevance of much of the Church. 

Instead of winning a hearing from unbelievers, it has resulted in the increasing worldliness and irrelevance of much of the Church. 

In Britain, there is more opposition to the gospel today than at any time since the late eighteenth century. We have a situation where street preachers face possible arrest. They may be found not guilty by the courts, but only after arrest, humiliation, interrogation and time in police cells. The process is the punishment. Silent Christian prayer is outlawed in certain streets of our nation, while, elsewhere in the very same towns and cities, Muslims can block streets and worship seemingly at will.

Live as though it's Real 

Whatever happens, those who are serious about their faith should start living as though they actually believe it is true. We must face the uncomfortable truth that being a follower of Christ can be, at times, distressing and disturbing. We are different; and trying to achieve a cultural consensus invariably results in Christians losing that difference and weakening their witness.

We must grasp the indisputable fact that biblical Christianity is offensive, not because it is horrid and hate-filled, but because it is true. This isn’t a set of beliefs we Christians dreamt up for ourselves; it is what God has laid down as parameters for His children’s lives. Living within those guidelines is the only way to find fulfilment and happiness.

Silent Christian prayer is outlawed in certain streets of our nation, while, elsewhere in the very same towns and cities, Muslims can block streets and worship seemingly at will.

Ultimately, to turn from God’s guidance for life is more than to do harm to ourselves. Rejection of what He has revealed is a rejection of God. And it is easy to see why He is rejected. John 3:19-20 casts this in terms of light and darkness; those who live in darkness fear the light because it exposes their deeds. Proclaiming God’s way is ultimately to condemn the way of the world, and the world doesn’t like this. Ultimately the world gets this a great deal better than many Christians.

The truth exposes the underlying rebellion which lies at the heart of all unbelief. The rebel does not want the Christian to be nicer; the rebel wants the Christian to be quiet about the claims of Christ. At the end of the day, they want the Christian to abandon the faith.

As we compromise and soften the claims of Christ, that is what we do, until all that is left is a hollow shell. Grand, even imposing, on the outside but inside a vacuum, all that makes it distinctive sucked out.

A Different Future 

We either get serious now or begin to prepare for a very different future. A future of smaller but more serious communities of Christians. Communities which may be gathered in one place or connected by the internet, but joined together in meaningful fellowship by shared prayer and burden bearing. Communities which are prepared to live without ecclesiastical imprimatur. Communities which live under pressure from the world, but accept that this is the price to be paid for following the Lord.

We should begin preparing now for this different future, for I fear that the bulk of the mainstream Church is unwilling to face today’s reality.

This is what is needed now: A deepening of relationships, with friendships developing into fellowships with sacrificial love for each other. A willingness to face the uncertain and walk into it with Christ. A willing acceptance of the contempt and enmity of the world which hasn’t been seen in this country for centuries. 

We should begin preparing now for this different future, for I fear that the bulk of the mainstream Church is unwilling to face today’s reality.

The Lordship of Christ makes demands of us which we would rather not face. But face them we must; this is our tomorrow.

^{Image by Gerd Altmann on pixabay.com}