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What is a true Southern Baptist? Could someone who denies most of the major views held by Southern Baptists at their founding (in 1845) be considered a true Southern Baptist?

This article will examine some of the those major doctrines that were most common at the time of the SBC’s founding and compare them to views held by modern Southern Baptists.

Click here for the article: What-is-a-True-Southern-Baptist?  

The Bible says that in order to go from an unbeliever to a Christian, one must be “born again.” When a person is born again, they begin a new life in Christ. 

There’s nothing wrong with being a “babe in Christ” soon after the new birth. There is something wrong with being a “babe in Christ” decades into your new life in Christ.

Likewise, there’s nothing wrong with being a kindergarten-level Christian for a time; there is something wrong with being a kindergarten-level Christian your whole life.

There is a brand of Christianity called “Calvinism.” Calvinism generally refers to a particular view of how a person becomes born again. Really, Calvinism is simply a nickname for “Protestant.” All of the Protestant Reformers had Calvinistic views of salvation. 

Even before John Calvin, Martin Luther (the first “Protestant”) had a Calvinistic view of salvation. In fact, the doctrine of salvation was one of the main doctrines over which the Protestants broke with the Roman Catholic Church. You really aren’t a Protestant if you don’t have the view of salvation that Martin Luther and John Calvin held to. 

Unfortunately, there are many today (in fact, the majority) who call themselves Protestants who are actually quite opposed and even hostile toward Calvinism. The doctrine of salvation is such an important and foundational doctrine, and yet even among Protestants there’s much disagreement over the Protestant view of salvation!

Because of the difficulty surrounding this issue, one might think that the doctrine of salvation would fall into the “college-level” category. In fact, many Calvinists today will stick out their chests and look down on their fellow Christians who haven’t reached their level of doctrinal maturity. But do Calvinists really have bragging rights over their brothers with different views?

While I would affirm the traditional Protestant view of salvation, I would also be quick to note that just being a “Calvinist” doesn’t make you a mature Christian. 

Again, salvation is an extremely important and foundational issue. But salvation is only the first step in the Christian life. Taking your first step as a baby was an important milestone in your life, but hopefully, you didn’t stop there.

To use another analogy (borrowed from R. J. Rushdoony), salvation is like the alphabet. In order to engage in higher learning, like going to college, you need the alphabet. You can’t read or write without it. And yet, if a college student spends most of his time reciting his ABC’s, you’d think something was wrong with him.

So it is with salvation. Yes, we need to be constantly thankful to God for saving us. Yes, we need to be eager about telling others how to be saved. Yes, salvation is what makes everything else in the Christian life possible. 

But if we focus on the doctrine of salvation to the point that we are minimizing the other hundreds of doctrines in Scripture, we are not mature Christians.

Of course, it’s not only Calvinists who do this. Many, if not most, Arminian churches today are constantly preaching about salvation from their pulpits on Sunday mornings. Members in these churches never mature beyond preschool Christianity. But Calvinist churches are often guilty of the same thing. They may be a little past the preschool level, but not by much.

Did you know that kindergarten Calvinists are actually mentioned in the Bible? In Hebrews 5:12-6:3, the author says that the Hebrew Christians were not maturing as fast as they should have been (5:12-14). They were considered “unskilled” and “babes,” and those aren’t meant to be  compliments!

So, what was the evidence that these believers were immature? They weren’t progressing past the “elementary principles of Christ.” They were stuck on the basics, they were laying the “foundation” over and over. And what were these foundational issues? Hebrews 6:1-2 tells us those doctrines being taught over and over were things pertaining to: 

“…repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (NKJV).

In other words, things pertaining to our salvation!

Many Calvinist preachers seem to think they’re really an elite preacher if the most common themes of their sermons have something to do with the Five Points of Calvinism.

Interestingly enough, Jesus seemed to suggest there was another  topic that would mark a teacher as being “great in the kingdom of heaven.” That topic was God’s law/commands (see Matt. 5:17-19). God’s commands pertain to economics, education, government, law, charity, family, and everything else under the sun. 

Furthermore, the Great Commission is to teach the nations “to observe all things” Jesus has commanded (Matt. 28:20). As important as teaching the doctrine of salvation is, that in itself is nowhere near adequate for fulfilling Jesus’ plan for the nations.

So, are you a Calvinist (or Arminian for that matter) who thinks maturity is gauged by how much you talk about Calvinism? At the risk of sounding too harsh, please, grow up!

Pragmatism is the view that we can determine if something is right or wrong, good or bad, true or false, by whether or not that thing produces the results we desire. In other words, if it “works,” it’s true and good; if it doesn’t “work,” it’s false and bad.

In church circles, pragmatism is the idea that God is pleased with whatever methods we use, as long they get the desired result (getting people “saved,” growing your church, etc).

A verse that speaks to the idea of pragmatism is 2 Cor. 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Pragmatism is the opposite of this verse; it’s walking by sight instead of faith. It’s trusting your finite mind to accurately perceive your circumstances over and above trusting Scripture.

Today (and for almost 200 years), American Christians have thought that man-made programs which draw people to their church by using sports, games, junk food, and entertainment are good and necessary. However, the Bible gives us no such command to do these things. Things like sports, entertainment, etc, may be fine in and of themselves (in moderation), but they are not how God has told us to evangelize. And yet, in the eyes of many, they “work,” they produce the desired results, and therefore, are good and necessary.

But again, the Bible tells us not to trust our perception of our circumstances unless we are looking with eyes of faith. Eyes of faith will trust in what God has said (the Bible), over and above what appears to “work.”

Sin came into the world because of someone trusting their perception of a situation over and above what God had said. In Genesis 3:6, Eve “saw” that the fruit of the forbidden tree was “good for food,” and good “for making one wise.” That is what her reasoning told her.

God, however, had told her not to eat from that tree, and that doing so would bring about her destruction (Gen. 3:2-3). It seemed to her that going against what God had said would bring the desired result, but it didn’t work.

Or, did it?

Eve was expecting to have her “eyes opened” by eating the fruit (Gen. 3:5). She got what she wanted! Her eyes were opened (Gen. 3:7).

Eve’s pragmatism worked, but there were consequences.

There is also an account in Jeremiah where the people perceived that their troubles started when they stopped worshiping the queen of heaven. The pragmatism of the Israelites caused them to think that their worshiping of false gods “worked,” and that doing what God had said didn’t work (see Jer. 44:15-23). Their idolatry seemed to give them the results they wanted.

But really, this should not surprise us; the rest of the Bible tells us pragmatism does work – for a time. The Israelites in Jeremiah’s day were prospering even with their unbiblical practices. But only for a time.

We again see this principle in Isaiah 17:10-11. Here we see the people of Israel ignoring God. And yet, their rebellion brings success; their metaphorical “plants” grow just as they wanted. Their plans worked – for a time. But in the long run, their “pleasant plants” turned into a harvest that was a “heap of ruins” (v. 11)

A more famous passage that conveys this same truth is found in Matthew 7:24-27. Two men are described: one who listens to what Jesus (God) has said, and the other who does not. Both men have a plan to build a house, and both of them succeed. Even the man who ignored Jesus’ words was able to build the house he wanted. His plans worked – for a time. In the long run, however, his house came crashing down. But the other man, who built on the rock of God’s word – his house stood firm.

In Galatians 6:7-9 we read about the principle of sowing and reaping. The interesting thing about this principle is that you never reap what you have sown the moment after you sow it. It takes time for the good seed to produce a good harvest; and it takes time for the bad seed to produce a bad harvest.

Why did God order the world this way? Why didn’t He make it so we immediately reap what we sow? I don’t know, but I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that He desires us to have faith, to trust His word even when it seems like some other way would work better.

As you look at the American church, the man-made, pragmatic methods of church practice have been around a long time (as I said, about 200 years). For a time, it sure seemed like those methods were producing good results, but in the long run, pragmatism doesn’t work.

The disaster that is the American church was caused by many things, but one of the major contributors to our demise is pragmatism. It seemed to have worked for a time, but now we are experiencing the crash of the house that pragmatism built.

Suppose you were the owner of a pro-football team. Now let’s say that you have had the same coaches for 50 years. These coaches have employed the same game plan for these same 50 years, and have a record of 13 wins and 787 losses. This year, their contracts are up for renewal. What do you do? Of course, if you’ve had them for that long, there may be some sentimental reasons for keeping them. But, if you’re looking out for the best interests of the team, the answer is pretty obvious.

In modern American Christianity, who are our leaders (coaches)? I’m not going to name any names, but think for a moment. Which authors write the “best-sellers”? Which preachers are popular enough to make it onto the local radio station? Which ones get a spot on TV? Who have been the most popular “conservative evangelicals” for the last 50 years? These are our coaches, and while we’ve had some “wins” over the years, we’ve had a lot more losses.

In virtually every statistic I’ve ever seen, the general trends for the American family, church and civil government over the last 100 years have been going in the wrong direction. Talk to any Christian who is over 70 years old and they will tell you that Christianity in the U.S. has seen better days. But again, I ask: “Who were the ‘conservative’ church leaders who were/are the most popular today and over the last few generations?” They certainly haven’t been leading us to victory. It’s time to fire the coaches.

You have every right to be suspicious of someone who is telling you to leave mainstream American Christianity. Pseudo-Christian cults also try to convince those in our churches to leave “traditional” Christianity, and follow their brand of “Christianity.” However, I’m not suggesting that you stop adhering to mainstream Christianity, I’m suggesting that you stop adhering to Modern Mainstream Christianity.

If our most popular conservative evangelical preachers, Bible teachers, and theologians are leading us to loser status, then who should be our coaches? The answer is fairly simple. Go back to those coaches who were leading at the time when Christianity flourished.

In order to know how America became a Christian nation, you can’t just go back to the year 1776, you must go back a few generations before that. The generation that fought our War for Independence didn’t spring up out of nowhere. There were many prior generations that slowly and steadily built a Christian civilization.

The 1500’s was the century of reformation in Europe. We now refer to this work of God as The Reformation. For ages, the church had rejected the idea that God’s word was the authority by which every doctrine and church practice should be judged. The Reformers went back to Scripture to reform, not just the church, but every area of life.

When the Reformation came to England, there arose some Christians who were eventually called Puritans. These Puritans took the doctrines of the Reformers and refined them even further. Remember, the Reformers were the first generation in a while to seek to conform all things to God’s word. And while they made great strides, at times they didn’t reform far enough. The Puritans built on the work of the Reformers.

In the 1600’s, many Puritans, and other Christians with “Puritanical” beliefs and practices, began to migrate to the New World (America). In America, they found the freedom they needed to worship God according to the Scriptures and build a Christian civilization.

Many historians believe that the War for Independence was made possible by a great revival in the 1700’s, known as The Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was led by preachers and theologians who learned their theology by reading books written by the Reformers and the Puritans. Much of our Founders’ view of government comes from the writings of the Reformers and the Puritans as well.

This Reformed/Puritanical type of Christianity is what built America. Those who preached it and lived it were the ones who (by God’s grace) caused Christianity to flourish. These were the coaches who had winning records. Was it easy for them? No, they had plenty of opposition. Were they perfect? Of course not. But if “Ye shall know them by their fruit,” then aren’t we forced to conclude that those who held to a Puritanical type of Christianity were far superior to the average modern Christian and the celebrity preachers they listen to?

We need to go back to our roots. That doesn’t mean just learning about the events of 1776. We need to relearn the beliefs and practices that were the most common in the generations leading up to 1776. We need to learn what the average Christian in those days believed about theology, the family, the church, the civil government, and everything else. Of course, if their views don’t line up with Scripture, we should believe the Bible, not them. But I think you’ll find that those from the Reformation and Puritan eras not only knew their Bibles better than most Christians today, but also had a higher view of Scripture as well.

Yes, I know, it will be hard to say goodbye to your favorite modern celebrity preachers. But if you want to see our team win again, it must be done. We must learn from the winners of days gone by. Or, at the very least, learn from those few modern preachers who have learned from the old guys.

Some coaches worth knowing include:

Reformers: Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Pierre Viret, etc.

Puritanical Christians: William Perkins, John Owen, John Cotton, John Gill, Matthew Henry, Samuel Rutherford, William Gouge, etc.

Great Awakening preachers: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Samuel Davies, etc.

A few others from a little later: Charles H. Spurgeon, John L. Dagg, Robert L. Dabney, Charles Hodge, etc.

What are you supposed to do with your life? Do you need to go to college to fulfill that purpose? The answer to that last question is, maybe.

What are you supposed to do with your life? Since God does have different purposes for different people, I can’t give you a precise answer. I can, however, tell you some general things that the Bible says are God’s purposes for most of humanity.

First, however, let’s look at how a college education fits into the world’s version of life purpose. When we are young, we are told that we must study hard and get good grades. Why do we need to get good grades? So that we can go to college. Why do we need to go to college? So that we can get a high paying job. Why do we need a high paying job? So that we can afford to send our children to college; so that they can have a high paying job; so that they can send their children to college, and on, and on it goes. This has been called “hell’s hamster wheel” and I think it’s time we got off. 

Let’s look now at life purpose from a biblical perspective. First and foremost, we were created to glorify, love, and obey God. Is going to college necessary to fulfill this purpose? While it is true that people can glorify, love, and obey God in college, that doesn’t mean that it is necessary to go to college in order to do those things. In fact, it could be argued that for most, the college experience can hinder or, in some cases, even destroy one’s walk with the Lord. Of course, there are exceptions, but often college life leads to more sinning rather than more godliness.

In addition to the life purpose of glorifying, loving, and obeying God (that everyone is commanded to fulfill), there are other life purposes that most are to fulfill. One major aspect of life purpose is the building of strong families. When God created Adam and Eve, He told them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). Though it isn’t explicitly stated here, this command implies getting married first. The rest of Gen. 1:28 says “fill the earth, subdue it, and have dominion.” This command implies home-discipleship. This command couldn’t be fulfilled by Adam and Eve alone, in one generation. It implies that they would have to teach their children how to live out this command. So, a major life purpose for most people is to get married, have lots of children, and teach them how to live out God’s word.

Is it necessary to go to college in order to fulfill this purpose? While some do find their future spouse in college, you don’t have to go to college to be married. Here again, going to college can be a hindrance to this aspect of life purpose. The college scene, with its “hook-up” culture, rampant pornography, and general lack of accountability, doesn’t do much to help prepare young men and women for a healthy, monogamous marriage. Not only are college students influenced by their peers, but the classes they attend don’t help much either. Even if the professors aren’t blatantly degrading the family (though many do), it is doubtful that any are promoting a biblical view of family.

Can people who go to college have healthy families? Of course, I know some personally. But that doesn’t mean that college is necessary, or even helpful for biblical family life.

Another major aspect of life purpose is that God has created us to be involved in some sort of productive labor. For Adam, that involved working in the garden (Gen. 2:15), and being paid for his work (in fruit, Gen.2:16). Ah-ha! This, you say, is why we must go to college: to get a high paying job.

But again, is it really necessary to go to college to make a living? Just because you can get a good job after getting a degree, doesn’t mean that you have to go college to get one, or that going to college guarantees you a paycheck. Many college students (close to half, last I heard) can’t find full-time employment after graduating, and a majority end up in a career other than the one they went to school for.

Furthermore, as many rich people will tell you, schools (including college) don’t usually teach you how to handle money, and how to make it work for you. Not to mention that many leave college buried in debt (also not good for family life). The fact is, you don’t need to go to college to become wealthy. In an article by Chad Roach in Generations magazine, he writes about studying Forbes’ chart of the world’s top billionaires. Of the top 15, only four had graduated from college; six were college dropouts, and one didn’t even finish high school.

So then, is it wrong to go to college? Not necessarily. In fact, if you feel called to certain professions like law or medicine, you might not have a choice. But for many people, going to college isn’t really necessary and can even be detrimental. Unfortunately, most go to college simply because that’s what society has told us we must do if we want to amount to anything.

The idea of college doesn’t come from the Bible. In fact, it was developed by pagans. The biblical model of education is one of hands-on, relational discipleship, similar to what we might call an apprenticeship or mentorship model. As the colleges become more and more expensive, more and more godless, and less and less effective at producing thinking, functioning people, we Christians need to start moving back to a more biblical model of education (at all levels, not just college).

We are not called to blindly do what the rest of the world does. In many, if not most cases, Christians can fulfill their God-given life purpose without throwing away their time, money, and morals at the local college.

The first four articles of 2017 are meant to get you thinking about seven different areas of our lives, our families, our churches, and our civil governments that could be changed or improved upon (rebuilt) in 2017.

Right now in our nation, individuals, families, churches and civil governments are all doing poorly in terms of obedience to God’s word. So, starting at the individual level, here are seven suggestions of ways to improve your life. Not so that you can have your best life now, but so that you can (if God so wills) be used in the advancing of His kingdom.

God gives every individual person certain skills and interests that He doesn’t necessarily give to everyone else. However, there are certain things that every Christian should either be doing, or know something about. These seven suggestions don’t include everything that God would have you do in life; they are just a few ideas that I would suggest to any Christian who wants to live an effective life for the Lord.

1. Pray. Every Christian knows that prayer is an essential part of the Christian life, but few in our day do very much of it. If you want know how bad your prayer life is, just read about the prayer lives of great men and women of God from centuries ago.

I don’t believe that our prayers cause God to work. If they did, that would mean that we can control God, thus making us sovereign rather than Him. However, when God wants to do a great work, He will motivate His people to pray. The fact that so many modern Christians (myself included) don’t pray as they ought is a clear sign that revival has yet to begin in our land (at least on a large scale).

2. Read and study the Bible. If you think that most Christians are already doing this, you are sadly mistaken. While many Christians do read their Bibles, most don’t read very much, and very few Christians in America study it. I mean very few. Modern American Christians are some of the most biblically illiterate Christians in history. I’m not just talking about those who claim the name of Christ but only go to church on Christmas and Easter. The average Bible College/seminary-trained pastor in America today knows less of the Scriptures than the average 13 year-old did in colonial America. Yes, we have been that dumbed down.

How do you know if you are reading the Bible or studying it? If you are not looking up verses and taking notes, you aren’t studying.

3. Read books on theology. Many Christians think that only pastors and seminary professors need to read books on theology. Not true. While not everyone has to read 1,000 page Systematic Theology books, there are certain theological concepts that every Christian should know.

When I say to read books about theology, I’m not talking about reading books from the “Christian Living” section of the bookstore, but books that introduce you to various theological topics or controversies. Thankfully, there are many different books on a wide variety of theological topics that are written at a layperson’s level. I would also suggest reading books from different doctrinal perspectives than the ones you hold to now. Even if they don’t change your mind, they will force you to consider another perspective. If you have trouble reading, learn to read well, but until you become proficient with reading, there are many podcasts on the internet that you can listen to.

4. Study history. Learning history is one of the most important things you can do. Societies that don’t know history end up dying. Societies that don’t know history are made up of people who don’t know history. Our society is dying. Are you one of the ones in our society that is contributing to its death?

There are many reasons why the study of history is important, and I don’t have space to list them all, but one of the great things about studying history is that you learn that the way things are now is not the way things have to be. Example: did you know that for the first several decades of America’s history there were no police, and yet most crimes were still solved and punished?

While all of history is important, Christians especially need to study Church history. If you know nothing of Church history, you can start with history books that are written for children (just tell everyone that you bought those books for your children or grandchildren).

5. Learn about the three God-ordained institutions. God has created three covenantal institutions: the family, the church and the state (civil government). These three institutions each have their own jurisdiction (area of responsibility). When one institution tries to do the job of another, it negatively affects the whole society.

Every Christian needs to know the biblical jurisdictions of each of these institutions. Some have a tendency to think that if they’re not a government official, they don’t need to study what the biblical role of government is. Likewise, many think that if they don’t have a position of leadership in the church, then they don’t need to learn about the roles and responsibilities of the church (etc., etc.). But because most Christians don’t know the biblical jurisdictions of these institutions, they end up supporting some of the very things that have destroyed this nation. Everyone needs to know what the Bible says about these three institutions.

6. Manage the resources God has given you. The very first command given to humans included the command to “have dominion.” Godly dominion isn’t domination by force, it is managing those things that God has given us (in accordance with His will). So, learn how to manage the money that God has given you, and learn how to get more. Often, Christians think that being concerned with making money is ungodly. This is true if you are only spending your money on your comfort and happiness. Instead, think of your money as a weapon that can be used to advance God’s kingdom. Do you want a small weapon or a big one?

Your time is another God-given resource. Are you using the majority of your time being a productive steward, or is most of your time (outside of working and sleeping) spent on things that don’t really matter? Some recreation and entertainment may be fine, just don’t let those things take up the majority of your time. Those who aren’t productive with what God has given them are “cast into outer darkness” (Matt. 25:26-30). Not a good place to be.

7. Prepare for tough times. I believe tough times are ahead. I don’t pretend for a moment to know the future, but by just looking at the state of things in our culture, governments, churches, families, etc., and by looking at certain generational statistics, it seems that big trouble is headed our way. Our culture, economy, welfare, education, law, morality, etc., are not built upon God’s word, and therefore, they are not able to go on in their present form much longer. We need to be prepared for when these things fall apart (if they haven’t already).

Many Christians see the decline of our society and they respond with either fear or whining. Our response should be to trust God and rebuild. When/if the welfare systems fail, we need to be prepared with our own welfare systems. When/if the economy dies, we need to be prepared with our own economies. When/if the food supply, healthcare, elder care, education, etc., falls apart, we need to be prepared to take care of ourselves, our families, and our local church members, and not rely the federal government to do these things for us.

The rebuilding of a godly order starts with God remaking us, and though it is God who rebuilds, we still have our responsibilities. Start by confessing and repenting of your own sins. Study His word. Learn how to apply it to all of life and society. Find something that God has given you an interest in, then find out what the Bible says about that thing. Then, get to work on conforming that thing to God’s word. Don’t wait for someone else to do it; get busy learning, then get busy doing. May God bless your efforts.

There is much talk about the state of Christianity in America, and what, if any, future we Christians have here. While it is impossible to predict the future of America or American Christianity, it is good to think about things that could happen, and think about what our response should be. Let’s now look at five possible scenarios that we could be facing in the future.

1. Revival & spiritual awakening

Of all of the scenarios, this one is the most appealing to me (and I would assume, most Christians). Though we cannot produce a national revival, God certainly can, and He has done so in the past. It would be a wonderful thing if God were to pour out His Spirit on our land and bring multitudes upon multitudes of people to faith. As God changed people’s hearts, their families would be changed and so would our churches. As the churches taught people the biblical role of the civil government, they would elect godly leaders. We then would once again be a city on a hill, an example for others to follow as we followed Christ.

If God were to do this, what would be our role? Our role would be to proclaim the gospel and then teach those converts to apply the Bible to all of life and society. Even though it would be God doing the work, it would also involve us working really hard as well.

2. The total destruction of the United States, and every Christian within its borders

This option is the least pleasant. In history, there have been places where Christianity has been successfully driven out. In places like France, it has yet to return. And, of course, there have been many nations that have called themselves Christian nations, that are no longer in existence. God can also wipe out His own people from a certain area. Though we can and should pray that God doesn’t do this, God has done it before and we cannot demand that He spare us. If this is what God has in store for us, there is not much that we can do. That’s why this option is the least pleasant one.

3. God destroys the U.S., but sends American Christians to other nations

We have also seen in history where God has driven His people from their homeland and into other parts of the world. Some Americans are already talking of moving to other countries (with Costa Rica and New Zealand being popular destinations). But often this talk of fleeing is done with the wrong motives. Many want flee to a nation that they deem to be more stable than the U.S., in order to preserve their wealth and comfortable life from a future economic crisis.

The Christian’s motivation for fleeing should be different. Though fleeing could be a good option, it should not be done simply to preserve our comfort. If we choose to flee, it should be for the purpose of finding a nation that will allow us more freedom to worship God and disciple the nations.

Here in the U.S., we still have some things going for us. To my knowledge, we have more Creation ministries and Christian/Home schools here than anywhere else. We still have a lot of financial resources, and a very rich heritage. If God were to send persecution and drive us to other countries, these resources could be used by God to disciple those nations that we flee to. Of course, I’m not saying that God needs us (He doesn’t), but He may choose to use us in that way.

4. Secession

Back when the U.S. was being founded, men like Patrick Henry foresaw trouble in the future. Way back in the 1780s, Henry saw that a war between the States was coming, and there has been talk of secession from that time until now. Ungodly empires like ours tend to break apart, so seeing the U.S. split into smaller nations isn’t as farfetched as it may seem.

Should Christians want to see this happen? That all depends. If our primary motives are to preserve our prosperity and freedom, then no, we should not. But if our primary motive is to have a nation that once again honors the King of kings (which will result in prosperity and freedom), then secession could be a viable option. The problem is that, as of now, I don’t know of any part of the country that has a majority of people who would have this as their primary motive. So, as of now, there isn’t an area of the U.S. that could be considered “christianized” enough to become a Christian nation. Of course God could still break up our nation, but it would be hard to be enthusiastic about that if we simply broke into smaller ungodly nations that would soon be judged by God.

5. A tear-down that leads to a rebuilding

I believe that neither America nor American Christianity can continue to survive in their present state for much longer. When a society is built on the ideas of humans rather than on the word of God, that society may thrive for a time, but in the long run, it will fall apart. That is what we are seeing now, and I expect things to continue to unravel.

Is that bad news? Only for those who love humanistic societies more than biblical ones. While any “unraveling” would be painful for us Christians as well, it could also be a grand opportunity. When humanistic societies are uprooted, it clears the way for biblical ones to grow. If this is what God has planned for us, it would be good to start rebuilding all of life and society now. This is what God told His people to do in Jeremiah 29:4-7.

Israel had turned their back on God, so He destroyed them and sent them into captivity. While they were in captivity, He told them to start rebuilding. They were to rebuild Israelite society (and their families) even before God brought them back to the land of Israel. This serves as a good example for us. If God is going to restore our nation to its Christian roots, He may choose to break us down first. As of now, that is what seems to be happening. Again, if this is what God has in store for us, it would be good to start rebuilding a biblical society now. This rebuilding will need to happen from the bottom up. We first need to rebuild families, churches and local communities, before we can expect national change.

There are, of course, a million more possible scenarios that could play out here. What do you think will happen to American Christianity? What do you think needs to be done? Are you doing something, or are you only complaining about the state of things? If you are wondering what to do, we’d be glad to give you some ideas. You can get in touch with us through the “contact us” page on our web site: 5thkingdomministries.com/contact/

The year is 2015.

     Here in the United States, many Christians are discouraged. You would be hard pressed to find a Christian who hasn’t noticed the spiritual decline of our nation. Some, it seems, have even given up hope of restoring America to her Christian roots. We at 5th Kingdom Ministries are not discouraged, in fact, we’re just getting started!

     Please don’t take my optimism for arrogance. Only God can revive our nation, and I have no idea if that’s what He will choose to do. But whether He chooses to restore America or not, our task is still the same: apply the Bible to all of life and teach others to do the same. Though I’m thankful for the rich Christian heritage of the United States, and I do desire for her to be restored to obedience to God, I am a Christian first and an American second (actually 3rd or 4th, or maybe 5th). My primary allegiance is to the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why I’m optimistic. God has promised that His Kingdom will slowly outgrow all other kingdoms (Matt. 13:31-32).

     If God has promised that His Kingdom will grow, why does it seem as though it is shrinking, at least in this country? What then is the problem? To put it simply, the problem is you (and me). Though that last statement may not win many friends, I do believe I can back it up with Scripture.

     If Christianity is “losing”, it is because of our disobedience. When God’s people obey, they “win” (Deut. 28:1). When they disobey, they “lose” (Deut. 28:15,25). When God’s people listen to and live out His word, God will cause the opponents of Christianity to lose (Ps. 81:13-14). Unfortunately, modern Christianity seems to live more according to man-made philosophies and methods than to the Bible. When we do what we think is best, rather than what God says, we may have success. But, that success is a false success that ends in ruin (Isa. 17:10-11).

     Jesus compared those who ignore His word to a man who built his house on sand (Matt. 7:26). Notice that this man had short term success: he did build a house. His success, however, was short-lived (Matt. 7:27). In our day and time, much church practice is built on the sand of man’s innovations rather than the rock of God’s word. This is why the American church is crumbling, and it will continue to do so unless we repent. The United States’ economy is not built on God’s word either; it too will fall down. Our educational institutions are built on sand, as is the modern family, our welfare system, our morality, and more. Unless we rebuild all of life and society on the rock of God’s word, our nation will continue to crumble.

     We are engaged in a battle of ideas. The battle is difficult, but now is not the time to despair. Rather, let us turn to the Lord and fight for Him and for our families (Neh. 4:14). How do we fight? Not with the weapons of the world, but by taking every thought and making it obedient to Christ and His word (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

     American Christianity is being shaken, and though I do expect things to get rough, I don’t despair. God, at times, does shake things up. He does this so that those things that are built on sand will be torn down. But the things that cannot be shaken (those things built on His word) will remain (Heb. 12:27). Let us then, by God’s grace, serve our God, whose Kingdom is unshakable, for He is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29).

Contra Mundum,

Mike Griggs, founder of 5th Kingdom Ministries