 |
| Chicago |
Secular culture has invaded and colonized the American Church. Large segments of the Church are post-Christian. Discipleship, due to its low entertainment value and requisite lifetime commitment, has been supplanted by an audience of consumers. Worship "services" (a concept foreign to the early church) are for people who come waiting to be serviced.
The Church must rediscover its raison d'etre, its reason for existing. Billy Graham knew this years ago, as seen in this story told by Philip Yancey.
"During the Brezhnev era at the height of the Cold War, Billy Graham visited Russia and met with government and church leaders. Conservatives in the West harshly criticized him for treating the Russians with such courtesy and respect. He should have taken on a more prophetic role, they said, by speaking out against the abuses of human rights and religious liberty. One of his critics said, “Dr. Graham, you have set the church back fifty years!” Graham lowered his head and replied, “I am deeply ashamed. I have been trying very hard to set the church back 2000 years.”" (Yancey, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News?, pp. 253-254)
