22 Mar Mourning a Church in Crisis: How the American Church has lost its way and 5 essential steps we must take to Course Correct
Pastor Art Snow • March 14, 2022
Mourning a Church in Crisis: How the American Church has lost its way and 5 essential steps we must take to Course Correct
Allow me to tell you a story before I address the current state of the Church of Jesus Christ in America today.
The Crown of Jerusalem
Once upon a time Jerusalem was known as the Jewel of the middle east, the perfection of beauty. She was the daughter of Zion, the center of the earth as the prophet Ezekiel would say (Ezekiel 5:5).
At some point she began to embrace other lovers and became a harlot to the nations, spreading her legs to every passer-by (Ezekiel 16:25). She became haughty and committed abominations before God, so He removed her from her exalted position, and her crown fell to the ground.
The book of Lamentations is written by the prophet Jeremiah after the city had been destroyed by the invading Babylonians. The following verses highlight the tragedy of her story……
How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
She has become like a widow
Who was once great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
Has become a forced laborer!
She weeps bitterly in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her lovers.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies. 1:1-3
All her majesty
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have fled without strength
Before the pursuer. 1:6
I called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to restore their strength themselves. 1:19
All who pass along the way
Clap their hands in derision at you;
They hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem,
“Is this the city of which they said,
‘The perfection of beauty,
A joy to all the earth’?” 2:15
The joy of our hearts has ceased;
Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head;
Woe to us, for we have sinned! 5:15-16
Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored;
Renew our days as of old, 5:21
America, our crown has fallen
America, our crown has fallen into the dust and we no longer have influence in our land, we are not hated we are just ignored and dismissed as irrelevant. Where did we go wrong? Where did we miss the boat?
Today 63% of Americans self-identify as Christians, a decade ago this number was 75 %, and back in 1950 it was 90%. What has happened to turn the tide? Allow me to offer my opinion as to where we got off track.
First, much of the church traded the eternal Kingdom of God for a temporal political system.
Church leaders began casting their lot with political parties instead of with the Eternal King who transcends earthly kingdoms. This happened on both sides of the aisle, our eyes were turned to smooth talking politicians who promised everything we wanted, all we had to do was trust them. We gave them our allegiance and traded our birthright, we willingly offered them our crown, and then as politicians are apt to do, they welched on the deal. Most Christians are now polarized in opposite corners by their political parties, squared off and ready to defend their newly-crowned heroes.
Second, we began to bow at the golden calf of “relevance ”, church was no longer about being sacred and transcendent, but instead being trendy and edgy.
We altered how we worshiped so as not to offend, but instead to appeal to their worldly senses. We removed our crosses and sacred art offering them a warehouse look only to bait and switch them once they joined the club. We may at times change the wrapping paper, but we may never compromise the substance of the package.
In his book entitled SoulTsunami Leonard Sweet quotes theologian/philosopher/storyteller Garrison Keillor,
“If you can’t go to church and, at least, and for at least a moment, be given transcendence; if you can’t go to church and pass briefly from this life into the next; then I can’t see why anyone should go.”
Why should our churches offer a Monday thru Friday experience on Sunday, don’t they deserve a supernatural, transcendent, mystical experience? To quote Ella Fitzgerald, in her song “ Black Coffee”,
“Loves a hand me down brew, I’ll never see a Sunday in this weekday room.”
We have surrendered our Sunday Crown for a ho-hum Thursday afternoon one.
Third, we have allowed ourselves to be divided.
Jesus said, although many Americans think Abraham Lincoln said it, “A house divided against itself can not stand” (Matthew 12:25).
Today there are 45,000 denominations across the globe, how did we get there from the one church in the book of Acts? We disagreed, we fought, and then we divided. Every skirmish birthed another branch from the trunk of life, until there are so many branches it is hard to find the tree. I love the fact that the 12 disciples were wildly different from one another, from Simon the Zealot to Matthew the Tax gatherer without the common ground of Christ these two would be sworn enemies, but instead they were brothers. And yes there were conflicts in the New Testament like the one between Peter and Paul (Galatians 2:9-15), but they worked through it and found a peaceful conclusion.
“Every skirmish birthed another branch from the trunk of life, until there are so many branches it is hard to find the tree.”
The enemy divides, but the Spirit of God, unifies. Instead of tipping the crown and moving on, we have ripped a piece off of another’s crown and called it a new denomination with a new revelation.
Fourth, we have forgotten the red letters.
We have forgotten that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and his words (red letters) show us the way of life. In the preface of their book Red Letter Revolution Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne wrote these words,
“To all of us, young and old, who want a Christianity that looks like Jesus again.”
Wow what would that look like if The Church would begin to live out the words of Jesus, you know “ Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.”, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.” “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” “Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there are many who enter through it.” “ So the last shall be first and the first will be last.”
We often hear the Apostle Paul quoted, and many wear his crown well, but after all it is Jesus who is the King, and it is upon His head sits many diadems (Revelation 19:12).
Fifth, we have forgotten our history.
Not only is much of the current church in America Biblically illiterate they are also Historically illiterate. Most Protestants only know history as scant as it is back to 1511 when Martin Luther began his protest. Most Pentecostals only know history back to 1906 to the Azuza Street Revival.
We have 2,000 years of rich history to reflect back on, men and women of faith that have moved mountains, and changed the course of history, but they are lost in the dusty annals of antiquity. Francis of Assisi revolutionized the church during a time where she had gone to seed, Saint Nicholas of Myra (you know him as Santa Claus) fought literally heresy at Nicea in 325 AD. Saint Antony fought literal demons in the Egyptian desert. Theresa of Avila taught us through her seven mansions how to achieve “union” with Christ. John of Damascus in the 7th century gave us our first apologetic to fight against the invading flood of Islam. Benedict of Nursa would give us a rule of life, and Saint John of the Cross would teach us how to endure the dark night of the soul. Clement would teach us how to go to martyrdom with joy in our hearts, and Moses the Black would teach us that man is beyond the pale of God’s merciful hand.
If you want to grow in your faith begin to read and research (look for my new book coming out at the end of this year) these ancient heroes, some wore the martyrs crown, still others the trailblazers crown, but they all wore the Savior’s crown.
It would be easy to write on another 5 ‘course corrections’ but for now let’s close with these.
- Serve God’s eternal kingdom not temporal political systems
- Don’t allow current culture to alter the faith once handed down to all the saints (Jude 3)
- Strive for unity among the saints, it is like oil coming down Aarons beard and carries blessing life forever more (Psalm 133)
- Read and live the red letters
- Read, learn and grow in faith from the lives of the early church Fathers and Mothers.
In closing let me remind of the words of Cyprian of Carthage “No one can have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.” I closed the verses in Lamentations by quoting 5:21 Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored;
Renew our days as of old.
There remains hope for the Church, may she close out the age stronger than when she first began, with her crown firmly in place !
Pastor Art Snow | March 22, 2022
Edited and Adapted for Web Use by: Eric Muñoz Jr.