Perhaps, like me, you grew up in America when there was widespread, cultural Christianity. There was a kind of Christian consensus. To some degree, people understood the church, the Bible, and the gospel. They accepted Judeo-Christian ethic. While most people weren't genuine Christians, there was still superficial acceptance or at least tolerance of the cultural Christianity, in politics, business, education, and public life.
But where are we today? Where is the general acceptance of the tenets of the Bible and Christian values? Where is the influence of the religious right and the moral majority? Gone. No more. There is no more cultural Christianity; there is no collective Christian consensus building any significant power in this country. In fact, the more biblically that true Christians speak and live, the more they are being labeled as extremist, homophobic, intolerant, and guilty of hate crimes. We are now aliens. And I think we can all foresee a day when being a faithful Christian will cost us or our children dearly, and in ways we couldn't have imagined just a decade ago. I think we're closer than ever to living in the conditions of the people did in the books of Acts and Romans one.
John MacArthur goes on to add that he believes the current situation is good for the church. He believes that the real church coming under persecution will shed the false Christians who have taken over what has been looked at as the church. He believes, and I think rightfully so, that only genuine Christians will be able to weather the storm that is falling upon Christianity and Christ Church. False believers will begin to melt away and fade into a politically correct façade of pretend believers.
History teaches us that the church always becomes stronger when it is being persecuted. I think John MacArthur is correct in assuming that though the church may be smaller it will become more biblical and stronger.
Trust in God and we will weather this storm.
