Silent Church

A recent study conducted by the Barna Group discovered that nearly half (47%) of Christian Millennials in America believe that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with another in hopes that they may one day share the same faith. Such a reality within the church is heartbreaking yet expected given the current societal milieu. For example, there is a significant amount of support within the American church for the idea that there are many pathways to heaven. According to a Pew Research study, around 65% of American Christians believe that there are multiple religions that can lead to eternal life. This inclination toward religious pluralism is a damning judgment on the state of the church in America. Other studies, including research done by Gordon-Conwell, illustrate similar conclusions. There is a large segment of American Christians who indicate that faith in God or a higher power, rather than exclusively in Jesus Christ, is sufficient for eternal life. While America has become an increasingly pluralistic society, the church has failed to protect the exclusivity of Christ in its collective societal doctrine.

Philosophically, if there are numerous ways to be saved, what is the driver in the heart of a Christian to preach the gospel? For what reason did Christ make discipling of all nations the primary mission of the church if all or most will eventually find acceptance without Christ? The notion that there are multiple religions which will lead to eternal life is a clear rejection of the gospel as defined in the Word of God. Jesus Himself stated in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Furthermore, in Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus teaches that “small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life.” Here again, is one other area where the church in America has silenced its voice in opposition to the commands of Jesus to proclaim the gospel (Mk 16.15). By neglecting to be a bold, vocal witness for Christ, the church has missed one of its most defining roles and has fallen short of fulfilling the purpose God set for His people.

A fundamental issue at the heart of the American Christian’s resistance toward evangelism is the scriptural motif of lostness. Theologian Robertson McQuilkin stated the following:

The Bible uses the word 'lost' to describe an even more terrible condition. Those who are away form the Father's house and haven't found the way back to Him are 'lost.' Jesus saw the crowds of people surging about Him as sheep without a shepherd, helpless and hopeless, and he was deeply moved. Worse than being trapped and not knowing the way out is to be lost and not even know it, for then one does not look for salvation, recognize it when it comes, nor accept it when it is offered. That is being lost.

Many believers within the American church do not experience an urgency attached to their missiological call, because they do not attach urgency to the issue of lostness within the heart of unbelievers. Such a mental framework is a devastating indictment on the heart of the American church. By refusing to evangelize or share the gospel, the church not only refuses to participate in God’s redemptive plan, but they also deny the eternal significance of His fundamental purpose in reconciling the nations of the world back to himself. The American Christian’s refusal to live a life that is structured around a pursuit of the lost is rooted in an ignorance of God’s ever-present involvement with His creation. We can see Christ’s pursuit of man in the promise he spoke to Abraham, the Kingdom He established under David, the exhortations spoken through the prophets, the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, and now through the life and work of the Christian church. God has always gone after those who are lost, and as extensions of His body, Christians are called to carry within their hearts that same vision.

While there are numerous socio-humanitarian problems which are significant to the missional role of the believer, there is only one issue which will follow the person into eternity. That problem is lostness, and the only solution for lostness is the gospel. Such a truth does not equate to the proclamation of the gospel at the expense of Christian action. Such a result would also be a denial of the true role of the church. However, while the socio-humanitarian works of the church give credibility to the gospel being preached, it cannot be lost that without practically attaching words to the proclamation of the good news, said news will not be comprehended. I would offer that the church in America has disobediently believed that they would be able to fulfill the Church’s mandate to disciple the nations by simply feeding the poor that exist among them, instead of being a voice that boldly speaks the gospel message to those who have not heard it.

While the American church has largely been the primary catalyst for a global missionary movement, far too many within the body of Christ have taken the Great Commission to be one of many options for the modern believer. Common framing of the great commission would create a distinguishment between those who are “called” and those who are not. While the solution for this is not for every believer to then feel a personal obligation or responsibility to carry the gospel cross-culturally, the church in America is in desperate need of refinement when it comes to its ecclesiology and their understanding of the mission of the body of Christ. While it may not be the requirement for every believer to move across the globe, every believer, as a member of Christ’s body, has been given the mantel of taking the gospel to the lost. I would submit that the American church is in no shortage of those who are “called” but is instead in need of a generation of believers who are willing to raise their hand and echo the words of the prophet Isaiah saying, “here I am Lord, send me” (Is 6.8). Too many believers passively stand by as they attempt to determine whether they have been “called” instead of simply asking themselves whether they are willing.

           God is manifesting His kingdom’s reign on earth through the presence and work of His holy Church. While the power of God and the work of His Spirit are the source through which His kingdom is made manifest on the earth, the body of Christ is the vessel through which He has chosen to accomplish that work. The Church has not only been given the task of waiting for His coming but also hastening the coming of that day. As articulated in 2 Peter 3 and Matthew 24, this is done through the advancement of the gospel, carried forward through the Church’s evangelism of the nations. It is my prayer that the church in America would awaken not only to the missiological call God has given them, but also to the urgency which underscores the eternal significance of their fulfillment of it.