Is there any reason to believe that the decline of our nation, and the decline of Christianity within our borders, will be so different from the same decline involving the same issues in other countries....or am I missing something here? It looks to me like many are merely spouting emotional responses to situations that are not new to us in recent history. I wish that we would see true persecutions, in a way. At least then the Church would be less lukewarm. I suspect, however, that the church in America will simply decline and absorb/be absorbed into culture.
When I lived in Germany, the church was pretty much irrelevant (except in tradition). I knew a man who left the military and stayed in Germany because he could be married to his partner. Now, I am sure that there were strong churches, but there was no evidence of such that I could discern. Although I loved the people, and to an extent the culture, theirs was a very immoral society (at least by our standards...pornography, same-sex unions, etc). I believe it is fair to say that Christianity (as having a visible impact on the world) was present in Germany centuries ago, but has been long since gone. The same is true of Europe in general....and I believe that this is what is happening here as well.
What I see is not a defeat of Christianity but an acknowledgment of the sinfulness of the world....which stands in contrast to the Church and Christ. In a democracy where the majority claims a Christian faith, this can only mean nominal Christianity. It can only mean lukewarmness, at best and as a whole. I am thankful that our nation can now be viewed for what it is - and that is practical anti-theism...or at least, anti-Christianity as we have moved from what appeared to be an atheistic government towards one that is actively and overtly hostile towards Christ.
