The Global Problem: Spiritual, Societal, and Cultural Decay
After spending 35 years in ordained gospel ministry as a church planter, pastor, para-church trainer, and seminary professor, teaching church planters, pastors, and missionaries, I’m convinced there is a very serious global problem today that most Christians do not seem to be fully aware of:
Never has there been a time in history when there have been more churches and more professing Christians. Yet, despite the remarkable spread of Christianity, spiritual darkness, and societal and cultural decay are reaching unprecedented levels globally. Spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and rampant illiteracy are still ravaging the lives of billions today. And far worse, there are still billions who have not even heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Even where the church is growing most rapidly (especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America), the results are often forms of Christianity with little or no true, lasting transformation of individuals, families and societies. Is there any wonder why most people today are not looking to the church, but to governments, educational institutions, and a host of other philanthropic and religious organizations for solutions to these global crises? And despite all the well-intentioned attempts and sporadic successes of governments, schools, and other organizations over many years, the harsh reality is that this spiritual darkness, societal, and cultural decay are worsening globally.
