Helpless American Church — E.A. Johnston

The Church's Silence in Public Life

This recent news article concerning the North Carolina restaurant that had attracted national attention for offering a discount to customers who prayed before meals but now has discontinued that offer because an atheist has threatened a lawsuit against them is proof that the voice of the church in America has gone silent.

The Loss of Christian Influence in America

There was a time in America years ago that if an atheist tried to stop the progress of religion there were more than enough Christians around to shout that person down because God held the majority in the land back then.

The Church's Former Cultural Authority

I remember a time in this country when the church still had influence upon society and a voice of authority in the land. Back in the early 1960s the Methodist church kept a TV commercial off the air because it had an outhouse in it and it was considered in bad taste.

Compromise and the Loss of Spiritual Integrity

Churches back then still had authority because they still had integrity with God and a close walk with God through obedience to God. But over the last few decades the church in this country forsook her power through compromise with the world.

Christ's Promise of the Church's Authority

But this shouldn't be friends, let me read you the words of Jesus from Matthew 16 concerning the authority of the church. And I say unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt lose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The American Church's Spiritual Helplessness

That's what my Bible says friends but we have in America a pitifully weak and spiritually anemic church that is helpless to do anything about it in regard to fighting evil in this land. The helplessness of the American church is an indictment against her and a sad reminder that when a people turn their backs on the God of the Bible and become a self-reliant people then they forsake the authority from heaven which is rightfully theirs and promised to them.

The Loss of the Spirit's Anointing and Power

Let me close this sad commentary with a quote from Alan Redpath which aptly describes our condition of the helpless church of today. Today the Christian church is helpless, behind the scenes and away from the public arena we are facing powers of darkness too strong for us because somewhere in our personal lives we have forfeited all right to the Spirit's anointing, His authority and His power in His absence.

All we can do is to substitute planning and organization, scheming and techniques and that's where we are today friends, a helpless church in a godless land, heaven help us all.