Solutions October 2019 | Page 45

Gospel Above All By J.D. Greear Bible-based Christianity is dead. Change or embrace irrelevance. At least that’s what society wants you to believe. And looking around, it seems a lot of Christians have gotten the message. Many have given up trying to maintain their historical Christian convictions. Churches are closing their doors. Evangelicals are leaving the faith. The tide of those who identify as “no religion” is rising. Does God really believe that about marriage? Is the handwriting on the wall? Is the Christian movement done? Must Christians rethink their convictions? Is the Bible really believable? It seems change is the only option. For those that haven’t given up on their beliefs, they’ve relegated their lives into the shadows. Hunkered down. Quarantined. Protected. Fighting to keep themselves and their children free from the infection of “the culture” that lurks about. They’re no longer praying that Christ would use them to turn their worlds upside down like Peter did in We can’t hope to reach the next generation with our Bible-thumping, worn-out doctrines of sin, the exclusivity of Christ, and our “archaic” notions of marriage and sexuality, we’re told. Is church really all that important? Solutions • 45