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Is Christianity in Crisis?

November 30, 2015 by

I recently saw another of those doomsday quotes on Facebook that started out by saying, “Christianity is now in crisis…” Over and over we are bombarded with statistics that indicate the demise of the Church and the downfall of Christianity. From dwindling numbers at youth group meetings to a shrinking number of people in the pews we are told that something needs to be done to rectify the situation. Well, I’m not buying it. Besides the reason for these statistics there is something else that Christians need to remember about their faith.

So, let’s set the record straight … Christianity has always been in crisis. It’s the nature of the Kingdom of God coming into contact with the kingdom of man. But for those who like to make statements about the dire condition of modern (or if you prefer, post-modern) Christianity, I’d like to point out the following approximate dates and circumstances…

  • Between 58 and 90 AD the church in Corinth was beset by schism, immorality, abuse of the sacraments, etc … Peter needed to be rebuked by Paul for encouraging the church in Antioch to play the hypocrite, and the Apostle John noted that many anti-Christs were already active in the world, denying the Son of God
  • Between 100 and 300 AD the Gnostic heresy was making inroads into the church
  • In the 3rd century the Sabellian heresy was prevalent
  • In the 4th century Arianism was splitting the church so badly that it took a council, called by the emperor, to rectify the situation
  • In the 5th century the pelagian, semi-pelagian, Nestorian, and Monophysite heresies were causing great trouble throughout the church
  • Between the 6th and 12th centuries there were too many problems to even name. However, one major incident and an illustration of one pope should suffice to evidence those problems…
    • 1) In 1054 there was the “Great Schism”, dividing east & west Christianity which still exists today…
    • 2) Between 1032 and 1044 Pope Benedict IX actually sold the papacy twice … After selling it the first time, he regained the throne, only to sell it again. One RCC saint called this pope, “a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest.”
  • In 1409 there were three Popes … all at the same time, and all claiming to be the rightful ‘heir” of St. Peter, and all excommunicating each other
  • Between 1450 and 1650 there were the Borgia popes … enough said about that…
  • By 1517 things got so out of hand that the doctrine of justification was no longer recognizable in much of the church’s teaching, thereby causing the Protestant Reformation. Martyrdom of many protestant Christians took place for quite sometime thereafter.
  • In the 1600’s the English Puritans felt forced into a civil war and in 1649 they put to death their king
  • 1700 saw the advent of the enlightenment period that ushered deism and other heresies into the church
  • The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of theological liberalism and higher criticism…

So, is Christianity today in anymore of a crisis than it was in the past? Probably not. We just happen to be living now and therefore notice our current problems more.

All that being said, it would be helpful for us to remember the words of the founder and head of the Church … “Upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” Mt.16:15

Bill Mayk
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About Bill Mayk

Bill is the founding pastor of Grace & Peace Presbyterian Church (PCA) Prior to beginning this church planting work in the Pottstown area, Bill served as a hospice chaplain and a missionary to Mexico and Jordan. Bill earned his MDiv from Biblical Theological Seminary.

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