The times are changing but the Gospel does not. One of the hardest tasks of the church is to stand firm on scripture while also adjusting to our changing status in the world. It is also a challenge to know which message fits the season we find ourselves in. There are times the world needs a prophet (a voice of challenge) and other times the world needs to see the church in the role of pastor (shepherding, caring, loving and consoling). Still other times call for both. It takes discernment and a close connection and relationships with God to know which one is called for at any given point in time, in a given culture and to a given person or audience.
There will be times when Christianity will be lived out in an environment friendly to faith and open to Christian dialog and conversation. There will be other times when Christianity will be despised, rejected and even persecuted. In the grand scheme of things both of these environments and everything in between exist in the world at any given point in time…I just depends on where you live as to which one you experience.
It is important to remember that the marginalization of Christianity by the world is to be expected. It is no surprise. We just continue to live faithfully, make adjustments (in our tone, our approach and our how we deliver our message as well as which parts of the message need emphasized) and keep pointing the way to Jesus.
All of that to say, we do not measure the success of Christianity based on how the world reacts or receives it. The world’s reaction to God has never been an accurate measure of the kingdom and its impact on the world. If the world’s decisions disappoint you or derail your faith then maybe your distance from identifying with the world distinct enough.
