“Christianity in America won’t survive another decade unless we do something now.”

here is the verse itself it says it better

Lam 1:1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!

the city being spoken of here is the Church in other words after this great spiritual destruction has made her a WIDOW.

verse 5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

verse 16 For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the COMFORTER that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

this entire book is only 5 chapters and will give you the answer to the reason for this statement “Christianity in America won’t survive another decade unless we do something now.” my question is if God himself has done this what can We Do?

The church not true Christianity is Dead. and no matter how many churches you build she remains a widow (one without a husband and who’s children are in captivity )

Matt 13 :24-30
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men SLEPT, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Finally I leave you with this anyone who believes that they will prop up a church
and continue the to bring in the sheaves in light of the judgment God himself has cast upon her is mislead and is knows not the time they live in for Paul said Judgment shall begin at the house of God!

Rev: 18:4-10 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Rom 9:15 -16
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will
have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy.

I would read this entire chapter to pick up the context and pay close attention to the words of Paul as he laments for (as he put it ) his kinsman according to the flesh who after working so hard were disqualified from the prize. why? verse 11 tells you in plan language what verses 15-16 tell you in reiteration.

Then when you are done reading this chapter flip on over to Book of Lamentations and pay close attention to the words God uses in the very 1st chapter to describe the conditions of a beautiful city that sits in ruins and after the distruction of

Keep up the good writing.

Ed

I think it is a given that most churches seem to target suburbanites in this country because they are the best church building material.

While your compassion for struggling churches is admirable, I personally think that most churches are too entrenched in their own preferences to be transformed into communities living out the Gospel. I wish and hope that it is not so!

My greatest concern with the post is that it seems to equate institutional expressions of the church with THE CHURCH. History seems to tell us that the worse times for “the church” are the best times for “THE CHURCH”. I know that information is upsetting to modern American Christendom, but I believe that the church (got tired of the all caps thing) marches on even if (or especially if) the cultural institution, structures, and system fall on hard times.

There is no way to prevent people from trying live life in the way of Jesus in community in ways that display his love to their greater community. It seems like if we can pull that off the rest is just some sort of fluff.