STONEHENGE REDUX

In England there is a mammoth circle of massive stones.  It took an incredible amount of effort to bring those stones to that location and place them upright in a precise correlation to one another. No one knows their meaning or purpose (though there are numerous conjectures) and they are no longer used.

In my lifetime I have seen a number of abandoned churches, seminaries, Christian colleges, and other Christian endeavors discontinue their labors and leave abandoned buildings behind them. In Baltimore a Presbyterian Church that had a tremendous ministry for many years was faced with the need for major repairs. The congregation decided to dissolve the church. There is now a McDonald’s on that busy and strategic street corner. In my second pastorate, there had once been a chapel out in the country that served a number of families. A new preacher at the church in town didn’t want to preach twice, so the chapel closed. It is now a hay barn. A church that I was serving closed. It is now a community center.

These are just a few examples. All over this country and all over Europe there are empty church buildings in various states of disrepair. In one sense they are memorial signs marking once vibrant testimonies to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In another sense they are tombstones marking the decline of vital Christianity.

Why is Christianity weakening in its influence and failing to attract the enthusiasm of the current and next generation of young adults and youth? Politics, the struggle for material success, television, social media, and smart phones are the modern day Baals, Ashtoreths, and even Molechs. Just as the ancient Israelites deceived themselves into thinking that they could worship the LORD and Baal, modern Americans think they can love God and mammon. Our faint attempts to keep an allegiance to Christianity that costs little of our time, interferes little with our behavior, and demands no commitment to daily Bible study and prayer will only bring down the wrath of God for our ingratitude.