For Christianity in the U.S., the Apocalypse is NOW

Last updated on: August 16, 2018 at 2:21 pm by Zach Hoag

For Christianity in the U.S., the Apocalypse is NOW 2018-08-16T14:21:36-05:00 Zach Hoag

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Does the decline of Christian faith in America signal the end of the church as we know it?

Are these the “last days” for Christianity in the U.S.?

Is the culture moving on, leaving us behind?

As Christian institutions of all categories and denominations face drastic decline, and the non-religious share of the population continues to expand, it might appear that Christian faith in America is experiencing its very own apocalypse.

And that’s true.

The apocalypse is now.

But it’s not exactly what some prognosticators think it is. In fact, it’s an apocalypse in the more literal, biblical sense – not The End for the church, but an end, brought about by a great revealing. That’s what apocalypse means after all – revealing.

Right now, there is a lot that is being revealed, both good and bad, about where we find ourselves as Christians in 21st century America. And perhaps even moreso, there is a revelation afoot of precisely who Jesus is, and what is way, his politic, entails for his followers in this time and place. The book of Revelation (also called the Apocalypse of John) functions in a very similar way, and sets a precedent for what we are experiencing even now. In it, Jesus was revealing what the first century church had become, both good and bad. And he was revealing more of who he was, and what his politic really meant for that people in that time and place.

In other words, Revelation (and the apocalypse) ain’t about the Rapture. And it isn’t about The End of Christianity, either. But it is about an end, an end to the status quo, to the way things currently are, to pave the way for a brilliant new beginning.

That’s why I always say that Christian faith decline in the U.S. is not a problem to be solved but an opportunity to be embraced, leading to a flourishing faith.

And that’s why I hope to write a book on this exact topic, filled with stories from my life and ministry (my very own apocalypse) and the stories being told in the culture we inhabit (mainly on TV).

And that’s also why I’m here at the Review writing about this apocalypse – at both a personal and more general “faith and culture” level.

So, thanks for joining me in this – and I’ll be sure to keep you all posted about the book :).

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