- Ezra Institute - https://www.ezrainstitute.com -

The Decline of Christianity?

Large numbers of people within the church are abandoning the plain teaching of Scripture in the realm of sexual ethics, and symptomatic of a broader rejection of the authority of God and his Word for all of life. Mainstream Christianity may be on the decline, but faithful, Bible-believing churches are growing larger and stronger.

Of Mice and Men

Today, all those who name the name of Christ are confronted with a simple choice: to turn and face the tsunami of secular liberal progressivism which, threatening to overwhelm all before it is attempting to radically redefine the essence of human identity (and effectively erase God’s image-bearer from creation), or to grab a board and ride the wave to the applause of the ideologically subverted and morally bereft crowd. Tragically many professing Christians are choosing the latter route of least resistance, and their numbers are increasing. This mounting apostasy (a faithlessness that has been repeatedly shown to lead to steep decline in the church)[1] is facilitated by a growing litany of formerly orthodox and evangelical leaders who are now openly championing a liberal, homoerotic or ‘gender fluid’ worldview – Tony Campolo, Steve Chalke, Brian McLaren, David Neff and Jim Wallis, to name just a few familiar voices.

As a Canadian case in point, I was recently asked to participate in this televised discussion with a live studio audience on the Decline of Christianity in the West. You can also watch it here: http://www.thezoomertv.com/videos/decline-of-christianity/. Such a context rarely lends itself to robust debate, but the subject matter and length of the show induced me on this occasion to agree to participate. Shortly thereafter I was informed that the beleaguered journalist Michael Coren, a fitting symbol of the decline to be discussed, was also to be on the panel.

Coren’s most recent book, entitled Epiphany, in which he unveils his latest revelation, details his conversion to the new revolutionary truth concerning human sexuality, marriage and identity – a revelation that conveniently places him in the comfortable mainstream of popular liberal-progressive thought. Here on display yet again is Coren’s perpetual flip-flopping which has surely strained his public reputation to the breaking point. I expect many readers will have socks in their dresser drawers that have seen greater longevity than many of Coren’s publicly-defended theological, cultural and social positions.

Late to the bandwagon, Coren is thankfully reduced to being one very minor voice in a vast crowd of cultural elites, all of whom are imperialistically advancing a radical extension of the sexual revolution into every sector of society and culture, including the church. Nevertheless, this tragic demise of Michael Coren from scripturally-rooted Christianity into the moral relativism, intellectual inanity and patent irrationality of celebrated and ubiquitous ‘progressive’ liberalism has been a source of genuine sadness and disappointment to many Scripture-upholding Christians in Ontario, Canada.

As this Zoomer show reveals, there is a book-length credibility gap that has opened up under Coren roughly the size of his impetuous and clearly premature offering Why Catholics are Right – for apparently faithful and orthodox Catholics are now wrong again! Indeed, watching the Zoomer show Mr. Coren is heard repeating one tired progressivist cliché after another, accusing orthodox Scripture-upholding Christians of being unloving, non-inclusive, ignorant, literalist myth-makers.[2] It was a sad and pathetic display from someone who has abandoned the inheritance of the gospel to promote a radically anti-Christian worldview, sexual sin and rebellion against God, all cast in the language of true love and a new righteousness.

We post this show out of concern for faithful Christians who we believe would be well served to simply ignore what’s left of Coren’s public voice – and rather pray that God may have mercy upon him. There are plenty of spiritual mice out there, clasping megaphones, but God’s word tells us, “in understanding be men” (1 Cor. 14:20). In the face of the onslaught against God’s church in our day, stand firm, “and having done all, stand” (Eph. 6:13).


[2] I would encourage viewers to do their own research on the issue of euthanasia. Mr. Coren accused the orthodox panelists of peddling myths regarding euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, denying children had been euthanized. A brief review of the facts online amply proves these are not myths. See Chandrika Narayan, “First Child dies by Euthanasia in Belgium,” CNN, last modified September 17, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/health/belgium-minor-euthanasia/