Kerby Anderson

Pastor Ray Johnston has a new book out that talks about how the church has become like the culture. He illustrates this by describing the “seven decades that have changed everything.” We talked about these remarkable changes recently on Point of View

The 1950s were a time when America lost its innocence. Rock music was born. Teenagers were liberated from the parents by cars. Every home got a television set.

The 1960s were a time when America lost authority. America was on the eve of destruction with protests about civil rights and the Vietnam War. It was a decade of drug use, Woodstock, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy. The 1970s were a time when Americans lost love. It became the “me decade” after the disillusionment that took place in the 1960s.

In the 1980s, Americans lost values. As people got preoccupied with glamour, fashion, wealth, and media. The movie Wall Street may have summarized the decade with the phrase: “greed is good.” Then in the 1990s, Americans lost faith with the jarring images that occurred during that time.

The 2000s were a time when Americans lost security. It began with a  concern over Y2K but moved from a scare to real fear when terrorists struck on September 11, 2001. And the 2010s seem to be a time when Americans lost hope. They weathered the Great Recession but did not believe that the future would be better than the past.

Of course, Christian faith has the answers to these challenges. We can find innocence in the forgiveness of God, love in the love of God, values in the Word of God, faith in the promises of God, and hope in God Himself.

The real question is whether we in the church will bring this message. That is why Ray Johnston titled his book, Jesus Called: He Wants His Church Back.