Let’s Remember our Place in History

Published: Feb. 23, 2021, 8 a.m.

When it comes to God, the Bible, the Church, and the Good News of Jesus Christ, a lot of Christians talk nostalgically about the “good old days.” They idolize past generations as more faithful than ours. But you won’t hear me doing the same. I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching the history of Christian revivals. Other than the Great Awakenings, popular, heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ was rarely widespread. Believe me, the church in America throughout the 1800s was not a rosy place. Only about 25 percent of people even attended church in the 1880s. By the time evangelist D. L. Moody came on the scene, church life was low, and occultism and spiritism were ragingly popular. Maybe today America isn’t declining, but rather remaining what it has been for most of its history: nominally Christian on the surface. No matter the past, our calling remains unchanged. While many of the intellectual elite look down their noses at faith, there is a vast population of faithful and intellectual people dedicated to the Lord. They are quietly reaching others with the Good News of Jesus Christ. With the Bible firmly in hand, they’re changing lives for good, for God, and for eternity. This is Luis Palau.