I'm not talking about the western church, but our society...
To be honest, some dark decades if not centuries are what await the church. As Americans resentfully come to terms with the terminal decline of the American church, and hate those who warn of it, there will be a dark tenure before the church is reborn with any social strategic impact. We'll continue at the tactical level, but our strategic presence in the US will parallel that of Europe in my lifetime. I know - you can agree - but as one who studies missiology in the west continually, constantly testing the waters of our society, it is my own opinion - though I hate it. It is what I expect to happen.
I know, I said this is about society, not the church, but I just wrote about the church... But the reasons why I believe the western society is doomed, are exactly why I think the church is doomed.
The society: We're more than broke - Europe and the US, along with Canada. Australia and New Zealand may survive because their economies and governments enjoy a different vestment due to geography. BUT us... we're doomed. I know - I sound like a dooms day idiot. Maybe.
But here is the deal.... every $1.00 the federal government spends, over .40¢ is borrowed. AND in the present crisis, it is already a given that the fed's will be forced to raise the debt ceiling. So, even more - may .45¢ of every dollar will borrowed? We owe over $14,000,000,000,000.00 to debters... And its getting worse. We're not even keeping pace with interest!
Then, there is the real estate market. Besides a suck real estate market, we have the shadow inventory: the millions, yes, millions of homes foreclosed (not those still threatened with foreclosure but those already back in the hands of the banks) that are dead weight on the banks and not even listed on the market because it would literally capsize the economy. They are not held because they care about the people they hurt - heck, no... they care about their own hides and fortunes. Period - do not be mistaken.
So, to get healthy, both in Europe and here, drastic measures would be necessary. But these drastic measures would never, never, never be allowed even if the legislature had the "guts"
The economy is going to collapse. No? Ireland? Greece? Half of eastern Europe? Have you seen the debt levels of every western European nation? Have you noted the debt levels we carry which so dwarf Europe combined, and with our much lower income taxes and much lower national infrastructure system...our highways and bridges are falling down and apart - literally?
It is only a matter of time.... We're already seeing it with the coming demise of medicare, social security and our support for the poor. Our middle class has been stagnant (90%+) for four decades and the wealthiest has quadrupled their wealth. The top 40 people in the US have more than the bottom 150 MILLION people!
Have you noted our economy is not rebounding, in spite of the scruple-less lack of regulation on the run-away greed train within our financial systems? People are now even voicing the expectation that we will NOT recover... yet we throw billions are grown adults who play games.... sports. We have a noted % of the population who is mad at government, but very uninformed about the impact of the tea party doctrine... and they'll continue and even increase the greed incentive of the rich and corporate while they, as part of the middle class suffer more and more from an imploding economy.
I just can't get why the middle class is supporting the GOP push to protect millionaires from taxation! Why? Trickle down. You know that philosophy is over thirty years old and didn't work, right? The high you were on in the 1990's? That was the run-away over spending by the government that gave us the $14,000,000,000,000.00's in debt that caused that short lived high. In that time, we exported much of our real production in industry to overseas little brown people who are raped with very low wages and the corporations get richer.
I only wish there was a way off this train before it wrecks. I'm not scared though. "The LORD IS my Shepherd. I will NOT be in want...and I will live in the House of the LORD forever." That I know.
For the few who read this far... what is the common link between society and the church in the west/US? Simple... we are still hoping, and holding on to what we have right now, though we're in serious decline. AND the profiteers and the few power kings will never allow the church to make the changes it needs to make to be healthy... instead, we'll ride it down, though a crash is coming, as it did in Europe. We won't see it in our time we think - and we selfishly give this collapsed church to our kids... Are you aware we lose over 80% of our CHURCHED teens when they graduate high school...never to return? Yet, we'll ignore that, hope for giant break through latest quick fixes and shell out bucks to the carpet baggers in the church "industry" and watch yet another big break through fail. Who is the largest exiting group from the church? Teens? No. People in their 50's... why? Cause they are done. They are done with the next big quick fix.
So, whatever you call it, lobbyists stand to lose a lot and eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die... and hopefully not in our lifetime. Shame, shame, shame.
