“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold...” So wrote William Butler Yeats in 1919, as he described the unraveling of European culture amid the onslaught of modernism. Yeats’ vision seems more like a prophecy in our day, as venerable institutions and trusted values come under the corroding influence of secular, relativist, postmodern, and materialist values.

We are becoming what Arthur Schlesinger referred to as a “disunited society” in more ways than one. Ethnic tensions are heating up, but so are conflicts of class, politics, sexual orientation, and economic interests. In many ways it seems the country no longer possesses and integrating core of values, ideals, traditions, and aspirations.

It’s easy to point fingers of blame, but this is not the way Christians should respond to the crisis of culture and identity which has infected our society. As James Turner showed in his book, Without God, Without Creed, the failure of believers to hold fast to their confession, expose the lies of unbelief, and preserve all that is good in culture and society has been a major contributing factor to the corrosion of the nation. What Francis Schaeffer referred to as “the great evangelical disaster” – the failure of the evangelical community to be salt and light in a changing social and moral order – is the problem we should be seeking to address. It is time for judgment to begin from the house of the Lord.

But we need to understand what we’re up against. I enjoy watching a program on the HGTV network called “Holmes Inspection.” Mike Holmes is a home inspector and renovator of the first water. He fixes whatever is wrong with homes that other home inspectors either missed or overlooked. Before he gets to work rebuilding and renewing any property, however, he inspects the property top to toe, inside and out. He learns that property and nurtures a vision for its renewal, which he then interprets into a working plan of action.

As Christians we have a lot of work to do in bringing revival, renewal, and awakening to our nation. But we need to start with ourselves. Are we growing in the Lord and in our love for Him? And then, when it comes to our neighbor – do we love them as Christ did, so that we are preparing to serve them and help them find a way into the true freedom we have in Jesus?

We need to prepare well, plan thoroughly, pray without ceasing – and then get busy, beginning right where we are. Things will continue to fall apart all around us until we begin to articulate and pursue a new vision of how the Lord can renew our culture and awaken our neighbors to the reality of Christ and His Kingdom.

It remains to be seen whether we in the Christian community care enough to do what needs to be done.

Resources for this topic

You need to sign-up for our Breaking the Spiral of Silence conference. Join us, the last weekend in March, as we gather in Northern Virginia, to strategize how we might begin to reverse the downward trend of our culture into corruption and decay.

Kerby Anderson, “The Decline of a Nation”
Chuck Colson, “Decline and Ascendance”
Chuck Colson, “Spiritual Dry Rot: Renewing Our Minds and Our Faith”
Janine Langan, “The Culture of Hope & Glory”
T. M. Moore, “Renewing Vision, Restoring Landmarks”
David R. Sincerbox, “The Decline of the Church”

Next steps:

1. Read the articles above. Make some copies right away and share with several of your friends. Talk about this situation and decide on some course of action you can take together to try to get your church more involve in seeking revival, renewal, and awakening within your own community.
2. Talk with some church leaders about your concern over the state of our culture and society. Do they think your church is doing as much as they can to be the salt and light of Christ and His Kingdom? Is there anything you can do to help the church become more effective in its witness and ministry in your community?
3. Email today’s Talking Points column to several Christian friends. Challenge them to read some of the resources, watch the Two-Minute Warning, and take on one of the activities.

A conversation starter

Here’s a conversation starter you can try out with some friends: “It’s easy enough to blame others for the state of our culture and nation. But what about us? Do we as Christians, do our churches, have any responsibility for this situation? If so, what should we be doing that we aren’t?”

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