One thing we have going for us is the innate human desire for freedom when oppression becomes intolerable. The Christian religion grew rapidly during the Roman Empire despite persecution we cannot imagine today. Despite death, enslavement and torture the early Christians found the promise of eternal salvation more compelling than the giving in to the forces of evil on earth. Likewise the Jews survived oppression during Roman times and the Middle Ages. Despite the corruption of the organized church, the Christian religion provided hope for the oppressed masses of Europe during the Middle Ages. Protestants survived persecution during the Reformation. Even the black slaves of pre Civil War America adopted Christianity and found both hope and comfort in the message of God. Today small groups of Christians maintain still the faith even in the face of brutal oppression in Islamic countries.
While the mainstream churches of today’s America may die, history suggests the evangelicals, and perhaps Christian groups that do not exist today, will survive and ultimately prosper no matter how dark the days ahead of us. In fact the power if the message of Christ seems to be strongest in the worst of times.
We seem to be living during a time when civilization is losing to the barbarians. I perceive the advent of a new dark age which may last a millennia or longer. Perhaps Islam will sweep the world, perhaps technology will facilitate the Orwellian dictatorship, perhaps an EMP attack will kill millions while taking us back to a preindustrial society, or perhaps there will be decades of anarchy and destruction. No matter how the coming collapse of the free society manifests itself I have faith enough true Christians will survive to carry the message of Christ and the moral values needed to someday create a new civilization where individuals will be free.
Well said.
Hopeful and realistic.