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As President Donald Trump continues to make progress in draining the swamp—notably cutting down government spending and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracies—Christians would do well to consider the need for change within the American Church.
Throughout history, the United States has stood as a cornerstone of religious freedom, yet it has always been closely tied to Christianity. From the Pilgrims and Puritans to the First and Second Great Awakenings, America has played an important role in Christian history.
The late theologian Loraine Boettner argued that one must study church history to understand God’s will and His involvement in creation. Boettner taught that Christians will find the transformation of individuals and entire nations within church history.
While Christians are rightfully grateful for religious liberty and the constitutional separation of church and state, this division has also allowed unbiblical Christianity to creep into the American Church. If you look at history, when Christianity weakens, morals decline.
Taking a lesson from the Protestant Reformation, American Christians must unite within the body of Christ and restore the foundational principles of the faith: salvation found in Jesus Christ alone, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the full acknowledgment of Jesus as both Savior and Lord.
Christ Alone. Christians must take a firm stand that Jesus is the only way to heaven. Salvation is not earned, nor is it found outside of Him. Yet, many Christian movements today ignore this truth, offering a gospel that centers on spiritualism and individual feelings, rather than the unchanging Word of God. This is not biblical Christianity.
The Authority of Scripture. The American Church must boldly proclaim the reliability and inerrancy of Scripture. Does the Bible alone hold all necessary truth and knowledge for salvation? Absolutely. It is time for the Church to treat it as such, with the reverence and authority it commands. The emphasis on humanism, relativism, and individual interpretations in Christianity has undermined faith. What is the point of embracing a select portion of the Scripture? Teachings within the Bible are not up for negotiation; they are the divinely inspired, infallible Word of God. The Bible alone holds final authority.
Jesus Is Lord and Savior. A dangerous trend in modern Christianity acknowledges Jesus as Savior while rejecting the necessity of repentance. While it is true that salvation is by grace through faith alone, Christ’s death on the cross was never intended to serve as a blank check to continue living in sin. The Apostle Paul explicitly condemns this in the book of Romans. Jesus Himself declared in Luke 9 that to follow Him, one must take up the cross daily. Repentance and salvation are inseparable. Christians are made new in Jesus Christ.
Biblical Christianity must once again dominate the American landscape. Many Americans remain unaware of this nation’s rich Christian heritage. Christians founded universities like Harvard and Yale to train ministers of the Gospel.
God is indeed with Christians, individual souls, and people, but He has also historically blessed nations that honor Him and seek to abide by His ways. The link between America and the teachings of Jesus Christ is undeniable. Revivals have shaped this nation in the past, and they can do so again. However, the Church needs to reform itself before the country can be transformed.
It is time for biblical Christians to unite, set aside minor doctrinal differences, and restore the Church to its rightful place as society’s most important element. If America is to experience true renewal and purpose, it must begin in the pulpit, the pews and the hearts of believers who refuse to bow to cultural pressures and unbiblical Christianity. Christ’s standards are all that matter, and Christians must be Gospel-driven, always seeking to fulfill the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission.