The assaults against the church and the family are only increasing. For example, the Gallup Polling organization recently reported that for a large number of Americans, pornography is “morally acceptable.” 43 percent of Americans said that! I shudder to think of what will happen to marriages and to women and children as this trajectory continues. This is just one marker among many. The destruction of the family continues, and this has a profound effect upon the Church of Jesus Christ. The root of it is that we have rejected God’s instructions for church and family. The result is that our churches and families are drifting in ever-changing waters, further and further away from biblical Christianity. The demonstration of the beauty of the glory of God in church and family life hangs in the balance.

Morally Acceptable? How Did It Happen and What Must We Do?

I believe this is happening for the same reasons the Roman Empire fell. Historian Edward Gibbons, in his groundbreaking book, “The Fall of the Roman Empire” (1776), presents five reasons Rome fell. Three of them are particularly relevant both then and now: first, the breakdown of the family, second, the decay of religion and third, the craze for pleasure and sports. Gibbons also noted that Rome’s acceptance of sodomy and the sexual license was a key factor in the destruction of family life, and ultimately Rome itself. These same three things are massive forces at work all over the world. 

But one thing we know: there is only one way to reverse this tide and fight for the prosperity of the church and family. It is to reveal the truth of Jesus Christ, by proclaiming the Word of God and to seek to restore all of life to biblical order. This is the heart of our work at the NCFIC.

This journey is long and hard. Our culture hates the Word of God and our hearts resist it. 

Slowly, our corrupt culture has crept into the church – often unnoticed. Because of this, it is slow to root out. This is why we will always be on a slow track at the NCFIC. We are battling for urgent matters that are easily forgotten. What makes the task even more difficult, is that we are vying for the recovery of simple practices normally undervalued in church and family life. This is why the sanctification of church and family is a slow but progressive process.

What caused Rome to fall is what is causing churches and families to fall in the 21st century: the breakdown of the family, the decay of religion and the craze for pleasure and sports. The solution is love for and obedience to the Word of God in church and family life. This is our battle.