A new era: The decline of Christendom

Christian spirituality has been the integral and fundamental part of society. Popes have been in charge of government and the world used to look to Christian ministers for decision making.

Times have changed. We live in a post-Christendom era. That is, the church is no longer the centre of society. In Australia, the church is on the sidelines, sometimes yelling out principles of holiness to a coutry that doesn't always listen.

It's not good enough to try and make the church the centre of it all again. Let's face it, the early church grew fastest during the first three centuries when it didn't have governmental authority and some new followers of Jesus were persecuted for their faith, some even martyred (read about a guy named Polycarp!).

So how does the church exist in this post-christendom era? I think we need to stop pumping up the idea of the church to people who are anti-church. Lets rather talk about God and the fact that Jesus can bring freedom into people's lives. After all, we're about witnessing the growth of the Kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of the Church.