The World Before A Watching Church

In 1971, Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer wrote a book entitled: “The Church Before the Watching World.” In the opening paragraph he stated: As Christians we say we believe in truth and in the practice of truth, and yet we face much untruth in the visible church. In the past 30 plus years, the invisible or universal church (which includes the visible church that Dr. Schaeffer spoke of) has failed to heed his counsel and is still faced with a plethora of doctrinal error. His advice was well founded in the inspired text of Scripture, and yet his directives appear to have fallen upon the deaf ears of the universal Church. He further stated that: As the bride of Christ, the church is to keep itself pure and faithful. And this involves two principles which seem at first to work against each other: (1) the principle of the practice of the purity of the visible church in regard to doctrine and life; and (2) the principle of the practice of an observable love and oneness among all true Christians regardless of who and where they are. [emphasis his] Despite the efforts of television evangelists, the mega-church movement, the charismatic movements, bible schools and seminaries, regardless of their denominational affiliations or non-affiliations, little has been accomplished to put into practice the two principles Dr. Schaeffer challenged the 20th Century Christians. By applying these two very basic, essential principles in our daily walk of faith, the challenge for the 21st Century Christian now is to prayerfully acknowledge the failures of the past and ask God for the strength and divine guidance to go forth into the world and represent Jesus Christ as He has intended for us. It is imperative for us to understand these failures. The author has taken care to insure that this study is not a vehicle to criticize any particular denomination or individual or organization thus placing blame for the dilemma in which the Church finds itself today. Yet it is obvious that the world no longer looks to those who are supposed to be imitators of Christ before a fallen world. We have repulsed them. They have gone their own way believing that God and Christ are simply relativistic ideas for those who are weak in mind. We are obligated to convince them by our words and reinforce them by our actions that God does exist and that He indeed sent His Son to reconcile the world to Himself. Our culture speaks volumes to its decadence: the broken lives and families; politicians and judges who have lost their moral compass; rampant crime and evil, driven by an entertainment industry that glorifies the criminal element and devalues human life. People are beginning to accept this as normal. And yet we Christians have the answers for modern man to bring him back from the depths of despair and to provide him with direction for a life that could be rich in meaning and purpose. The intent of this book is twofold: to appeal to pastors, seminary professors and Sunday School teachers to explore the Biblical solutions that the visible church can employ to regain its footing within the culture of the 21st Century; and that believers who make up the Body of Christ will reach their spiritual growth potential and be equipped to effectively witness for Christ in every segment of our culture. We should not be content in accepting the status quo of the Church: standing by and watching its culture self-destruct. We must convey the message of Jesus Christ, precisely as He instructed, in a unified manner.