We need to face the fact that many will fall away from the faith and many will join the persecutors in blaming the church for being too stubborn, too inflexible, too proud, too old-fashioned, etc. None of this is new.

Bill C-4 “An Act to Amend the Criminal Code” (Conversion Therapy) has passed the Canadian Parliament and has been given royal assent. It is now law. There is grave concern that it is so broad and so vaguely worded that it may make it illegal for pastors, youth pastors, and Christian counselors to help those who wish to resist homosexual temptation from doing so. I have written more about this bill here.

In this brief article, I want to step back and look at the bigger picture. We must realize two facts. The first—that Western Christendom is over—is widely acknowledged. The second, however, is that the post-Christian West is quickly reverting to the paganism that characterized pre-Christian Rome. Many think that once the culture rejects Christianity, nothing will take the place of Christianity as the culturally dominant religious force. We expect neutrality, toleration, and openness for the preaching of the gospel. But this is a naïve refusal to learn the lessons of history. Our culture is going from being pro-Christian to being anti-Christian.

We need to prepare for persecution. I believe we are woefully unprepared, psychologically and theologically, to deal with the freight train that is bearing down on us. And because we are unprepared it is going to be a lot worse than it needs to be.

Let me suggest some issues on which we need to be engaging in serious theological reflection.

I. First, we need to clarify our understanding of the mission of the church. The priorities must be to worship God, to nurture and care for souls, and to evangelize. These are the essentials. During the long centuries of Christendom, it was inevitable that the church would become occupied with many activities. The church has been involved in education, medical work, feeding the poor, political activism, running charities, relief in development overseas, missionary activities of many kinds, and the list goes on. The walls, however, are closing in, and our sphere of public influence is shrinking. We will need to be clear what we can give up and what we cannot. Worship, the care of souls, and evangelism are non-negotiables for the church.

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