In our social world today there is a certain homogenizing effect from TV, public education, and even many work place environments such that there is an expectation of conduct, behavior, and even beliefs that conform to a social standard. There was a time when this social expectation included attendance at some sort of Christian church.

Today church attendance is still tolerated, but voicing Christian beliefs is not. In the early church people who failed to offer a pinch of incense to Caesar might be put to death. In that environment Christians sometimes would recognize each other through something like drawing a picture of a fish, the Greek spelling of which was used to symbolize the phase “Jesus Christ son of God and Savior”

There have always been those who are out of the mainstream, cops, abuse victims, emergency room nurses, accident and crime victims, combat veterans, those with severe health problems. ex-cons, and clergy are some whose experiences do not often allow an easy integration into the larger social world. Christians who are even a little active in their faith have access to wisdom, discernment, and truth. Increasingly, this makes Christians as disconnected from the world of foolishness, gullibility, and lies perhaps even more than those whose encounters with the harshness of reality have disconnected them.

It used to be that one could turn to a neighbor and find a fellow Christian believer. However, after the push for evolution (the universe created itself), relativism (there is no truth), abortion (the lives of others don’t matter), and homosexuality (there is no limit to perversion), society itself is being disassembled with debt, calls to get rid of the police, the refusal to incarcerate criminals, and even the delusions of transsexualism (which lead half to attempt suicide).

As a result, many have been swept up to see Christianity as not only wrong, but dangerous. At the present rate of social change, it will not be long before Christians will once again face death at the hands of those that hate them. Many Christians were wiling to accept a religion increasingly devoid of Christ. However, appeasement is the road to capitulation. A choice will have to be made, does one seek acceptance by the world or faithfulness to Christ.

As our world more rapidly sinks into darkness, the role for faithful Christians will be to exhort and encourage one another as well as receive those who still seek truth and desire to pursue light rather than darkness.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. - 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5