The church today seems lukewarm, a description that was given to the church in Laodicea, one of the seven churches in Revelation: lots of activity, but ultimately ineffective. I’m not the only one making this observation. Much has been written about the decline of Christianity in the global West, especially in America, and the possible solutions. While some claim a revival is underway, many disagree, and the evidence suggests the church remains lukewarm.
This blog reflects my intention to dig into these issues from new perspectives. The Laodiceans’ lukewarmness stemmed from reliance on self and worldly things — part of a pattern of compromise with the world that runs through all seven letters. This theme is central to Revelation and remains a challenge the church faces today.
Although references to Revelation in contemporary commentary are increasingly common, they typically focus on one particular aspect at a time. I see an opportunity for broader exploration. Revelation depicts the conflict between worldly systems and God’s way, between empire and kingdom, between the way of the beast and the way of the Lamb.
My approach, drawn from Revelation, involves four steps: understanding dangerous trends in today’s world, examining how Revelation and Scripture address them, identifying how the church is being challenged, and seeking faithful responses.
Consider, for example, how greed may be endemic to our economic systems. Given Scripture’s strident opposition to greed, we should be wary of its influence today, especially in subtle forms. Similarly, some thinkers have identified social cycles related to the rise and fall of empires throughout history, including patterns like the “great awakenings” that have occurred multiple times in America. These frameworks can help us understand large-scale trends in spiritual terms.
Even a cursory examination reveals dangers that mirror those in Revelation: dependence on worldly systems instead of God, allegiance to earthly powers over God’s sovereignty, false witness about God, the exaltation of commerce over humanity itself. These dangers are as present today as they were two thousand years ago.
Yet Revelation also highlights the church’s role in providing hope and rescue from the inevitable problems of increasing evil. There are multiple calls for the church to avoid entanglement with these forces, to come out before it’s too late, and to fulfill its mission of witnessing to the truth. Through obedience to God’s call for love and witness, the Kingdom can be manifested against evil.
The letter to Laodicea, though addressed to a congregation and depicting Jesus challenging the group, ends with an invitation to individual response. It is with this perspective that I seek understanding.
Exploring Antioch 