Why Our Focus Should Be on Reclaiming the Church Instead of the Culture

By Brannon S. Howse

We’ve lost the culture war.

I wish I could tell you otherwise and go happily along with the many Christians who still think we can recapture America, return to our moral and spiritual roots, and revitalize our wayward institutions. But I can’t, and someone needs to tell you—loudly and clearly. My job is not to be optimistic or pessimistic but to be realistic. 

When I say we’ve lost the culture war, what I mean is that we are not going to reclaim the culture in America and return to the days of June and Ward Cleaver. We won’t see a majority of the officials in the legislative and judicial branches of our government return to the original intent of America's founding fathers as reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other original documents. We are not going to witness a return to prayer, Bible reading, and posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools. There will be no drastic decline in divorce, sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, and homosexual “marriage.” The United Nations will not be eliminated. The undermining of our national sovereignty and parental authority will not be reversed. And we will not return to unlimited religious freedom. 

As I’ll explain more in Chapter 2, we’ve passed the point of no return. Skirmishes may continue, but the culture war is over. Instead, the spiritual battle is intensifying. What we must now come to grips with is how to handle the new reality in which we live. The solidly post-Christian culture that Francis Schaeffer warned of more than two decades ago is now here. 

Conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan describes what has happened:

"The European-Christian core of the country that once defined us is shrinking, as Christianity fades, the birth rate falls, and Third World immigration surges. Globalism dissolves the economic bonds, while the cacophony of multiculturalism displaces the old American culture."

The spiritual war rages, and the stakes are much higher because the battle is no longer for our culture but for the souls, hearts, and minds of our children and grandchildren. We must disciple them in Biblical truth, or they will be taken spiritual captives. 

This worldview war can be won by those understand the times and the opposition. First Chronicles 12:32 tells us that the tribe of Issachar was called wise because they understood the times and knew what God would have them do. In the New Testament, Jesus criticized the liberal religious leaders of His day for being able to discern the weather but not the times. He chided, "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, yet you can't interpret the signs of the times?" (Matthew 16:3). God desires that His people understand what is happening around them and respond with Biblical leadership.  

Every Christian must prepare and understand the nature of this spiritual battle because it is coming with an intensity none of us ever imagined—right here, right under the dimming light of our U.S. Constitution. Second Timothy 3:1 tells us that in the last days perilous times will come, and, my friend, they are here. 

The spiritual battles revealed in this book will make the culture war look like a cake walk. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. But, take heart, for Jesus Christ has assured us He is building His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18). If you are part of the Church—and I pray you are through faith and repentance in Jesus Christ—then you are on the ultimate winning side. But, as in any battle, there will be casualties. Yet we should not fear those that can only destroy the body. Rather, we should fear the One that can destroy our souls, and throw them into hell (Matthew 10:28). As Romans 8:37 declares: "In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us."

My purpose in writing this book is to help you see the world and all the events taking place as a big picture, not just bits and pieces. I want to inspire, train, and raise up godly leaders of all ages to lead the Church during this hour—to take over, if necessary, from those who are failing in their present leadership roles. For those godly pastors who are leading, I am thankful, but we also need lay people to fulfill God's calling for their lives. Above all, we need parents to train and prepare their children for what lies ahead. 

I want you to understand that lies have been cleverly packaged in positive, masking terms, but behind them remains a destructive spiritual agenda. If you’re ready for this spiritual battle, you’ll stand a better chance of keeping the faith, proclaiming the truth, standing firm for your family and its convictions, and enduring till the end. I’m fairly certain our national future is not bright, but your personal future can be sustained in the light of Jesus Christ. This can also be the greatest hour for the proclamation of the Gospel if we understand the times and prepare our family and friends with a Biblical worldview.

In order for you to be ready, it’s important to understand what has overwhelmed us in the culture war and to see that the enemy’s next goal is to establish a new order, satanic at its very foundation. Forces attack from every major social direction, and in the pages that follow, I’ll detail how it’s happened and how it continues so you can earnestly contend for the faith.  

Part of my passion for doing this is that I believe the Church can still be God’s redemptive vessel in the years to come. And since one arm of attack has been directly through the Church, we can at least remove it from our midst if we act wisely and assertively. The Church can be reclaimed—even if our culture can’t. 

Through the years, I’ve written extensively (this is my ninth book) on what it means to have a thoroughly Biblical worldview. Detailing the specifics of holding to a truly Christian worldview is beyond the scope of this work, but I encourage you to visit my online bookstore at worldviewweekend.com and acquire for your personal library some of my previous books (for a detailed, verse by verse, Biblical response and rebuttal to the attacks on Christianity, I especially recommend Put Your Beliefs to the Test). 

Copyright 2009 ©Brannon Howse. This content is for Situation Room members and is not to be duplicated in any form or uploaded to other websites without the express written permission of Brannon Howse or his legally authorized representative.