Mark 1:15 -

Much to the chagrin of many who have grown up in a culture that was basically friendly to the values and language of Christianity, we now must face the fact that Christendom in America is dead. The culture that grew up around the mixture of Christian language, biblical values, and American civil religion is breathing its last gasping breath. The grief is taking its usual forms. Some are in denial. Some are angry. Most are sad. The enduring hope is that out of the ashes will arise a gospel-oriented community that is both persecuted and powerful, like the original community of Christian faith in the first century. It will undoubtedly be made up of people who are intentionally repenting on a regular basis as they choose to align their decisions with the message known as the Kerygma: the apostolic gospel.