World Magazine had an interesting article in the current issue about many churches in America closing by Joel Belz.

For those of us who were children of the '40s or '50s, it wasn't uncommon to worry a little at the thought that a fierce cadre of Russian communist soldiers might suddenly burst through the doors of our church, arrest the pastor, and lock the place up. Especially because our pastor was also my father, I remember that we kids from time to time discussed what our options might be in the case that religious persecution might come to our very doorstep.

Nor do I mean through such recollection to trivialize what is in fact happening right now in many places of the world. Church doors are indeed being locked in more places than we like to think, as Christians are being told forcefully that they may not openly practice their faith.

But in our own setting these days, I think we Americans should worry a good bit more about another trend that I doubt we're prepared for. That movement is the locking of thousands of church doors from the inside, just because there are so few folks in there to keep things going.

This is so sad. It's one thing for the government to shut churches down, but it's another thing for the church to shut itself down. When we walk away from the Lord, sin prevails. We've seen some of this sin in our nation already. Shutting down churches would only aide that "movement." Something needs to be done...someone needs to stand up...perhaps it'll be the next genereation - which would include me, that will take a stand. We can only hope.

God help our nation.

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