I want to give a shout out to Pastor Mark Henderson over at Glosses From an Old Manse for this Quote from C.S. Lewis.
"In the 1950s, C. S. Lewis was asked by Decision magazine whether he was concerned about the “de-Christianizing” of the West, especially Europe. Lewis replied, “I’m not really qualified to speak to the question of the culture, but there is definitely a de-Christianizing of the church.” It’s one thing for Christian churches to lose their cultural influence. Fusing Christ with a particular civilization is already a gross distortion of the faith. Nevertheless, “Christendom” is over, regardless of whether you think it was a good or bad idea in the first place. Benign prayers to an unknown god in public schools, apart from the Mediator, is already a capitulation to secularism. Who cares whether crosses no longer dominate national memorials where Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, and atheists are buried? The question is whether the cross is proclaimed in our churches."
Being a Christian and an American I like other Christians around the world have seen the phenomenon of the Dechristianizing of Christianity. Many churches have sacrificed the Means of Grace ( Word and Sacrament) for holiness that cannot be obtained on one's own or downright apostasy ( emerging church movement and theological liberalism. It does not stop there however as Rev. Falwell and the Religious Right have done their damage also.
Lewis' comment puts a great big light on what is happening in the realm of popular Christianity as it it losing the connection of the head with Christ and both sides right and left are practicing Gospel Reductionism. Both sides have different gods with the theological liberals you have a Jesus that isn't the Savior of the World and emphasis on Social Gospel and Good Works not because Christ lives in you but out of compulsion. Meanwhile, the right like the left has a big penchant Gospel Reducitionism by practicing a theology of overtaking the culture for God to have a righteous nation in America. Spare me please! I believe the book of Isaiah puts it best there is none righteous not even one.
Both of the so called Christian Philosphies on the left and right are guilty of turning from the Cross of Christ though both would say that they are following Christ's Comission. But are they?
On the left you have those who even doubt the Words of Christ and that heaven is not a real place and that Jesus did not ressurect on Easter Sunday ( Karl Barth also beleived this) and that as the emergents and other liberals would say that Christ did not die to atone for sin but to demonstrate the injustice of the world. So in the view of the left there is no sin and works based righteousness shows you Christ's will for the world to fight injustice and not to declare salvation through Christ . Even though Christ tells us that he was going to die for the sins of the world and raise again on the third day. Like the Christian Right the Christian Left also dismiss the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments. The left goes one further they dismiss the Resurrection and promote, pluralism, syncretism, Universalism and occult practices( all of this is idolatry). For many in the Christian Left there rapture is in the world now. There goal for a rapture is to eliminate war, poverty, social justice, and discrimination. This involves endorsing many things and concepts in opposition to God's Word ( i.e. gay marriage and clergy and womens ordination). Heresy and the endorsements of such speak for themselves and since heresy is obviously wrong there is only one thing left for heretics to do and that is repent of heresy. With God's help some may. The problem is it is so deep in the church. Other heresy and falsehoods demonstrated in televangelism are obvious and though not necessarily liberal are some mismash in between both sides that require a whole different discussion.
Then there are those in America known as the "Christian Right". The so called " Evangelical Super Christians" who would be head and shoulders above me and ever other Christians who love the truths of God's Word and not their pietism. Many of them seek to do the things on a social level the Christian Left seek to do. I have no doubt these folk are my fellow Christians and have done a lot of good in the name of our Lord Jesus. But they have done damage as well everywhere from trying to force the government to make Christianity a state religion ( look at Europe this was not a good move) , force Christianity on unbelievers rather than declare the good news as a believer( Bibles mandatory in pagan educational establishments). As Christians we are supposed to give witness to others for the hope that is in us when asked by the unbeliever( 1 Peter 3:15). To bring others to Christ we should discuss and confess Christ to others, but forced evangelism takes a toll on Christian and pagan alike. As said before, the Word and Sacrament are taken seriously but not in the context they should be. The Word and Sacrament in the Christian Right have been replaced by how you are living the Christian Faith and the Sacraments are regarded as something that you do and not for you. To be honest I do not think any of us are doing this if we we are living as theologians like Wesley would have us believe we should then we could go ahead and disregard Romans 7 especially verses 13-25 and overlook the Word's of Christ in Matthew 25:26-28. With such disregard for the things which God gives in His Word it is no wonder Wesley had doubts about his faith because like the left who disregards their savior his trust on Christ was shaky when he felt he was not "holy" enough. Guess what the good news is none of us are that is why Christ's blood makes us holy, chief of sinners though we be. It seems though that also many of our fellow Christians who live in the world of the Christian Right look also for a rapture that is not going to happen. A rapture is a lack of trust in what Christ has accomplished on the Cross. It almost smacks of Christ was not sufficient enough to atone for anyone's sin so a second chance is being given so those who did not believe before can become acceptable to God. Why would you want a rapture when your Lord wants to take you with Him to Heaven because he atoned for your sins already?
You have heard it said that there is no difference between the politics of left and right. There is no difference in left and right Christianity either. For example, many so called "Evangelicals" voted for Obama who believes in Abortion ( I have a friend who did this) and these "Evangelicals" are some of which have become "Emergence Christianity" that is Biblically empty Christianity( Not Christianity!). So much of American Christianity has become an exercise of escapism. From the rapture to Not of thisWorld stickers to the Social Gospel and the Denial of Scriptural Truth (i.e the rapture, Rick Warren's false teachings and Rob Bell's hreetical teachings). The desire to have God's Word speak to their directions is reducing the meaning of God's Word. That meaning is Christ for sinners!
