The Seeds of Revival

6 Reasons for Optimism

It is not hard to look at the world and the state of the church and have a doom and gloom outlook (or “black pilled” as the kids say).

For pointing out some of these difficulties, particularly within the church, I have often been accused of being too negative and critical. But I am not in the habit of commenting on the beauty of the sails while there’s a leak in the ship. Things are not great right now—that’s just reality.

However, I do believe there are legitimate reasons for optimism despite the degeneracy and decline we see.

In some ways, I believe the reasons for optimism are because of the degeneracy and decline.

To give a few, and to explain what I mean:

1. Trans insanity is coming to a head

For decades foreign policy efforts have used the term “blowback” in reference to the consequences of our actions. Bomb a people group and their surviving children will grow up thirsty for vengeance.

In similar fashion, blowback for the LGBT agenda is brewing. There are already pro-homosexual people who are realizing the “T” ideologically undermines the “L,” “G,” and “B.” And many people who went along with “it’s not our business what anybody else does in their bedroom” are realizing the slippery slope prophets were right.

More importantly, we are not many years away from an army of transgender people detransitioning and telling the world they were lied to and their lives were destroyed by this Satanic ideology. The friends of these people, those who were told they were the good guys for supporting everyone’s personal choices, will bear the guilt of realizing they cheered on the demolition of their friends’ psyches.

And, churches are being forced to handle sexuality in ways they never did before. We’re going to come out of this stronger than ever because we’re having to think through and flesh out our beliefs.

In fact, I predict there will soon come a time when Christians’ response to LGBT degeneracy will need to be more focused on preventing the reaction from becoming too severe than on combatting the ideology itself.

Why? Because history goes in cycles.

2. An awakening of the older generation

I’ve been privileged to speak to congregations all over the US, and most of them are strongly weighted to the 50+ demographic. In every congregation I meet dedicated, broken-hearted Christian people whose children and grandchildren have no interest in the church.

The more I learn, the less blame I put at their feet. Many pulpits were too busy handling petty doctrinal disputes to warn people to stop letting their families be discipled by the TV and “the experts” like Dr. Spock and Oprah.

As a result, these Christians were misled. They were sold a world of rootless individualism as the pinnacle of human existence, and they’re seeing the barren results.

They know it now. Sadly, it may be too late for their own kids. But they want to be part of the solution for those who are still around.

(Bonus points to those who openly discuss things they would do differently if given the chance. “Me and my generation did everything right and it’s nobody’s fault Christendom nosedived during our adult lives” helps no one.)

4. The radicalization of the young

Yes, Gen Z is the most LGBT generation ever. But with the blowback principle in mind, we can be sure their conservative contemporaries will be pushed further into conservatism and activism than previous generations. Neutral ground is being destroyed by the minute, meaning the young people who gravitate toward the truth do not do so half-heartedly as many of their predecessors did.

5. The galvanization of those in between

People from 25-45 are all but absent in many congregations. But in my experience, the most dedicated, living-by-the-Book Christians can be found in this age range.

They understand the purpose of marriage and children and are learning from the mistakes that put us all in this difficult situation. They are prepared for the generations-long effort it’s going to take to turn the tide. They counter-culturally understand that individualism was a false promise, and they’re committed to living for Christ instead of self.

6. The return of masculinity

Men will give account for the home and the church, so the more men we have embracing their role and striving to execute it to God’s glory, the better off we’ll be. Yes, there are mountains of bad advice for young men online. But in the midst of that there’s a lot of good, too.

For the first time in a long time we have men asking what it actually means to be men and why they’ve been wired the way they have. This is beginning to lead to better husbands, better fathers, better leaders, better elders… God’s preferred tools for establishing strong homes, churches, and societies. More of these is exactly what we need.

…

God is at work. Yes, times are bad. No, things will not get better overnight. But through prayer, a return to the Word, and the natural outcome of a society crashing into the wall of postmodernism, I do believe we have better days ahead.