(영어) 3월 목회칼람: March Pastors Column
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Senior Pastor’s Column – March 2016
Last Sunday, I asserted that the U.S. is now a very non-Christian country. In 1620 the Puritans came across the Atlantic from England on the Mayflower. They landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in search of religious freedom. Having arrived, even before building their first house, they built a church. This demonstrated that worshipping God was the first priority. About 16 years later in 1636, the State of Massachusetts founded the very first school in the United States. Pastor John Harvard and a number of other believers established New College, the predecessor of Harvard University, near Boston. It was built to teach the Bible, a subject given priority over other general subjects as they sought to teach their young ones and develop them to be warriors for the Lord. As a result, 52 percent of the students in the first graduating class became ministers.
In 1701, the descendants of the Puritans established Collegiate School, the forerunner of Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. They did this after witnessing the strong sense of faith that had marked Harvard University, had weakened. The Puritans who first came to America wanted their young ones to be educated with strong faith. After the enlightenment, thought and rationalism came to the U.S. from Europe in the 18th century and America came to wander from its Puritan faith. But the Great Awakening came thanks to famous pastors like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. Puritans who were blessed by this spiritual revival then established, in 1746, New Jersey College, the forerunner of Princeton University. Some six years earlier, Puritans moved by the preaching of George Whitfield in 1740 established Charity School, the forerunner of the University of Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin later changed the name of this school in 1749. Kings College, the forerunner of Columbia University, was founded in 1754 while “The College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” the forerunner of Brown University, was established in 1764. After that, Dartmouth was established in 1769, and 101 years later the last Ivy League university was established: Cornell. Besides Cornell, all of these schools were established by Puritans to educate their youth in the faith.
By the 19th century, Darwin’s theory of evolution appeared and these universities shifted from teaching creationism to evolution. Liberalism swept through these universities. The theory of relativism in moral and ethic realms, as well as scientism or the idea of the supremacy of science, followed. These advancements in science and technology were fueled by the military arms race throughout World War II. The New Age Movement was not far behind. All of this had an influence on college campuses and in churches in the U.S. and throughout the world. Gradually, Christianity’s influence began to wane.
Today we witness the apex of individualism with the rapid evolution of computers, information technology, and thus the major changes it has brought to our lifestyles. While the Puritans inscribed “In God We Trust” on the one-dollar bill, we no longer depend on God. And the America that had trusted and depended on God can no longer be called a Christian country. Although one 2015 Gallup Poll revealed that around 50 percent of the population say they are Christians, other research said that only approximately 20 percent consider themselves as authentic Christians. European countries that were home to the Reformation in the 16th Century and witnessed revival as a result, are now no longer Christian countries. In Great Britain, two million Christians account for four percent of the total population, while Muslims now stand at over three million. Some 5,000 churches have closed their doors there over the last 40 years. Four churches per year are closing their doors. In return, Muslims are purchasing these churches and either converting them to Mosques or drinking establishments. Korea is no exception in this regard. The days where Korea boasted of having over 10 million believers are long gone. The number of Christians in Korea is said to be around 6 million, according to a 2015 study.
How did this happen? It happened because the church lost the power of the gospel. It happened because the church lost the faith of the Puritans. It happened because Christians, who should be a positive impact in the world by being salt and light, have instead come to be more influenced by the trends and thinking of the world as controlled by Satan. Now more than ever a restoration of faith is urgent and critical. A restoration in which our faith places priority on God, and priority on living a life centered on the Gospel of the cross and resurrection.
The Gospel has surely come upon Garden Presbyterian Church this year. Now, we face the spring season. This is the season of revival for all of God’s creatures here on earth. As God replenishes the world this spring, we must seek revival for our souls. We want restoration. We earnestly pray for the restoration of our faith, the same kind of restoration that was witnessed in the early church and that of the Reformation.
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