A.N. Wilson on the death of Christianity

A.N. Wilson lists the dire signs of collapse of Christianity in the West, and then notes:

The Gospel is hard, and it contains within it, not the fear but the absolute certainty, that persecution and misunderstanding will always follow in its wake. It is based on the idea of dying in order to live; of losing life in order to find it; of taking up the cross, that instrument of torture, and finding therein not merely life but glory. 

Yes, the hype and sentimentality surrounding the funeral of Nelson Mandela’s funeral were embarrassing, but at the core of it all was the central idea, embodied by a figure such as Archbishop Tutu, that it is possible to ignore the poison of hatred bubbling in your heart and forgive your enemies. The ANC, for long – yes – a terrorist organisation, changed its mind, and behaved, not like Jihadists, but like Christians. South Africa, riven as it is with every kind of human problem, got that thing right largely because Mandela in his prison years decided to risk all on what was a fundamentally Christian idea. 

Yes, the Arab Spring is the Christian Winter because there is no truth or reconciliation apparently at work in Israel-Palestine, nor in Iraq, nor in Syria… But the Christian writings, beginning as they do with a refugee mother and baby surrounded by invading armies, and ending with world conflict, the utter destruction of Jerusalem, and the coming
of apocalyptic death and plague, are not comfortable. 

The paradox is that growing or shrinking numbers do not tell you anything. The Gospel would still be true even if no one believed it. The hopeful thing is that, where it is tried – where it is imperfectly and hesitantly followed – as it was in Northern Ireland during the peace process, as it is in many a Salvation Army hostel this Christmas, as it flickers in countless unseen Christian lives, it works. And its palpable and remarkable power to transform human life takes us to the position of believing that something very wonderful indeed began with the birth of Christ into the world.

"The Gospel would still be true even if no one believed it." The Gospel transforms lives. It transformed mine. It is the most powerful thing thing that ever entered the world. Even the ideologies that war against Christianity-- Islam, consumerism, communism, secularism, atheism-- are Christian heresies. But they will not, in the end, hold their gates against Christ.

Wilson is a marvelous writer. His God's Funeral is magnificent-- highly recommended (although sadly not yet available on Kindle). Wilson is a cradle Christian who sank into atheism for decades, and has now come back home to the Church. 

He has a particularly salient insight into the Gospel's power-- "It works."