Does Church Failure Mean that God Is Wrong?

“CHURCH IN A CRISIS​—‘AN HOUR OF SELF-DEMOLITION.’”

“Sell All the Churches.”

“The Religious Institution Is Dying.”

“If all the churches were burnt down overnight we should be a lot better off.”

Who are saying such shocking things? If it were atheists who said them you might not be surprised. But all of the above statements were made by religious clergymen​—in this case, the pope; a Methodist minister; the ex-bishop of Woolwich, Dr. John Robinson; and an Anglican vicar. How can they say such things?

A commentator writes: “In spite of permissive parsons, swinging deans, broad-minded bishops and folk-groups on the altar steps, the churches are emptying, the flocks are diminishing and the black sheep proliferating.”a Have such activities made you stop going to church?

“Methodists worried at fall in members,” reports a London newspaper correspondent. “A decrease of 1,231 in the number of East Midlands Methodist members is revealed by figures in the Annual Methodist Conference agenda.” In the Church of England, “the infant baptism rate has dropped in 10 years by 15 per cent . . . [the confirmation rate] by nearly one-third in six years . . . [ordinations] have plummeted by a quarter in the last five years.” So the former bishop of Woolwich informs us.

All over the world, many sincere people are distressed at the overwhelming evidence of the failure of their churches and the admission of failure on the part of their church leaders. Falling church attendances in many countries show that crowds of church members have quit attending church. Others, still nominal members, have ceased to take seriously what the churches do or say and no longer look to them for guidance on the serious problems of life.

HAS GOD FAILED?

What does all this mean? Does the failure of the orthodox religions mean that God is dead? Does the failure of “churchianity” mean also the failure of Christianity?

No, indeed. There is a God who is the Creator, and man’s delinquency and failure have not changed this indisputable truth. But how can we be sure of this when institutions claiming to represent God, and which formerly stood apparently “rocklike” and immovable, are shaking and trembling like leaves in an autumn wind?

We can be grateful that creation still testifies in a wonderful way to God’s existence. “For his invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.” (Rom. 1:20) Natural laws, which have stood unchanged since the creation, still hold good throughout the universe. Men reaching out to conquer space recognize this as true. In planning their journeys to the moon they must take fully into account these unalterable and unchallengeable laws, or face disaster. In the midst of religious confusion, the continuation of these unchangeable laws proves that neither has their Creator changed.

But could it be, as some fear, that God, although still in existence, has lost interest in the human race? Not at all. The evidence is to the contrary. For example, when humans tire of other humans, they cease providing for them and abandon them. But our Grand Creator is still providing for all of us in a most wonderful way, even for the godless and ungrateful ones. The sun still shines, the rain falls, the seasons turn and the food grows. All these forces of creation were set in motion by God.

Think what this means to us. It means that our life is sustained because of the processes that Jehovah originated. We have air to breathe and food to eat because of God. If he were to cut off his power or the processes that he originated, what would happen to all human life? So in our daily lives, our eating and drinking and other pursuits, we should be aware of God’s never-failing interest in us and his kindly provisions for us in so many ways. When we really appreciate this we can readily accept the apostle Paul’s counsel to us: “Whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.”​—1 Cor. 10:31.

Perhaps you will reply: “But I always believed I was living my life ‘for God’s glory’ by sincerely following my religion and going to church. Now that people are turning away from churches, and ministers are admitting failure, I am confused. How do I know what God wants me to do when my church cannot tell me? Does Almighty God really communicate with humans, revealing who he is and what his purposes are?”

HOW GOD SPEAKS TO US

Yes, indeed, the living Creator of all things speaks to us as a Father speaks to his children. He hides no good thing from us. He speaks to us clearly and authoritatively, answering our natural questions and pointing out the way we must walk to please him. How? Through his revealed Word the Bible.​—2 Tim. 3:16, 17.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said: “Your word is truth.” (John 17:17) Jesus knew what truth was, for he had come forth from the God of truth and was able to explain God to his followers accurately. (John 1:18) It was because Jesus faithfully taught the Word of God that his teaching had power, changed the lives of his followers, and has endured almost two thousand years until our day. Those who heard him recognized the power of his words. On one occasion officers, who were sent by religious priests to arrest Jesus, returned empty-handed, saying: “Never has another man spoken like this.” At the end of his famous sermon on the mount we are told: “Now when Jesus finished these sayings, the effect was that the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching; for he was teaching them as a person having authority, and not as their scribes.”​—John 7:46; Matt. 7:28, 29.

Yes, when Jesus was on earth many had lost faith in their religious leaders who had left the Word of God for human philosophies. But those honest-hearted ones who longed to know God’s will for them gladly turned to Jesus, recognizing the ring of truth in his teaching of God’s Word the Bible. In the same way, if you have been discouraged by religious leaders who claim to represent God but who no longer believe or teach his Word, it does not mean that you too must reject the Bible.

You may have seen for yourself how sterile and outdated are church dogmas and creeds, and you may have been repulsed by the artificiality of church pomp and show. But did you know that the Bible itself is the most outspoken critic of false religion? Read Jesus’ condemnation of the false religious leaders, as recorded at Matthew 15:1-14. Among other things he said: “Isaiah aptly prophesied about you, when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me.’” No wonder he advised his disciples: “Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

So, please, do not follow such blind guides. Follow the Word of God, which is ‘a lamp to your foot, and a light to your roadway.’ The Word of God will never lead you into a pit!​—Ps. 119:105.

THE BIBLE A TRUE GUIDE TODAY

Although it is acknowledged even by non-Christians that the Bible contains fine moral principles, you may still be wondering whether you can accept it as a true guide in your life today. Is not the Bible out-of-date? Was it not written long ago in totally different times? Can it really tell us what is going to be the outcome of the turbulent times in which we live?

Surprising as it may seem, you yourself have been an eyewitness of events that prove conclusively that the Bible is the surest and most up-to-date guide we have today. You can prove this to your own satisfaction by opening your own Bible to Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Mark 13, Luke 21, 2 Timothy 3 and Revelation 6 and reading there an accurate and detailed description of conditions that have swept the entire inhabited earth in the past fifty-five years. Do you know any human today who can accurately foretell events like this almost two thousand years in advance, or, for that matter, twenty years ahead? Any reasonable person must agree that these writings are of suprahuman origin.

Honestly, has there ever been another time in human history when world war was a reality, and the complete destruction of the human race a distinct possibility? Does not the description of lawlessness, lovelessness, Godlessness, insecurity, fear of the future and hopelessness found in the above chapters fit our own generation?

Then is the future truly hopeless? Not at all, for Jesus said: “But as these things start to occur, raise yourselves erect and lift your heads up, because your deliverance is getting near. In this way you also, when you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:28, 31) Notice, too, how close this world-changing event is: “Truly I say to you, This generation will by no means pass away until all things occur.” (Luke 21:32) The long-awaited kingdom of God is now at hand and will transform this beautiful earth of ours into a paradise like Eden. And all of this before the generation that saw the beginning of these turbulent events in 1914 passes off the scene!

Do you fully appreciate what this means to you and your family? Your life and theirs are now in the balance. Your present and future happiness is bound up with a right relationship with God. How can you build a fine relationship with your Creator? What does he require of you?

First, you must believe in the existence of God and you must have strong faith in Him. “Without faith it is impossible to please him well, for he that approaches God must believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Heb. 11:6) That is not unreasonable, is it? God would hardly reward a person who did not even believe in His existence, would he? But how can you build faith? By taking in knowledge of God, by studying his Word the Bible. (Rom. 10:17; John 17:3) Are you taking time to do this? Are you willing to do so?

Of course, you may well feel that a study of the Bible is a very big task. You may wonder how you could do it without help. Where can you turn for help in getting life-giving understanding of God’s Word? Certainly not to churches that are rejecting the Bible and its upright standards.

Would you be willing to accept the help of Christians who hold the Bible to be inspired and true? Jehovah’s witnesses believe this. Their entire faith is built upon this revealed Word of God, the whole book from Genesis to Revelation. Each week they hold five meetings based entirely on the Bible. They can help you and your family to learn what you need to know for your present peace of mind and your hope for the future. If you would like them to provide you with a free, six-month course of basic Bible study in your own home, you need only write to the publishers of this magazine and it will be arranged at a mutually convenient time. You are also invited to share with them in worship at your nearest Kingdom Hall. In addition to a warm welcome, you will get a clear understanding of the Bible and the way to life in God’s new order now near at hand.

Do not be dismayed by the crumbling decay of Christendom’s churches. They are reaping what they have sown. (Gal. 6:7) The abandoning of the Bible as God’s Word by the churches is causing thousands to leave their organizations in disillusionment. “They have rejected the very word of Jehovah, and what wisdom do they have?” (Jer. 8:9) You cannot be pleasing to God if you remain a part of churches that reject Him and His Word and support them. They are doomed to destruction at God’s hand, and his command to you is to “get out” of them.​—Rev. 18:4.

The failure of the churches does not mean that God is wrong! It means that men and organizations that reject God’s Word are wrong! God has not changed. His promises cannot fail. (Isa. 55:11; 1 Pet. 1:24, 25) So, search his Word now. Study it, accept it, exercise faith in Jehovah, and so be found among those who will live forever on a paradise earth in the joy and happiness of His kingdom.

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