Not Persecuted—Seduced: The Crisis of American Christianity
The crisis facing American Christianity is not primarily numerical. American Christianity is not being persecuted. It is being seduced. And seduction is far more dangerous than persecution.
INTRODUCTION: Not Persecuted—Seduced. The crisis facing American Christianity is not primarily numerical. It is not about attendance decline or shrinking affiliation. American Christianity is not being persecuted. It is being seduced. And seduction is far more dangerous than persecution. Persecution clarifies allegiance. It forces a choice. It strips away ambiguity. Seduction does the opposite. Seduction confuses allegiance. Seduction tells you that you can keep Jesus and keep power, keep worship and keep control, keep the cross and keep the sword. We are not watching the church get crushed by the state. We are watching parts of the church crawl into bed with it. The prophets called it zanah. In the book of Hosea, God accuses Israel not of atheism but of adultery. Israel still worshiped. They still sacrificed. They still gathered in the temple. But when fear rose, when Assyria threatened, when political uncertainty came, they ran to foreign alliances for protection. They looked to treaties, chariots, and kings to secure what God had promised to secure.
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James Bell
Lead Teaching Pastor at First Baptist Church in Fenton, Michigan, and founder of the Pastors Connection Network. For over 15 years, James has served in full-time ministry—planting churches, leading revitalization efforts, and consulting with pastors and ministry leaders across the country. Out of his own seasons of burnout and isolation, he founded the Pastors Connection Network, a growing community of leaders committed to gospel-centered relationships and long-term faithfulness in ministry.