Is Your Church Drifting? (Part 5)
By Reverend Dr. Marcellus A. Norris
Churches drift when there is a growing desire to look like the world and blend in with the culture around us.
Arnold Cook reminds us, quoting Robert Bork’s Slouching Towards Gomorrah, that culture has a relentless power to squeeze us into its mold: “With each new sign of moral decline, we lament for a moment — but then we grow used to it.”
This slow, silent drift away from God’s standards is not a new phenomenon. We see a tragic example in the life of Lot:
- He looked toward Sodom (Genesis 13:10).
- He chose to live near Sodom (Genesis 13:11).
- He pitched his tent facing Sodom (Genesis 13:12).
- He moved into Sodom (Genesis 14:12).
- He became like the citizens of Sodom (Genesis 19:9).
- He gave his daughters to a city’s wicked culture (Genesis 19:8).
- He hesitated to leave the city even as it was being destroyed (Genesis 19:15-16).
Even when God, through His angels, pulled Lot to safety, Lot still longed to stay close to the city that had captured his heart. His wife, unable to let go, looked back — and it cost her everything (Genesis 19; Luke 17:32).
J.R. Ensey, reviewing Slouching Towards Gomorrah, put it plainly: “Prosperity urged Lot to move into the city, where he became a judge or perhaps a mayor. He never intended for things to end so badly for his family, but he had pitched his tent too far in the wrong direction.”
The warning still stands today: “Remember Lot’s wife.” (Luke 17:32)
Churches that desire to be accepted by the world will ultimately lose their spiritual identity.
The Bible reminds us firmly:
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” (1 John 2:15)
The tragic story of Sodom and Gomorrah isn’t the only biblical example of drift. In the Book of Judges, we see a heartbreaking cycle repeated over and over again:
- The people fall into sin.
- God disciplines them through foreign oppression.
- The people cry out in repentance.
- God raises a deliverer.
- Peace is restored
- And then, the cycle starts all over again.
Despite the leadership of judges whom God provided, Scripture tells us:
“Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)
Growth Challenge for This Week:
In a world pulling at us from every side, are we standing firm, or are we slowly drifting toward Sodom? Let us not compromise. Let us not pitch our tents facing the world. Instead, let us build our lives — and our churches — facing the Kingdom of God.
