Francis Chan is advocating for "sacredness" in churches despite renowned figures abandoning the faith.
After observing that Christians "spend more time in the presence of leaders than in the presence of the Lord," the Crazy Love author invites Christians to return to the source of their faith: Jesus Christ.
"Don't get away from your own encounter with God," he said adding that leaders must ensure that people truly encounter Him so that their fear of God will not be simply a commandment they were taught to obey.
Dependence on religious leaders, according to Chan, is why people are turning away, squabbling with each other, and being so opinionated about everything, Christian Post noted.
"We have to direct people to Him," he said. "We have to do a better job of bringing sacredness back into our worship."
Not surprisingly, Chan addressed the Exponential Reset Summit with a call to sacredness and a return to worship. He says this is vital, especially in light of many high-profile Christians leaving the church in the past months. Charisma quoted him as saying:
"I am seeing so many people, friends of mine who were in ministry, who are just saying they don't believe, or they're walking away. And I just think that's crazy. We're seeing people that we look up to, leaders, fall. We're seeing the world look at evangelical Christianity as an absolute joke right now. Every day you can just jump on Instagram ... and someone is saying, 'I'm not a Christian anymore.'"
Chan believes that many have fallen into the "trap" described in Isaiah 29:13, which portrays individuals within churches and religious groups whose dedication is superficial and whose worship is only lip service to God. He went on to say that these people's worship is based only on human standards. The verse, according to the NIV, states,
"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."
Thus, he advocates for a "return" to the "sacred and reverent silence and awe," as well as encouraging Christians to acknowledge their "oneness" with God, particularly in light of the widespread persecution.
"The world is going to get worse; persecution is going to get worse. And when they're alone with Him, is there enough of this awe and enjoyment of Him, and a fear of Him, that they can survive anything?" he reasoned.
According to a recent survey, generations are becoming more polarized in their views of religion. While majority of the older generation has remained consistent in their views, the study shows that Millennials have diverged, with 46% indicating they "don't know, don't care, or don't believe" in God.
Georgia pastor Dr. Michael Youssef commented: "All across America and Europe, churches are emptying, and an entire generation is turning away from God. People today have many gods-money, pleasure, politics, the environment-but they no longer acknowledge the God of the Bible."
In an interview with The Christian Post, he said that yielding to the woke culture helps one to escape cultural and social rejection, and that it has become a very popular message that is now being taught from many evangelical pulpits that were formerly Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching congregations.
"I've always believed, as goes the pulpit, so goes the pew. As goes the pew, so goes the culture," he explained.
Youssef then advised those who love Jesus to step up and to not be scared. Likewise, to help those who are at the crossroads of doubt and faith to find the strength to fight for the truth of the Gospel.
