From the desk of Pastor David, December 2025

I wish I were writing to you about caroling, hot chocolate, and Christmas ornaments.  But I have a more serious topic I want to share with you, so I hope we can return to a happier discussion another time.  As I am sure you have noticed, there is a seismic cultural shift occurring in America (and other parts of the world), so we need to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16).  I see a confluence of three societal changes that together have the potential to produce the perfect storm of chaos.  Let me describe each independently, then summarize what could possibly happen when they meet, and finally, a Christian response.

Trend 1:  Artificial Intelligence. I have written about AI previously, noting its potential for both good and bad. But just last month, we have started to see its ill effects.  Major corporations have been laying off tens of thousands of their (mostly white-collar) employees.  In part, this has been because of over-staffing, in part because of cost cutting, but in large part, because these jobs have been permanently replaced by AI.  This has obvious long-term deleterious economic implications.

Trend 2:  Capitalism run amok.  Our monopoly laws are supposed to prevent a concentration of market share and control among just a few providers of goods and services. Monopolies, where one company is the sole provider, (or oligopolies, where a very few control most of the output) prevent consumers from having choices.  Having choices is what keeps prices in check.  But the Anti-Trust Division of our Department of Justice seems to be on a perennial vacation. As a result, the state of commerce today is highly concentrated among two or three major providers across most industries.  The result has been steep price increases and fewer choices.  Consider banking, wireless carriers, automobile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, computer hardware and software, food manufacturing and distribution, as examples.

Trend 3:  As I have mentioned in sermons and past newsletters, America can no longer be called a Judeo-Christian nation.  Attendance and membership across all the mainline denominations (Roman Catholicism included) has been in steep decline for decades, while the evangelical population ebbs and flows.  People no longer seek God for truth; they prefer science, logic, or government, even “internet influencers!”   What has been the effect of replacing God with humanism as our source of truth? In just our lifetime, what was once shameful is today celebrated.  Instead of valuing and embracing life, we now increasingly promote a culture of death and dysfunction: abortion mills, drug legalization, legalized gambling, open pornography, even assisted suicide!!  It feels like we’re living in the Bedford Falls alternate reality of Pottersville in which George Bailey had never been born.  And not only is society moving away from Christianity; Christians are now the enemy!   We are labeled domestic terrorists and our Gospel Message is classified as “hate speech” (Oh irony of ironies!). Satan is clearly gaining ground.

So what effects can we expect from the convergence of these three trends? Especially for the young, a traditional lifestyle seems out of reach.  Good paying jobs with opportunities for advancement are getting harder to find. An investment in a college education often leaves graduates unemployed or under-employed and saddled with enormous student loans, debt they will never be able to pay off.  And the process to discharge this debt in bankruptcy is extremely costly and complicated.  Housing is scarce and unaffordable. Prices of many goods and services have risen exorbitantly because of the prevalence of monopolies/oligopolies.  People are frustrated, hopeless and angry. So understandably, they are going to lash out at the existing systems of power and control, fight hard to overturn them, and seek to replace them with something radically different, a change that offers them hope.
And here is where things can go terribly wrong.   We see the old guard being kicked to the curb.  New systems of governance unheard of in America even ten years ago-socialism, communism, guaranteed state-provided income, Sharia Law, even state-enabled anarchy- are gaining traction in urban centers.  But these “new” systems are not new, and they offer hope in the same way a worm on a hook offers a fish a tasty snack.  

History has shown over and over that such systems make great promises up front, but eventually deliver nothing but death and destruction.  (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”)   Why is this so?   Because mankind is naturally sinful and selfish, not righteous and magnanimous.  The more power that is concentrated in fewer hands, the more evil those hands become.  Ultimately those systems do not deliver the good that was promised for the many, rather, they become the source of wealth and power to the few who rule, and a penalty of misery and hardship to the ruled. And as these systems take seed and grow, people who originally supported them find out that these promised benefits slowly disappear, while their freedoms are taken away. Sadly, these abusive systems become increasingly entrenched and self-protective over time and therefore cannot be changed overnight as in an open election. They typically last generations and only come to an end through rebellion, war, and the death of many. So, what should our response be through all this? I believe that there are five practical steps we as Christians can take:

1. Continue to give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given us, and pray for strength, endurance, and wisdom for any future trials we might go through.
2. Pray especially diligently for all the unsaved in our circles of influence and don’t be shy about sharing Christ with them.  People today are afraid and living through uncertain times. They need to hear about the assurance of the Good News of the Gospel and they deserve  an opportunity to accept it.
3.  Encourage and vote for local, state, and Federal legislators who support laws that protect individual freedoms, including the right to worship, the right to own property, and the right to live free from excessive government interference.
4. “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (Jn 14:27). As Christians become more of a minority voice in America, we will face increasing criticism, ridicule, and even persecution, so prepare your heart today and continue your resolve to fight the good fight of faith and to finish the race that has been set out for us.
5. Finally, do not put your hope in any man, woman, or entity who promises you a better life, especially if that “better life” involves an exchange of more control for them and less freedom for you. Only one man, Jesus Christ, has the power to make life better. Therefore, continue to put your faith exclusively in Him. And remember, true disciples are not here to seek a better life in this world, but to bring as many with us as possible into a glorious eternity.
AMEN

Blessings to you,  David

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