The Celtic Revival: Age of the Peregrini (17)

There is more need in this for tears than words, how the enemy of the Christian name has increased after the living words of the Son of God, after the fullness of the gospels, after the apostolic teaching, after the recent writing of orthodox authorities, who from the Old and New Testament have expounded in varied speech the mysteries of faith.

  - Columbanus, Letter to Pope Boniface, Irish, 7^thcentury[1]

Do not remove the ancient landmark
Which your fathers have set.

  - Proverbs 22.28

The state of Christianity in Gaul, as Columbanus encountered it, was troubling. There were plenty of churches and pastors, and lots of people attending services and identifying themselves as Christians. This wasn’t what troubled Columbanus enough to write to the pope in Rome. What troubled him was the lack of convincing evidence that the Gospel was being taken seriously. From what Columbanus observed – among the clergy and professing Christians – the enemy of the faith was gaining ground in the very midst of those who professed to believe in Jesus.

The Church in Gaul had declined from its illustrious beginnings. Under such “orthodox authorities” as Irenaeus (2^ndcentury), Martin of Tours (4^thcentury), and Caesarius of Arles (6^thcentury), the churches, in what is today France, flourished. They were renowned for their disciplined lives and their witness for Christ. Even Patrick (5^thcentury) expressed a longing to share in their fellowship.

But now, near the turn of the 7^thcentury, spiritual torpor, moral degradation, and cultural decline had set in throughout Gaul. Priests were entangled in politics and materialism, and they had forsaken the work of making disciples. The pastors had lost sight of the landmarks set up by their forebears in the faith, and the churches were languishing.

This greatly troubled Columbanus. I wonder what he would say about the present state of Christianity in America?

On the one hand, evidence suggests the Christian movement is thriving. Churches, organizations, websites, schools and colleges, seminaries, publications, media outlets, and more continue to proliferate and prosper. On the other hand, the impact of this amazing presence on the larger culture and society seems almost negligible. On everyhand, ungodliness and moral evil have increased, and the rate of population growth is greater than the rate of increase in believers. We have left off evangelizing the lost and making disciples of the saved, and we seem content to allow those who do believe to be Christians on their own terms.

The faith that most Christians profess and practice today has little power to bring the beauty, goodness, and truth of Christ into the great moral, ethical, cultural, and social issues of the day. In the generations leading up to America’s founding, the faith of Christ made its presence known in every area of life. In homes and families, communities, workplaces, schools, laws, the arts, and the halls of government, one was never very far from the influence of some Biblical testimony, guideline, precept, or law. The landmarks which defined the moral, social, and cultural foundations of pre-revolutionary colonial society were poured with the cement of Scripture and the Gospel. 

Today, as is patently clear, all that has changed. While the percentage of Christians in our society remains about the same as during the colonial period, the character of the faith we profess has dramatically changed. We have substituted a gospel of personal peace and hope for the Gospel of the Kingdom. And this gospel, which is anothergospel from what our forebears knew, has little power for turning our nation rightside-up for the Lord. 

“There is more need in this for tears than words.” Columbanus saw the same thing in Gaul. He wrote to the pope, who was the head of the churches in Gaul, pleading with him to lead the Lord’s flocks back to health and faithful witness. He wept over the state of Christianity in Gaul, and worked diligently for revival, renewal, and awakening.

Perhaps it’s time for us to follow his example?

Ours is a time for tears. The ancient landmarks of our forebears have been moved, and the faith we are living today is not a faith that will turn our world rightside-up for Jesus Christ.

We need tears of repentance and pleading with God for revival of God’s people, renewal of our churches, and awakening of our nation to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And we need people who, like Columbanus, will stand up to the sad status quoof the faith and work diligently and selflessly to realize more of the presence, promise, and power of God’s Kingdom.

Psalm 80.1-7, 19 (St. Theodulph: All Glory, Laud, and Honor)
O God of grace, restore us, and shine on us Your face!
O save us, Lord, work for us; renew us by Your grace!
Give ear, O gracious Savior, Who leads us as Your flock;
Stir up Your pow’r and favor, our King and Lord and Rock!

Lord, forgive every way I have failed to please You, and every good I have omitted to do in Your Name. Help me today to…

How to pray for revival
Our book, Restore Us!, provides a concise explanation of why and how to begin praying for revival. It includes prayer sheets, based on 12 psalms, to guide you in this important work. Begin with yourself, until you are praying every day for God to bring revival. Then enlist some friends to meet weekly or monthly to unite your voices in seeking the Lord for revival. Click hereto order your copy of Restore Us! today.

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T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.