STANDING FIRM

There are many reasons for Christians to abandon their faith in Christ and become secular these days. The first of these is the feeling of power, self-sufficiency and autonomy that scientific advancement and technological development, marks of today's world, produce in people. The consequence of this is the emergence of a strong atheist mentality that prints, in contemporary man, the idea that he no longer needs God, because he is able to solve his problems and direct his destiny alone. Today, there is talk of a "post-Christian" world, in which God is just an outdated idea. Identifying yourself as a follower of Jesus means being an alienated. 

This new world, dominated by science and rationalism, caused the emergence of a materialistic worldview that resulted in the appearance of new ideas about the human person, causing transformations of a social nature. Gender ideology, for example, promotes changes in the way people see themselves, reflecting directly on the configuration of family and society.  Positioning yourself as a Christian in the face of those who defend this thought implies certain difficulties, because even attitudes of love and respect will not prevent us from being labeled fools, backward or prejudiced.

But the reasons for the abandonment of faith are not only of an external order to Christianity. They come from the Church itself who, unprepared to face new demands, do not know how to position themselves and to remain relevant as a bearer of the Gospel of Christ. This deficiency has direct consequences on the evangelizing action and discipleship of the faithful. The announcement of kerigma is devoid of consistent argumentation before the atheist and materialistic cognition of contemporary thought. Catechesis and teaching to the faithful do not prepare them for life in the environment averse to the Gospel. Over time, Christians, under the attack of scientific ideas, give up Christian doctrine because they see no more sense in it.     

The Church, under the influence of this materialistic mentality, assimilates, without realizing, its "inputs" and adopts them in its action. One example is the triumphalism present in certain religious congregations, in which there is a search for ministerial success that is defined in the growth of the number of people attending the services. The goal is to grow and not evangelize and make disciples of Christ. The result of this path is not a strong Church prepared to be light in the world. What occurs is a loss of relevance of the Church as a bearer of a spiritual message, for what is established is a new status characterized by power, fame and money. 

For these reasons, the atheist or even people who are seeking meaning for life do not recognize the Church as authorized to speak of God. Especially when they see news about the practice of paedophilia by priests, on the one hand, and on the other, the enrichment of religious with the money of the tithes of the faithful. These things make Christians themselves wonder about the seriousness of the Church. It is still worth highlighting, in all branches of Christianity, the presence of eccentric and strangers teachings that, without support in Scripture and who have never been taught by Christ and his Apostles, harm reasonableness and shame the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is a fact that Christians around the world are secularizing and betting on faith. Matthew recorded that Jesus, speaking about the "end of time," said, "because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (24:3,12,13). It is necessary to stand firm, for Jesus warned of the presence of the tares in the midst of the Church (Matthew13) and said that "not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven...” (Matthew7.21). It is necessary to stand firm, for He also said that " things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come" (Luke17.1). 

Although all this, we know that God exists, that the Gospel is the Truth and that most priests are serious, correct and consecrated people and that there is much good in the Church. So we should not be intimidated. Rather, let us try to devote ourselves to prayer, reflection in the Word and to live according to it, "not leaving our congregation as is usual for some people" (Hebrews10.25). The prophet Daniel said that at the end of time science would multiply (12.4). So this is the scenario in which we are inserted and for which we were called to bear witness to Christ. Moreover, it is necessary to understand that being a Christian is not something for many (Matthew7.13). Thus, if the scientific, materialistic and atheistic mentality labels us anachronistic, we do not shake, for we are part of those who, since Enos, that is, from the immediate times to the Fall, invoke the name of the LORD (Genesis 4:26).

Antônio Maia - M. Div.

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