I have been revisiting J.I. Packer’s classic, Knowing God. It is refreshing moving through this book and finding gems to pull out. There are morsels to chew on.

One of his last chapters is a bit harsher. It blasts away at the weakness of western Christianity. We have truncated the gospel and promised people the “good stuff” and minimized the hard stuff of life.

Unreality in religion is an accursed thing. (p. 251)

He calls it the wasting disease of much modern Christianity. (And this was written over 50 years ago.)

I am working on a book to publish I’ve called What Happened to My Church? I need to work in folks like Packer because I can get too focused on the last 10-15 years of Christianity and we can all too easily some up any supposed problems in one name or one phrase. This is much deeper an issue and I need to keep the picture more broad.

We are escapists. We rarely want realism in our lives. We want simple solutions to explain tragedies. Packer won’t go there. He wants his readers to face the realities of this world… and God.

He quotes a hymn from John Newton:

I asked the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly of His face.

I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request,
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried,
“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
” ‘Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”

“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thous may’st seek thy all in me.”

We have simplified the gospel to a western view of comfort. We have failed to make disciples. We have failed to raise up people of suffering and triumph, of marginalized and empowered. We have set our eyes on earthly goals and fallen to the gods of money, sex, and power. Those are on full display in this time period, but the seeds were planted in western Christianity long ago.

In the words of Packer: It fails to grasp New Testament teaching on sanctification and the Christian warfare. It does not understand the meaning of growth in grace. It does not understand the operation of indwelling sin. It confuses the Christian life on earth with the Christian life as it will be in heaven… but the basic criticism must surely be that it loses sight of the method and purpose of grace. (p. 249)

The mess we see today isn’t about one political party or another. It’s not about one figure or another. It’s not even about any perceived enemies other than ourselves. We are in this mess because we have failed in discipleship. We have failed to follow Christ fully.

We must find our way home. To Christ. His heart. And the road of suffering and glory.