Christians must heed the call to be ‘salt and light’ in the world
As most people who pay attention to the religious landscape in America are probably aware, Christianity has been on the decline for several decades. Recent studies have stated that there is no major denomination where the majority of members are under the age of 45. This means that if millennials and Gen Z aren’t going to replace the older generations, the church will decline into irrelevance.
That’s not bad news for everyone, because some people believe it would be a good thing for Christianity to lose its significance in our society. But, before some of you rejoice about the decline of the church in America, we should probably remember the positive impact Christianity has had throughout the history of the world.
Since the days of Jesus, Christianity has transformed societies across the world in a positive way. Christianity has had a positive impact on virtually every part of our lives over the centuries. The church has founded schools, hospitals and orphanages; Christians have campaigned for prison reform, better housing and an end to the slave trade; they have helped to establish a large number of charities to support the poor, the underprivileged, prisoners and their families, the homeless and those seeking justice.
People may not know or maybe they have forgotten, that each and every day the church still makes a difference to millions of lives across the world. The church helps people who need food, clothing and shelter with its many ministries and nonprofits across the globe.
The church has chaplaincies in many organizations, including universities and workplaces, to provide practical and emotional support to students and workers. Around the world, the church is working to tackle poverty and injustice. It is providing financial and practical help for communities hit by natural and humanmade disasters. It does advocacy work in order to speak up for the voiceless.
The work done by the church is not motivated by a need to earn God’s favor. We can’t do anything to make God love us more than God already does. Christians do these ministries as a response to Jesus’ call for us to be salt and light in the world. Jesus was saying that by being “salt” and “light,” Christians should and would be a positive influence on their communities.
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers a parable about a king passing judgment. Christians see it as an indication of how God will judge those who claim to follow him and also of how Christians should show mercy to people:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25:35-26). This is what we are called to do as the church and as Christians.
However, as many of us know, the church has not always gotten this right. Considerable harm has been done around the world in the name of Christianity over the centuries. The crusades, colonization, support of slavery, child abuse by leaders in the church, and other offences have caused immeasurable harm.
But these acts do not reflect the life and teachings of Jesus and his call to the church.
The church has certainly not always been on the right side of history, but when the church lives out its mission, it has and can continue to be a positive impact in the world. My prayer is that all Christians will live out our Christ-given mission and put the needs of others ahead of our own needs.
If the world can see the church as salt and light, then we may see a revival in the church and an increase in the positive impact it can have on the world. And that would be good news for everyone.