The church is taking a beating. On the outside the picture looks bright. Its affluence is at an all-time high.  The church is taking in more money and spending out more money than ever before in all of her glorious history. Just take for example the Southern Baptist Convention. Last year 40,000 Southern Baptist churches took in $6 billion, and now owns property valued at $30 billion. The same could be said for practically every major denomination in America.

But a closer look reveals a darker picture. First of all, the influence of the church is going down.  During the 1977energy crisis, the Common-wealth of Virginia ordered all non-essential buildings closed. What was number one on the list? The church.1

More and more the church is being perceived as just another building; a place one g…