All Christians Are ‘Losers’

To be an American Christian today is often to be a cultural loser. This is true both as a matter of demographics and regarding the influence and respectability of traditional Christian beliefs. There are fewer Christians in neighborhoods, and our neighbors think less of us. We are increasingly outsiders. And how we respond to this reality may be the defining question of our time.

The good news is that Christianity has always been a religion for (short-term) losers. A resurrection faith need not be shaken by slogs through the valley of the shadow of death. Yet we are ever prone to losing heart in the face of our losses—at real cost to Christ’s gospel and the mission of his church. Recent headlines trumpet the bad public fruit of losing power poorly, but we must all be aware of the more subtle ways in which we too can be poor losers, whether of power or respectability. Read More