The Current American Tension and 4 Opportunities for the Church

By Carey Nieuwhof

You don’t need to be anything more than a casual observer of American (and Western) culture to know that something significant is happening.

In the past few years, we’ve seen North America roiled by civil rights movements, a pandemic, natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, mass shootings, and one of the politically polarizing eras in history.

The violence, destruction, and tension have become so normal that we no longer even post the “Pray For [Insert City Here]” graphics that used to earnestly spring up on social media whenever a new crisis emerged. There are just too many, and we’ve become too numb.

Add some unbelievable political tension into the mix, and most of us don’t know how to respond. Even as someone who lives north of the US border, has a great affection for the US, and has many friends in America, we all feel the tension and are living through it to one extent.

No church in Canada or anywhere in the West can pretend we’re not living in an age of heightened tension.

So how do we respond to the situation we’re in? While some in our culture believe the church is part of the problem, I believe it’s key to the solution.

Jesus is the love we keep missing as human beings. He is who we all really long for, and in Christ, we find our unity.

So how does the church better function as part of the solution rather than as part of the problem? Read More