Many of the more progressive nations are not merely overlooking or ignoring their Judeo-Christian heritage, but actively destroying it.

They are making their way through their laws and constitutions, their definitions and traditions, to divest it all of any remnants of the biblical principles and assumptions upon which these nations were built.

There is nothing that is sacred, nothing that can't or won't be touched in this great scouring.

Those of us who live in these nations are having to operate with some new assumptions.

Some of these pertain to the way churches operate

We have always assumed that when we give money to churches and ministries we will receive a tax receipt, but those days may soon be over for organizations that will not bow before one of society's sacred cows.

Some of these pertain to family

We have always assumed that as parents we have the right to educate our children as we see fit, but it's not hard to foresee a future in which that is no longer the case.

Some of these pertain to marriage

We have always assumed that marriage is between one man and one woman, but now marriage has been extended to same-sex couples and many assume polygamous relationships cannot be far behind.

It extends through education, business, politics, and everything else.

Because Judeo-Christian values are so deeply embedded in the warp and woof of our nations, there is really no area that can't or won't be changed.

As so many nations revoke their heritage, Christians will need to learn how to live in a post-Christian world.

We will need to learn to live in a world where the laws inhibit our ability to worship freely rather than assist it, where traditions oppose the Bible instead of complement it, where the assumption is no longer that Christian people and their churches are a help but a hindrance to a thriving, prosperous society.

It may be an intimidating time, but we won't be alone in it.

There will be help for us if some of our brothers and sisters are willing to offer it and if we are willing to receive it.

Though the West is becoming post-Christian, much of the rest of the world is either pre-Christian or a-Christian.

Much of the rest of the world is either just beginning to embed Christian values in their laws or constitutions, or never has. Continue reading

Image: Challies.com

Lord Jonathan Sacks said European society as it currently is "will die" because of a demographic crisis.

He warned that even mass immigration is not a solution because of problems integrating new arrivals into existing society.

Lord Sacks gave an interview to the Daily Telegraph after receiving The Templeton Prize for his work promoting religious understanding.

In the interview, he said similar falling birth rates had been the hallmark of the last days of the Roman Empire.

There was, he said, "no question" that this poses a serious threat to the future of western civilisation as it has been known.

"The contemporary historian[s] of ancient Greece and ancient Rome saw their civilisations begin their decline and fall, both the Greeks and the Romans attributed it to falling birth rates because nobody wanted the responsibilities of bringing up children," he said.

"They were too focussed on enjoying the present to make the sacrifices necessary to build the future . . . all the historians of civilisation have told the same story."

"Europe is going to die because of this because Europe can only maintain its population by unprecedented levels of immigration," said the former Chief Rabbi.

"Now those could be integrated into Europe but they won't be integrated into Europe because when a culture loses its memory it loses its identity and when a culture loses its identity there's nothing left for people to integrate into."

He argued that demographic change could be linked a loss of religious faith in the West, which for centuries has been associated with a high regard for the institution of the family.

"Contemporary historians . . . right now, have failed to find a single historical example of a society that became secularised and maintained its birth rate over subsequent centuries," he argued.

He added: "That's how great civilisations decline and fall."

Sources

• The Telegraph
• Image: Becket Fund