Josh McDowell's Blog

What is faith? Some describe it as a mysterious force, others as a personal feeling, and still others as a blind leap to be taken when evidence is lacking. In a culture that often seems confused about spiritual things, followers of Christ can easily lose clarity on what faith actually is. Yet if we are called to be a light in a world that’s searching for truth, we must understand faith not as culture presents it, but as the Bible defines it. And the Bible defines it quite simply.

Defining Faith: It’s Actually About Trust

In the Bible, the words most frequently translated as “faith” (pistis) and “believe” (pisteuo) both convey the idea of trust. In fact, since the word “faith” has been so watered down in our culture, it makes sense to replace it with “trust.” This is actually an important move, because people will often get head nods when they say, “I have faith” in the midst of a difficult situation. However, if someone were to say, “I have trust”, it would feel like something is missing. Those listening would naturally, and rightly, lean in to ask, “trust in what?” And that’s the point.

The Bible describes faith as trust placed in someone or something. So the real question is never “Do I have faith?” Everyone has faith. The better question is “In what (or whom) is my faith placed?” How do we know everyone has faith? Everyday life gives us countless examples of it. When someone boards an airplane, they are placing trust in the pilot, the aircraft, the training, and the system that surrounds air travel. When someone steps onto an elevator, they have faith (or trust) that the inspection is up to date and no harm will come to them. The list goes on and on. The bottom line is that everyday we act on almost countless moments of trust because we think we have good reasons to do so. That’s the idea of faith in the Bible. An act of trust for good reason.

Dive deeper into this topic by listening to our podcast episode: Four Things We Forget About Faith

1. Faith Is Not the Opposite of Reason

Culture often portrays faith as something you cling to when logic fails. But the Bible never treats faith as anti-intellectual. In fact, Scripture repeatedly calls us to think and reason. Consider the following examples.

In Isaiah 1:18, God invites His people to “come, let us reason together.” In Acts 17, Paul reasons with the Athenians as he explains the truth of the gospel. Peter urges believers to be ready with reasons for hope within them in 1 Peter 3:15. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus validates His identity through miracles, fulfilled prophecy, and eyewitness testimony. All of these are evidence and reasons for worthwhile trust. In fact, the Apostle John even concludes his Gospel in John 21:25 by saying that if every proof of Jesus’ life were recorded, the world itself couldn’t contain the books.

Christian faith doesn’t ask you to believe without reason. It asks you to trust because of reason after reason after reason. It is a trust built on evidence, testimony, history, and the knowable character of God. Reason is not the enemy of faith; it is one of its foundations. It must be remembered that the opposite of faith is unbelief, not reason.

2. Faith Is Not Blind (Clarifying 2 Corinthians 5:7)

One of the Bible’s most commonly misunderstood verses is 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Many take this to mean faith is a blind leap. But Paul is not prescribing a way to believe, he is describing the present reality of the Christian life.

In the context of the passage, Paul is saying that because we are not yet with the Lord face-to-face, we live our daily lives trusting in Him whom we have not yet seen. Our faith is anchored in Christ from beginning to end. Paul is not telling us to shut our eyes to evidence; he is reminding us that we trust the One who has already proven Himself faithful, even though we do not yet stand in His visible presence. It is in this way that we walk by faith, not sight.

This distinction matters. Christianity has never required blind faith. It calls us to trust a God who has revealed Himself through creation, Scripture, Christ, and the work of the Spirit. Our faith is not blind. Rather, it confidently trusts in what is known and anticipates the day when faith becomes sight.

3. Faith Is Rooted in God and His Promises

Faith is not self-generated optimism; it is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Bible makes it clear that true faith has God as both its source and its object.

Romans 4 gives us a powerful picture of this in Abraham. He was called “the father of many” long before he had a child. By age 99, both he and Sarah were well beyond childbearing years. All visible evidence contradicted God’s promise. Yet Abraham “did not waver in unbelief,” because his faith wasn’t rooted in circumstances. It was rooted in God Himself. Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness and resulted in both the son promised to him by God and the Son to whom the promise pointed to in fullness.

Abraham trusted God’s promise because he trusted God’s character. This is the essence of biblical faith: not trusting that circumstances will work out, but trusting the God who holds the circumstances. God has promised salvation to those who believe. God has promised a final defeat of all that is evil. God has promised a restoration of all that is good. Our faith is rooted in these promises because the God who made them is worthy of this trust.

4. Faith Leads to Action

Abraham didn’t merely believe in private; he lived into the new name God gave him. He introduced himself as “the father of nations” long before he saw the fulfillment. Sarah lived into her new name as well (mother of nations). Their trust in God’s promises outweighed their fear of the opinions around them.

For Christians today, the same principle applies. God’s greatest promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is the One who became sin on our behalf so that we might be declared righteous. Trusting Him changes the way we live. It moves us toward obedience when it would be easier to shrink back. It empowers us to face cultural pressure without fear. It shapes the way we speak, work, love, and lead. When the book of James tells us that faith without works is dead, it means it. Actions that honor God put obedience on display naturally result from a genuine and sincere faith. When the tell others we have faith, they should be able to see it consistently lived out in our day-to-day lives.

How to Live Out a Faith that Can be Seen

If we want to shine the light of Christ in a confused world, our faith must be visible. That doesn’t mean being loud or showy. It means consistently trusting God more than our circumstances and more than the opinions of others.

As we gather with friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family, the question to carry with us is simple: “Am I demonstrating trust in God or trust in something else?” That something else could be the approval of others, our self image, our status, or numerous other things.

But here’s the most important thing. If I’m not demonstrating trust in God, it will show. If I am demonstrating trust in God, it will show. So what are you going to show?

The post Four Things We Forget About Faith appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

Nearly 3 in 5 young adults report feeling purposeless in their lives during the past month, according to a  2022 Harvard study. In 2023, another Gallup study found that between 43-49% of Gen Z say what they do each day doesn’t feel interesting, important, or motivating. To be fair, young adult life is hard. It’s filled with things like moving out for the first time and juggling classes, freedom, and an overloading of opinions. Or entering the workforce and suddenly having adult money and adult bills. Or being stuck between jobs for the first time wondering if the next opportunity will come. All of these different circumstances share a common ache: a lack of direction. Often this can result in the inevitable rising of an ancient question: “What does this all mean?”

The Modern Crisis of Meaninglessness

I’ve heard many students say: “I feel like I’m just going through the motions.” This is to say our actions feel as if they don’t matter and we lack meaning. We can write a paper on a subject we don’t care about wondering why we are putting in the effort. We can experience surface level friendships that seem unsatisfying and ask what they are for. We may scroll late at night and bed-rot in the morning feeling numb and empty. All of these examples expose a lack of meaning. But this lack of meaning isn’t the sole problem, it’s the first signal that something deeper is missing. This is because a lack of meaning is a symptom of a lack of purpose. Feeling purposeless is like walking through life without a compass, or losing cell service for your GPS. It’s like meandering through life with no clear direction or end goal. It’s disorienting, and you may not realize you lack it till you stop to look around.

There are many reasons someone may feel a sense of purposelessness, but I’ve found that one reason stands in prominence. Our modern society has tried to replace the age-old question of ‘what is the meaning of life’, with ‘how can we find meaning in life?’

The Problem with Creating ‘Small-m’ Meaning

Some have tried to shrink the question of our ultimate purpose to a more manageable size. To remove the spiritual aspect and transcendent objective purpose, the shift has led thinkers to ask: “What is meaningful in my life?” Finding the answer to this question places meaning in your hands. It’s to say that you can fulfill the itch of purpose by creating meaning in the small things of life. It’s to attempt to make your actions valuable through things that make us feel good or fulfilled such as hobbies, passions, relationships, or achievements.

Thus, you create your own goals, and pursue your own happiness, and if your actions help you on your journey, they are meaningful. The problem with this is meaning lasts so long as your good feelings last. When you attain what you are looking for, what’s next, and what if it does not satisfy like you thought it would? You are left wondering if any of it even mattered in the first place. The truth is, we long for more than our own created small-m meaning. We desire ultimate, big-M meaning.

Explore This Core Question

This tension between creating our own “small-m” meaning and receiving a “Big-M” purpose is the central question of our identity. To explore this idea further, see:

Do We Create or Discover Our Identity?

The Cure: Receiving the ‘Big-M’ Meaning of Life

The truth is there is a meaning of life. It’s not made by you, it is received. Scripture tells us what our true purpose is. It’s the cure to the meaning crisis. The bible does not give us abstract ideas to create our own interpretation, it reveals our identity and gives direction. Two things are revealed with clarity: who God is and who we are in light of Him.

We are created in God’s image for relationship and reflection.

Created for RelationshipCreated for Relationship: From the very beginning, our purpose was to be in relationship with God who is by his very nature relational.

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

Created for Love and Communion: We were created with a free will for the purpose of love. God is loving in his very nature, and he has created us to be self giving creatures to love Him and others.

Matthew 22:37-39 “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Created for Union with God: Our purpose is not merely to do things for God, but to be with God. It’s to know Christ. This gives meaning, which ultimately flows from a relationship with Him.

John 17:21-23 “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Created for ReflectionCreated for Reflection: We are created to reflect God’s character and represent His goodness in creation.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

What “Image of God” Truly Means

This identity as God’s image-bearers is the foundation of our purpose. To dive deeper into what this profound concept means, read:

Three Profound Truths About Being Made in the Image of God

Created for God’s Glory: God has created us to recognize his goodness and wisdom and power and reflect them in our lives.

Isaiah 43:7 “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

We were created for good works: Our purpose is not to earn God’s favor by doing good works. It is to walk in the good which God has already prepared for us. This is discovered as we walk with God in an intimate relationship.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

How True Purpose Changes Everything

When we know our true purpose, to be in relationship with God and reflect Him as image bearers, our lives fill with meaning. It’s almost like wandering lost through the desert to stumble upon a map to the nearest water source. Or driving in a rural area with no direction to gain cell service and a map loads. The direction of your life makes sense again. Then, even the smallest tasks gain significance. The paper you don’t care about may become a way to steward your mind and grow in wisdom and appreciation for how God has worked through history. A job you dislike may become a chance to serve others with excellence. A conversation becomes a sacred space to listen and love. When you live with your true purpose, nothing is meaningless anymore.

 

 

 

The post The Cause and Cure of Feeling Purposeless appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

100 years from now, every one of us is going to be dead.

200 years from now, nobody is going to care.

Those were the first words I remember hearing in the opening of a sermon at a church I was visiting for the first time. They were celebrating their first service in a new building, too. I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I would think to open a sermon on such a momentous day.

If those words hit you as they hit me, I suspect the reason is that we spend so much of our lives working toward some ultimate goal or purpose, yet something about those two simple facts of life cries out, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” Is there any hope in finding a purpose in life that isn’t snuffed away by the slow march of time, leading to the inevitable death of you, everyone you know, and everyone who cares?

Is it possible that the preacher was making a good point, perhaps even that he might tell a better story?

How Did We Get Here? The Loss of Purpose (Telos)

I believe life is rich with meaning and purpose, and I will contend for that before the article’s end. But to understand where our meaning and purpose truly lie, it helps to know how we wound up searching for purpose in the first place.

For most of human history, people believed that practically all things had a purpose, an end goal, or a “telos.” Much of this changed when Isaac Newton, considered one of the fathers of modern science, came out with his revolutionary laws of physics. Rather than believing that things like wind, waves, planets, and stars move for some divine purpose, we realized that, ultimately, they move through physical, mechanical processes. Even something as simple as a baseball doesn’t fly to second base to get a player out; it flew there because it was in physical contact with a fast-moving hand that released the ball in the direction of second base. There’s no ultimate purpose. It’s an illusion. It’s just physics.

The “Newton for a Blade of Grass”

Of course, living things like people could still be said to have a purpose, right? As the German philosopher Immanuel Kant boldly declared in 1790, (paraphrased) “There will never be a Newton for a blade of grass.”

69 years later, Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution, and the world came to believe he did exactly what Kant declared could never happen. As the theory goes, plants, animals, and people aren’t explained by purposes any more than rain, stars, and baseballs. We don’t exist for this or that. All life—including human life—is fully explained by physical, mechanical processes of mutation and natural selection. Once again, it’s just physics.

The Hunt for Meaning (And Why It Fails)

Like an unwanted child of accident, Darwin (or, shall I say, the ideology of Darwinism) stripped humanity of its purpose. Many philosophers declared, therefore, that the ultimate end of a Darwinistic universe is the philosophy of Nihilism—a completely meaningless, purposeless, valueless existence. After all, it’s just physics.

Indeed, as the reality of Darwinism set in, many accepted the dismal embrace of Nihilism. But that wasn’t the whole story. We can’t help but long for some bigger, higher purpose in life; that’s part of what it is to be human. So we searched, inventing a lot of “ism’s” along the way—humanism, materialism, existentialism, expressive individualism—all in an attempt to embrace something to give us meaning again. We tried to rise above the absurdity of a random, chaotic existence and create our own meaning.

If that doesn’t sound strange, it should. If you create your own meaning, how could that lead to a bigger, higher purpose? Traditionally understood, purpose has a greater, binding mission behind it, like a holy beckoning from the clouds. There’s a higher calling and obligation to fulfill one’s purpose. That’s what gives it color. But if you invent your own purpose on a whim, then nothing compels you to follow it, and you can just as easily change your mind and come up with a different purpose. If that’s the case, was it really “purpose” to begin with, or just a desperate attempt to make us feel better about our existence in a universe that doesn’t care? Repeat after me: “Meaningless! Meaningless!”

A Better Story: The Bible’s Brutal Honesty

Believe it or not, you just quoted the Bible.

““Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.”

“No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered.” -Ecclesiastes 1:2–4, 11 (NIV)

Even long before Darwinism, the Bible was brutally honest about the despairing reality that in 100 years, we’ll all be dead, and in 200 years, nobody will care. But like that church preacher, the author of Ecclesiastes was not trying to make us depressed. He’s trying to snap us out of the hopeless illusion that we can invent our own meaning.

The Purpose We Were Made For

Why? Because there’s a better story to be told: We are God’s creation (Eph. 2:10), made in His image (Gen. 1:27), to know God (John 17:3), to appreciate His gifts (Eccl. 3:12–13), to reveal God’s multi-layered wisdom (Eph. 3:10), to restore the world to Him (2 Cor. 5:18–19), to finish the race, to keep the faith, and to receive the crown of righteousness from God Himself (2 Tim. 4:6–8). This isn’t just a purpose of our own imagination; it’s the highest purpose from God Himself, evidenced by the historical reliability of Scripture—one that dignifies humanity with a divine calling so infused with meaning that everything else looks like garbage (Phil. 3:8).

10,000 Years From Now

The fact is, we long for meaning and purpose because God made us that way. He made us to be fully alive and satisfied in Him, both now and forever. That’s how the Bible starts, and that’s how it ends. That’s the better story He invites us to be a part of.

What, then, do we make of death? Yes, unless Jesus returns, we’re all going to die, and 200 years from now, nobody will care. But here’s the thing: neither should we. Our purpose is found in God’s great story, not ours. Even more, Jesus said in John 14:19, “Because I live, you also shall live.” Jesus died, but then he resurrected. It’s a promise for everyone who accepts God’s invitation to save us from our sins and redeem us into an eternal relationship with Him. If we can take the story off ourselves and see the greater purpose of our existence, we can reflect on Heaven and sing along with the poet to the tune of Amazing Grace:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

 

The post Why Life Feels So Meaningless, and What To Do About It appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

Tragedy is disorienting. It interrupts the comfort of ordinary life and scatters our thoughts and emotions. A shooting, an earthquake, a senseless act of violence leave us with the reality that our safety and security may be an illusion. What confronts us is evil that awakens our deepest intuitions about how the world should be. We expect order, fairness, love, and meaning, but evil violates them all. We want to believe that good wins in the end or that justice will be served, but in moments of chaos those truths seem to slip through our fingers.

In light of last month’s tragedies in the United States, and the witnessing of persecution around the globe, I’ve felt this insecurity. Tragedy dominates when it strikes. It’s dominated my emotions and my thought life. And I’ve asked the questions of what now? Who or what can I trust? What do I do with my emotions? How do I be real with people who may think differently than me? Maybe you’ve asked these sorts of questions too.

 Scripture: An Anchor for the Soul in Disorienting Times

In these moments, I look for an anchor that tethers me to truth and goodness. Scripture is this anchor. It provides three aspects of clarity in times of tragedy which serve as comfort for our souls. It names evil for what it is, guides us in how we are to respond, and reminds us of who God is in the midst of our pain.

Scripture Speaks Truthfully About Evil and Tragedy

In walking through deep pain with others, and experiencing moments of tragedy myself, I’ve learned that more than an answer of why something happened, what we really desire in those moments is someone to take our pain seriously. We long for someone to share in our sufferings and affirm our feelings. To call out what we see as evil as it really is.

Scripture speaks with an honest realism regarding tragedy. In Genesis we read of the origins of evil. When Adam and Eve used their free will to grasp for autonomy and choose to live life as they wanted, God’s good creation was cursed (Gen 3:17) and as Paul says, “subject to frustration.” (Romans 8:20-21) Relationships were distorted, the earth was cursed, and life now ends in death. In Genesis chapter four, when brother kills brother, we read the blood of Abel “cries out from the ground.”

Related Content: Working Your Way Through The Pain

From the opening chapters of the Bible to the end of Revelation, we read that almost every figure who walks faithfully with God also walks through tragedy. Moses is rejected by his people, spends decades in exile, is burdened by leading a rebellious nation, and is banned from entering the promised land. David commits adultery, spends years in exile as a fugitive from Kind Saul,, is betrayed by his son Absalom, and experiences the loss of children. Job is called a righteous man who experiences more than a great deal of suffering as he loses his wealth, family, health, and reputation. John the Baptist is imprisoned and beheaded. The disciples were willing to die for the belief Jesus rose from the grave, and we have evidence many did. Paul was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, betrayed, and martyred. These examples are in stark contrast to much of our modern day culture. Society has a way of avoiding naming evil, talking about tragedy, or explaining pain away. These things are uncomfortable, but they must be named.

The point is this, scripture speaks plainly about a world broken by sin and the chaos that follows. The pages of the bible do not hide from pain or edit out injustice or sanitize suffering. This means scripture takes your pain seriously, meaning the God of the bible takes your pain seriously.

Scripture Models How We Are to Respond

Nearly a third of the Psalms are laments. These are not words of faithlessness in the midst of tragedy but a faithful honesty before God. Psalm 62:8 says to “pour out your heart before him.” Lament is grief directed toward God. We are invited to bring our sorrow to God. The psalms are full of raw cries to God: “How long, O Lord?” (Psalm 13:1-2), “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” (Psalm 10:1). This action has a profound impact on us as human beings.

Acknowledging the Brokenness

First, it helps us acknowledge and name the evil or tragedy. As previously mentioned, we have a tendency to avoid pain and overlook suffering. Lament requires an honest acknowledgement of our broken world.

Moving Toward God in Grief

Second, it moves us toward God rather than away from him. This is a posture towards hope and away from despair. When crying out to God, we are doing so in a relationship with him. We are bringing our burdens and sorrows to his feet. Psalm 13 is a great example of how David moves from crying out to God to expressing trust in God’s unfailing love. What starts out with cries of lament and feelings of being forgotten, forsaken, and overwhelmed turns to a declaration of trust. He says in verse 5, “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.”

The model of the psalms for us is to name evil as evil, bring our grief to God with honesty, and put our hope and trust in God.

Scripture Reveals Who God Is in the Midst of Tragedy

I’ve heard it said that the Psalms do not just tell us what the cries of Israel were, but they also tell us what God can hear. He can hear cries of injustice, lament, grief, and frustration. In Exodus 3:7-8 we witness that God sees Israel’s suffering, hears their cries, and is moved to deliver them. In Genesis when Hagar is outcast from Abraham’s family, she is wondering and cries out to God and calls him El Roi. the God who sees. These two passages reveal that God hears and sees his people in tragedy. He is not distant and disengaged, he is present, interruptible, and takes interest in you.

God is also moved to action. The emotion most attributed to Jesus in the gospels is compassion. Jesus is moved with pity over and over as he walks with us humans and witnesses our pain. When Jesus approaches the tomb of Lazarus, he weeps. Jesus is so moved with compassion that he weeps at the death of his friend. This means Jesus feels and weeps with you.

More From Cru: Finding Hope in Darkness & Grief 

Finally, we read that God is the only one with the power to overcome evil. Our ultimate hope is that this life is not the end. For those who surrender their lives to Jesus and receive his forgiveness, we have ultimate hope. In Revelation 21:4 we read:

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Tragedy will never have the final say, because our good God is in control. When we see God clearly as one who sees and hears us, is moved with compassion, acts on our behalf, and in the end will be victorious, we find an immense amount of hope and peace.

How to Test the Anchor in Your Own Life

I find two facts to be comforting. First, this world is not as it was created to be. Second, this world is not our home. And yet, God does not abandon us or ignore us. He enters into our tragedy, takes it upon himself, and offers the only hope to overcome.

You may think, ok, scripture speaks truthfully, models how we ought to respond, and reveals who God is, that’s my anchor, but I can’t see it right now. It’s like an anchor in the bottom of a deep lake, where the murkiness of the water does not let the light shine. The anchor is blurred and hidden. Sure, we may think it has hit bottom after casting it over the side of the boat, but do we really know? This is kind of like reading of the promises of scripture, without living as if they were true. What might we do in the case of sitting on a boat? We test the anchor to see if it’s grounded. We let the wind blow and see if it holds. In a similar way, in the midst of tragedy we look to scripture and read of who God is, what he has done, and what he invites us to do. Then we do as it models.

Here are four ways you can do that today:

Reflect on the reality of evil, and name the tragedy. You may read the beginning of Genesis and the account of the fall of man, or a psalm of lament.Read the responses of the witnesses in the bible who went through profound suffering. Read and reflect on Psalm 13.Remember what God promises. And speak those promises back to him. Read Exodus 3:7-8, Psalm 34:18, Hebrews 4:15, Revelation 21:4. “Lord you say… in your Word, help me believe these promises today.”Talk to someone. Your greatest need in tragedy may not be an answer to why you are in your current situation, your greatest need may be for someone to share in your grief. Galatians 6:2 models that we are to bear one another’s burdens, allow someone to do that for you.

The post The Clarity of Scripture in Times of Tragedy appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

If you selected to read this article, it’s probably because the title felt relevant to you. Every bone in my body wishes an article on the world falling apart would be utterly irrelevant. And yet, here we are.

Ask someone 20 years ago what the future would look like, and they might paint a picture of robot assistants, towering buildings, and flying cars. Ask someone today what the future will look like, and you might get a post-apocalyptic landscape of bomb shells, empty food stores, government collapse, and total anarchy. I would bet most of us have even wondered how much time humanity has left to live.

I’m typically not a doom-and-gloom kind of guy, but at the same time, I can understand the motive behind it. Fear and uncertainty grip us like a stubborn cold. With the rising tide of violence, ongoing wars, political unrest, economic stresses, and environmental concerns, we face real threats today, and we anticipate many more looming on the horizon. How should Christians respond when the world around us is falling apart?

Finding Hope in History’s Chaos

An article on the world falling apart is not just relevant for today. In many ways, it always has been. Every generation of faithful believers, from Abraham to the present, has faced the reality that we live in a broken, unstable world.

Are things worse than they’ve ever been? Compared to the wars and captivities in Old Testament times, the oppressions and revolts in New Testament times, the collapse of the Roman empire, the Black Death, two world wars, evil regimes, famines, plagues, political upheavals, and countless other devastating events in human history, I’m hesitant to say so.

This isn’t to downplay the felt problems of our present moment, or to say things won’t get worse. But I am saying this: As Christians, we are not untethered from a rich history of wisdom from faithful believers who lived before us in chaotic times. As you will soon see, by looking into our past, we will be able to look into the future.

A Biblical Perspective on Fear: The Story of Elisha

Imagine living as an Israelite in the 9th century B.C., when the mighty Syrians waged war against your cities. One day, you wake up to find a massive army surrounding your small city. There is no escape, and as far as anyone in the city knows, their world is about to end. Welcome to 2 Kings 6.

Reading this story, we find a fascinating exchange between the prophet Elisha and his servant. It says in verses 15–16, “When the servant of [Elisha] got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’”

Seeing Beyond the Immediate Threat

Who are the people “who are with us” Elisha referred to, and why wasn’t his servant aware of this? We find out in the next verse. Elisha prays to God to open the servant’s eyes, and suddenly he sees horses and chariots of fire on the hillside—angelic warriors to defend Elisha and God’s people.

This is one of many examples where, in the midst of chaos, we fail to see the bigger realities of God. Fear has a way of doing that. Although our problems are not the same as Elisha’s, our solutions are. We need to expand our vision. We have a God who spoke the universe into existence by his voice, a God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, and a God who raised Jesus back from the dead. Scripture repeatedly calls God the “Lord of Hosts,” referring to our God’s command over his heavenly armies. He is good, faithful, powerful, and nothing catches him by surprise.

Choosing Your Reality: Fear vs. Faith

“Sure, but let’s be real,” you might say. Perhaps you could generate a long list of examples of terrible things happening in our world. Those are real problems, ones we can’t gloss over with a nice Bible devotional.

Real? Hebrews 1:3 says that God upholds the universe by the word of His power! Is that not also real?

The fact is, there are both troubling and encouraging realities in our world. The question, then, is which realities do you believe are greater, and which ones do you choose to set your mind to?

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul tells us that we are children of the light, not children of darkness. We think differently from those who have no hope. Our command, then, is to live accordingly, “wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10).

When you read the lineup of faithful individuals throughout Biblical history in Hebrews 11, you’ll find that faith is a forward-looking trust in the promises of God and a posture of obedience. This trust comes from witnessing God continually show his power over darkness in our lives, and in the lives of those who came before us. That’s a big reason why the author of Hebrews was inspired to walk us through the faith-filled history of God’s people.

How to Move Forward with Hope

We have found that when the world falls apart, we may be tempted to shrink back in fear and anxiety. Our response is to fix our attention on the greater realities of God.

By all means, let’s get involved to care for this generation and its future in practical ways. We should be good stewards of this planet and of the powers we have with God to bring healing. But at the core of our motivation should be a rock-solid conviction in the assurance of our God.

This is not just a motivational pep talk to make us feel better about ourselves as we go about our day. God calls us to a life of faith and trust. The encouragement from Scripture is the food we need to be grounded in our faith that we might live obediently in that way. And if faith truly comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), then perhaps we should spend less time scrolling and more time with God and Scripture. Let us also remember those who came before us as we seek to continue their legacy, focusing on gratitude toward God while trusting Him as we share with others the story of a God who remains steady in a world that isn’t. Then we will be ready to respond as the righteous ones in Psalm 112:7, which declares,

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

The post What to Do When the World Falls Apart: A Guide to Hope appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

Each new year presents fresh challenges that people face. It can feel overwhelming as we witness people struggle and be negatively affected in this broken world.

And at the same time, we can be part of seeing real change. By seeking to understand what those we care about are experiencing, and seeking to come alongside them, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to people.

Here are six challenges in culture to be aware of in 2026.

Confusion about Reality

In 2025, we have seen a dramatic rise in all things related to AI. While it has its benefits, it is causing confusion – especially among young people – around the answer to the question, “what is real?” This is perhaps the quintessential question for Generation Alpha as they emerge into cultures where what they see online and accept as real may not be images, voices, or video that actually correspond to reality, but instead are all manufactured by AI. This not only relates to realms of convenience (AI assistants), and entertainment (AI-generated content), but into actual relationships with the rise of AI companions.

It is far too early for anyone to know for certain the far reaching consequences of this unprecedented spread of AI into nearly all categories of daily life. However, we do know it shows no signs of slowing and we continue to see growing concerns over its seemingly unchecked acceleration in culture.

The Splinternet

The internet, and especially social media, now functions as the splinternet. The splinternet is the fragmentation of the internet into smaller communities of thought and interest.

Due to advanced algorithms, censorship, and other factors, individuals regularly consume and see news and content that is unique to them. This influences their worldview and opinions as they consume a constant drip of custom information. This is why two individuals can hear news of the same event and yet have very different narratives of what happened, making it hard to understand one another, find common ground, and appreciate each other’s views.

Syncretistic Spirituality

92% of Americans have a syncretistic spiritual worldview, meaning they collect spiritual ideas from a variety of avenues to form their beliefs and behaviors. In the West, we live in a post-Christian society where the majority of individuals hold to post-modern thoughts of relative truth, desiring to find a spirituality that works for them rather than necessarily seeking what is true.

Many aren’t concerned whether or not Christianity is true, but whether or not it is good and beautiful. As Christians, we must understand the times in which we live, and what people believe, in order to share Jesus with them.

Loneliness

It’s been said that we are more connected than ever before and yet are lonelier than ever before. How can this be? Well, loneliness is not caused by a lack of friends, it’s caused by a lack of meaningful connection.

Loneliness is an epidemic in our world. Today, 45% of young people report being moderately or extremely lonely.  Almost 40% of young people say they have no one to talk to and feel left out, and 45% feel as if no one understands them. The stats are haunting. 

Related: The Biggest Challenge for Christianity in 2025

Mental Health

The mental health crisis continues to accelerate. For example, 47% of young people report being moderately or extremely depressed and 55% of young people report being moderately or extremely anxious. Across the board, almost one in three adults report symptoms of anxiety and depression. And tragically, nearly one in five senior pastors contemplated self-harm or suicide within the past year.

This is significant. People are suffering mentally like never before. As Christians, we have the opportunity to show up, care, come alongside people, and help them get connected to the help they need.

Porn Use

The number of Christians and non-Christians consuming porn continues to rise. A recent study found that over half of practicing Christians regularly view porn. At Sightline, we continue to come across statistics and stories, witnessing the damage porn consumption does to people’s mental health, relationships, and view of sex. 

Real freedom can be found, but it starts with admitting help is needed and seeking help from God and qualified individuals and programs such as our friends at Pure Desire. It is also important to keep in mind that the root of this problem is not pleasure seeking, but rather a core issue at the heart of our identity. If, as Christians, we neglect to regularly meditate and reflect the truth of who made us, why we were made and where true satisfaction is found, these trends will only continue to accelerate. 

As Christians, we have a mandate but also an incredible opportunity to come alongside Christians and non-Christians alike who are experiencing brokenness in this world. We have the opportunity to love like Jesus and share the hope that we have in Him. We have the opportunity to walk with people and truly show care for them. 

Think about the people in your life. Who is one person that is dealing with one of the five challenges mentioned above? Once identified, I’d encourage you to take the following steps. First, pray for them regularly. Second, learn more about what they are facing. For example, if it is anxiety, check out the resources available at resolutionmovement.org. Third, ask them questions to seek to understand them. Show genuine care for them in your responses. Be like Jesus to them and where appropriate, share how Jesus has brought hope and purpose to your life.

For more resources on the issues of loneliness, mental health, and porn use, check out our initiative Resolution Movement at resolutionmovement.org. To go deeper on understanding syncretism and different spiritual worldviews, check out this YouTube Playlist from Matthew Tingblad. 

 

The post Six Challenges in Culture to Watch for in 2026 appeared first on Sightline Ministry.

A dangerous trend is accelerating in our culture among Christians and non-Christians alike. We are streaming hours of content that fill our screens and our minds with messages that celebrate the decay of truth, approve of all lifestyle decisions, and prescribe self affirmation as the best medication for any mental or spiritual struggles. We bathe our minds in these messages for up to seven hours per day. The result is cultural influence on a scale never seen before. It’s not only rewiring our brains and impacting our view of the world around us, it is redefining and distorting our view of God. This is a problem worth understanding so we both realize the implications and know how to move forward. First, we need to know this problem is not new.

 

An Ancient Problem: “You thought I was like you…”

Throughout Psalm 50, God contrasts the righteous with the wicked in Israel and states how the behavior and worship of the wicked is horribly skewed because they willingly put themselves under the influence of ungodly nations. As a result, they’re worshipping God as they want Him to be instead of how He is. They are reciting His name and claiming His covenant promises all while living in rebellion against Him. The way God calls out this problem is by stating in verse 21, “you thought I was exactly like you.” This was the heart of their problem, and it’s at the heart of our problem too. The implications are disastrous.

 

Related: Why You Can’t Use the Bible to Challenge God’s Goodness

 The Sole Attribute of the God We’re Settling For

The most important thing to consider is what happens when we get God wrong. Our infinite God has dozens of eternal and glorious attributes. The depths of each one could not be mined in a thousand lifetimes. However, the god created in our image has only one attribute worth considering. It is the anti-attribute of the God who is.

 

A god who is limited

The god presented in culture today is limited in power, knowledge, freedom, love and ability. He conveniently conforms to you. His desires are limited to your desires. His plans are limited to your plans. His will is limited to your will. Ultimately, you are his god. This is fully alien to the God we find is Scripture. He shares His sovereignty with none (Is 44:8), He is all powerful (Psalm 62:11), is Himself love (1 John 4:8), knows all (Hebrews 4:13) acts freely according to His pleasure (Isaiah 46:10), and works all things according His will (Ephesians 1:11b).

A god who is limited can have exactly none of these attributes. This god is also a god who is unnecessary, especially for salvation. That kind of god fits nicely in our culture today because the prevailing conclusion from culture’s most streamed voices is that there is nothing from which we need to be saved. Everyone is a good person. Every worldview is correct. Every belief, as long as it’s sincere, is true. This is diametrically opposed to the truth we find in Scripture. We are in desperate need of salvation (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6); God alone is Savior (Isaiah 43:11); He has offered this salvation through Christ alone (John 6:44, John 14:6), and He saves us in the midst of our sin when we call upon Him (Romans 5:8, Romans 10:3) and saves us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).

 

A Culture That Needs Redirection

What step can you take to redirect culture to the truth of who God is? Do we just write culture off as hopeless? Of course not. As mentioned above, this problem isn’t new in the least. It’s only on display for all to see like never before. And herein lies the opportunity. A problem that is easier to see is also easier to discuss. Fortunately, you aren’t called to take on culture as a whole. However, you can start with the culture that surrounds you. Your neighbors, co-workers, family members and more are all part of culture and have almost inevitably been influenced by this information revolution. Now, more than ever, is the time to be prepared to specifically and carefully share about who God is and who we are in light of who He is. Be on the lookout for these moments in discussions with those in your area of influence.

 

Related: Your True Identity: Loved by God, Not Used by Culture

 

In the age where voice overload never stops, people all around you are reaching a thousand different and contradictory conclusions about who God is. As such, gone are the days where you can simply mention “God” and have people know to whom you are referring. However, here are the days when people are more open to discuss spiritual things, which makes today a great day to carefully share truths that directly combat the distortions of reality all around us.

Our culture is lovesick. Partly because we are created to love, and partly because the modern understanding of love is greatly distorted. Our media is filled with stories that shape our expectations of what love should be, and it’s not always for the better. We hope for love, try it out, and are often left feeling empty and dissatisfied.

In Scripture, we read that God is love and loves perfectly, but what happens when that is read through the lens of modern culture? Culture distorts love in 3 core ways: equating love with feeling, utility, and desire. Each of these concepts fails to capture what love truly is and leaves us longing for more.

 

Lie #1: Love is Just a Feeling

Some of the most powerful feelings one can have are encompassed in the phrase “falling in love.” But with the power of those emotions comes culture’s desire to romanticize love and mistake the feeling of love for what love is. To say love is only a feeling is to treat it as a temporary emotional experience—butterflies in the stomach or a “happily ever after.”

 

The Destructive Consequence

We all know feelings fade. To base love on feelings leads to instability as emotions shift and waver. If love is just a feeling, what happens when attraction fades or when hardship strikes? Does that mean we’ve simply “fallen out of love”? According to this understanding, when the spark dies, so does the relationship. This leads to instability, anxiety, and a restless pursuit of the next good feeling.

 

Lie #2: Love is a Transaction (Utility)

Love requires a choice, which is part of what makes it meaningful. An act of love displays the value of the one being chosen. But human beings are selfish, and sadly that choice is often manipulated for personal gain. Our consumer culture teaches us to view relationships as transactional. Love’s value only goes as far as its usefulness. This is witnessed when people hold love over someone’s head for manipulation or say, “I won’t love you unless…”.

 

The Destructive Consequence

This conditional, utilitarian love leads to fear, insecurity, and unhealthy performance-based acceptance. At its core, it reduces people to tools that only have instrumental value. We long to be loved for who we are, not what we can provide. This transactional approach feels more like captivity than freedom.

 

Lie #3: Love is Selfish Desire

Love partly consists of desire, but far too often, love is reduced only to desire. Our culture, hypersexualized by pornography and hookups, often equates lust with love. This is to say that love is simply the desire for something. If I desire it, if I want it, then I love it.

Another distortion is to say love equals affirmation—that the only loving response is to affirm whatever someone chooses to do. Yet love without truth can affirm someone right into their own destruction.

 

The Destructive Consequence

Love as mere desire consumes rather than gives. It objectifies people, and though temporary cravings may be satisfied, it leaves a profound emptiness behind. Deep down, we long for intimacy and faithfulness—not to be consumed.

 

The Truth: What the Bible Says God’s Love Is

So how does Scripture shatter these distortions? In 1 John 4:8 we read, “God is love.” This does not mean God has loving feelings; it means love is His very being and character.

God’s Love is Unchanging: Unlike feelings, God’s love is not fickle because His character does not change (Malachi 3:6).God’s Love is a Choice: In Ephesians 1:4-5, we read that God chooses us. Romans 5:8 says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. His love is not a transaction dependent on our actions; it is freely given because we are inherently valuable as his creation.God’s Love is Sacrificial: My dad taught me, “love is an act of my will for the betterment of someone else, regardless of the cost.” Jesus states in John 15:13 that “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

While culture’s distorted love produces fragile and fleeting relationships, God’s love is true, faithful, freeing, and forever. Love is not simply what you feel, use, or want—it’s who God is, best represented by the Son of God dying on a cross for you.

One of the most common objections to Christianity is that God is not good. Critics point to passages of God’s judgment, his commanding the Israelites to engage in warfare, or a host of stories where God’s actions seem cruel or uncaring.

The attribute of God’s goodness is one of my deepest passions. It’s so critical that I have dived deep into these “problem passages,” even writing a book on them. After all, if we see God as good, we will give our lives to his purposes. But if God is not good, Christianity falls apart. No wonder this attribute has been subject to so much attack!

Yet despite the fact that we can discover God’s goodness when we dive deep, I believe such dives are not necessary to face this challenge. I’m serious. Keep reading to see what I mean.

 

Related Content: Attributes of God

 

The Unspoken Assumption Critics Make

Many people—Christians and non-Christians alike—read the Bible assuming they get to determine whether God is good based on his actions. This is understandable. We have a God-given moral compass, and we use it to judge the conduct of others. But using that same compass to judge God’s actions in the Bible falls into a clear-cut logical fallacy.

Here’s the rub: the same Bible that contains God’s severe judgments also explicitly teaches about God’s goodness. By my count, there are 63 verses that speak plainly to the goodness of God. Psalm 100:5a, for example, says, “for the LORD is good.” The Bible doesn’t leave room for us to make our own judgments about God’s character; the conclusion is already made. One may choose to disagree, but doing so undermines the very text they use for their argument!

 

The Logical Argument for God’s Goodness in Scripture

The error critics make becomes clear when spelled out in a simple deductive argument:

 

Premise 1: If the Bible is true, then everything it teaches is true.

This statement is true by definition.

 

Premise 2: The Bible teaches that God is good.

This is proven by dozens of clear teachings in the Bible, as mentioned above.

 

Conclusion: Therefore, if the Bible is true, God is good.

This conclusion follows logically from the first two premises.

 

Critics who use the Bible to argue that God is evil must first assume the Bible is true for their argument to have any weight. But once they assume the Bible is true, they are confronted with dozens of clear affirmations that God is Good! This doesn’t mean stories of judgment are false, but that a good God must have good reasons for those actions. This is the only possible landing point when the Bible is assumed to be true.

 

What If the Bible is Inconsistent?

Granted, one may argue that God’s actions in the Bible are so clear that there is no possible moral justification. That is a dangerously bold statement to make! (See Isaiah 55:9, Job 38–41, and Ezekiel 18:25.)

But even if that were the case, the best one could say is that the Bible is inconsistent with itself and therefore can’t be trusted. That is a different issue from whether God is good. An untrustworthy Bible would mean we must suspend our judgment of God’s goodness, not affirm that God is evil.

 

Related Content: Why Would God Ask Us to Fear Him

 

A Simple Truth to Remember and Share

As you can see, we never need to be afraid of difficult passages overthrowing our understanding of God’s goodness. While this doesn’t address every concern (like the problem of pain and suffering), it provides a solid foundation.

Again, I would encourage you to check out my book on the subject—Why Did God Do That?—where I show how God’s goodness is proclaimed even in the hardest passages. But as you have seen, it doesn’t take a whole book to confidently share this truth! Just commit the general argument above to memory. While you’re at it, commit one of my favorite verses to memory for these conversations:

“Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow.” (Lamentations 3:32–33 NLT)

That verse is just as true as any challenging passage you might stumble upon in the Bible.

In the age of cancel culture and condemnation, as believers, how should we be responding and engaging?

 

The Culture of Condemnation vs. The Example of Jesus

In New Testament times, amidst a society which held to punitive action in response to wrongdoing, Jesus entered the scene – with mercy. That must have been earth shaking.

To the accusers of a woman caught in adultery who was about to be stoned, He said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). Imagine the angry, condemning people, out for blood. What must they have thought as they considered the words they just heard. One by one, the members of the crowd walked away.

Left standing alone with the woman, Jesus said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.”

As believers, we have also been met by Jesus in this way – with grace, a charge to repent, turn away from our sin, turn back to God, and to lead one another on in love.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

– Ephesians 4:32

God has given us an immeasurable gift of grace and calls us to a high standard of doing the same for others as well.

 

A Higher Calling: 3 Steps for a Christ-Like Response

Three steps we can take to accomplish this are: 1) have a heart of gratitude for what God has done for us, 2) acknowledge that God loves and desires for everyone to be reconciled to Him; and 3) speak truth in love as we engage with others.

 

Step 1: Cultivate a Heart of Gratitude

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

– Colossians 2:6-7

Gratitude is a critical component that positions our hearts to be in alignment with God. When we remember what God has done for us – remember where we were in our brokenness when He met us – how can we help but be grateful? If ever we forget this gift, we can begin to feel unappreciative, entitled, and judgmental.

These things are not in line with God’s character, and they grieve Him. It is humility, peace, and joy that He desires for us. The root of these is having a heart of gratitude.

 

Step 2: Acknowledge God’s Love for Everyone

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”

– 1 Timothy 2:1-4

As easy as it is to take offense to what others do, God calls us to a higher perspective – one of love. God not only desires for us to draw closer to Him and grow in Christ-likeness, but He also desires that for everyone else too.

We are to be a light in this world (Matthew 5:14-16) and as Christ is our example, to follow in His footsteps (1 Peter 2:21-25). He died for us all.

 

Step 3: Speak Truth in Love, Not in Anger

“… let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

-Ephesians 4:23, 31-32

Speaking truth in love through kindness and respect is a powerful force of healing and growth. We never know who we’re interacting with that may never have been spoken to in that way – or how they might learn from us. We never know how God will work in their hearts when we engage with them by His example.

 

Putting Grace into Practice

Imagine the ripple effect of extending grace with truth and love to those around us who have never experienced it before.

The judgment and condemnation of cancel culture is not in alignment with God’s character. As believers we have a higher calling – to, by our Christ-like example, show others what it looks like to extend grace.

 

Resources for Deeper Healing and Forgiveness

AUTHOR’S NOTE: In this article, we touched on the surface of grace. There are many different levels of wrongdoing and complexity when it comes to what it means to forgive. When personal trauma and/or emotional/psychological pain is involved, healing is also a significant part of the process. Although we are unable to address these things in this article, there are many resources available which do.

Online resources:

Forgiveness Does Not Require Trust: Friend of Josh McDowell and the ministry, Dr. Henry Cloud, distinguishes forgiveness and trust, a common misunderstanding about forgiveness.Undaunted: The Early Life of Josh McDowell: Josh McDowell’s personal story of forgiveness of his abuser.

Seeking professional help when needed is also very important to the healing process when needed. For believers seeking assistance from someone with a biblical foundation, it’s important to look for recommended and accredited Christian counselors.