During a recent interview with the Christian Post, mega church pastor Carter Conlon warned that a “baptism of godlessness” is tearing America apart. Pastor Conlon went on to add that hopelessness, violence and drug use are increasing as Jesus Christ is consistently removed from the public sector.
Conlon currently pastors the Times Square Church, an interdenominational congregation that often sees over 10,000 in attendance. This number encompasses some 100 different nationalities. Pastor Conlon is also a successful author whose latest book, titled “It’s Time to Pray: God’s Power Changes Everything,” was released a few weeks ago. His experience personally leading hundreds of thousands of people to a saving knowledge of the gospel as well as his role as pastor and author gives him a unique perspective on the morality crisis facing the nation.
Pastor Conlon said he believed that America has now reached a crisis point that is only remedied by prayer.
“The founding fathers of this nation believed in God,” the pastor explained. “Much of the Constitution and the laws of the country were based on a Judeo-Christian worldview. Today, we are seeing an absolute baptism of godlessness. It’s terrifying because it’s tearing apart the very fabric of our society. Our only hope to not end up in a division that can’t be healed, is a returning to and an understanding that we are, and were, a nation under God. That’s our hope.”
According to Conlon, this godlessness is happening all over the nation.
“It is happening in all of our institutions; it’s happening in our schools, it’s happening in our government, our homes,” he continued. “There seems to be a concentrated effort in the last generation in particular to drive the knowledge of Christ out of the public market place, out of our grade schools, high schools, colleges, the conscience of the public.”
The pastor blames much of today’s societies theological and moral troubles on this push towards godlessness. He went on to say that this trend has fundamentally transformed society from the bottom up.
“It’s a distressing moment, because we are seeing the end result: opium addiction in our major cities, it’s getting into critical level. A break down of law and order; an incivility in our public arena; and we’re seeing the country divided on racial lines, sociological viewpoints. It’s getting to a point where it’s turning violent,” the pastor lamented. “This is where a nation that knew God, but rejected Him, tends to always go. This is the moment we are now in, and it is a fearful moment for the nation if we don’t turn back to God.”
Pastor Conlon says that he believes the gradual shift towards godlessness came about due to the fact that many people “are coming to what they think is salvation, but there’s no repentance.” He said too many people are only worried about their own joy and happiness, not living for others, which is a theological misunderstanding he blames on American churches shifting their focus from repentance to “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
To right these rights, the mega church pastor says America’s culture needs to return to a focus on true repentance and commitment to Christ. Pastor Conlon believes this begins with a renewed focus on prayer.
“I believe we are living in the last days,” the pastor concluded. “There is a promise in Scripture about an end time’s harvest. For that to happen, God’s people are going to need to pray again. This is the cry of my heart, this is what I am standing for and believing in now.”
~ 1776 Christian
