It’s not an understatement. We live in a confused and scary world. Tyrants are rising into positions of power; morality is being put up for a popularity vote; threats are used as bargaining tools for gain. And meanwhile, the economy is struggling, jobs are harder to come by, crime is on the uptick and diseases are becoming harder to control. For us here in Canada, it pays to be watchful of our neighbours to see where we are going next. Recent events in England may be of interest to us. Just this month, a teacher named Glawdys Leger was disciplined by the English College of Teachers and eventually had her teacher’s license revoked because she taught that God created man and woman, and that sex outside marriage is sinful. It might interest you that she was teaching Grade 8 students in a Christian school under the Church of England. The charges that she was not being “inclusive” and violated the “gender equality” requirements of the College stemmed from what she said in a Religious Education class at the school. In another case just this past week, the English Office of Students for Higher Education fined the prestigious University of Sussex £585,000 for firing a University professor, Dr. Kathleen Stock, because she published a book detailing research that “gender divergence” (being gay) is more a matter of social influence than genetic factors. We live in a confused and scary world, indeed. The curious thing about England is that researchers discovered the beginnings of an unparalleled interest in Christianity two years ago among those between 15 to 25 years old. The previous generation decried Christianity and declared itself heathen, but the younger generation seemed to return to the God of the Bible. In March 2025, bookstores and Bible societies across the nation reported an unprecedented increase in the sale of Bibles. The researchers noted, “Young people are coming back to the God their parents forsook.”
As I think on these things, my mind goes to a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither in the 1960s when their third child was born to a world forsaking God during the “God is dead” movement. Drug abuse was at a peak, and crime was rising astronomically. And on top of that, the educational system was on a relentless campaign to wipe God out from the curriculum. In their worry, God gave them the great assurance, “No, I’m not dead. I’m alive. And I will be your great confidence.” Immediately they put pen to paper, and the song “Because He lives” was written. It explains the second verse, “How sweet to hold a new born baby, And feel the pride and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance: This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!” How about us? Isaiah calls out to the believer in a scary world: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed (read “anxious”), for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” That is the deep assurance of the Christian. God gets even more specific in the following verses: “Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the One who helps you.” (Isaiah 41:10-13). The song that the Gaithers reminds us of the same: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future And life is worth a living just because He lives.”
Just Church
At Just Church, our focus is not the confusing and scary world but on the hope that is Jesus Christ. “The vision of Just Church is to establish a church in just the way Christ called the church to be – true to His Word, loving Him, loving one another, and loving the lost.”
