Western civilization is unraveling before our eyes. This is not merely a cultural shift—it is divine judgment unfolding in real time. As societies reject God, they descend into moral chaos, corruption, and confusion. The apostle Paul warned of this in Romans 1:18-32, a passage that perfectly diagnoses our present condition.
History is clear—when a people reject God, He gives them over to their own destruction. This is not speculation; it is the inescapable reality revealed in Paul’s Roman epistle.
From the redefinition of gender and marriage to the suppression of Christian convictions, the erosion is undeniable. Romans 1 is not just a historical passage—it is a roadmap for understanding cultural decline, where truth is exchanged for lies, and righteousness is openly mocked.
The Reformers understood this well. John Calvin insightfully wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, “The human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols,” emphasizing mankind’s relentless pursuit of self-made gods, crafting objects of misplaced devotion. A society that suppresses divine truth does not become neutral; it collapses into moral insanity. Our duty as believers is to stand firm, proclaim the gospel, and refuse to compromise.
God’s Wrath: When a Society Worships Self Instead of God
Romans 1:18-20 declares that God’s wrath is revealed against all who suppress the truth. When societies reject Him, they spiral into idolatry—not just the worship of physical idols but the exaltation of self, pleasure, and human autonomy. Despite the evident knowledge of God through creation, humanity chooses to reject Him, leading to futile thinking and darkened hearts. This rejection manifests in idolatry—not merely the worship of carved images but the elevation of self and personal desires above God’s truth.
This idolatry is glaringly evident in contemporary issues such as same-sex attraction and the ongoing debates surrounding gender identity. The Apostle Paul addresses this directly in Romans 1:26-27, highlighting that abandoning God’s design leads to dishonorable passions and actions contrary to nature. Recent statistics underscore this shift: a 2025 Gallup poll reported that 9.3% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+, a significant increase from previous years. Notably, among Generation Z, 22.3% identify as LGBTQ+, reflecting a profound cultural transformation.
This surge correlates with the rise of self-identification and the societal push for gender affirmation, often at odds with biological and theological understandings of human identity. The Puritan Thomas Watson wrote in The Ten Commandments, “When God is dishonored, sin is cherished,” highlighting the inevitable moral decay that follows when divine authority is rejected. Our culture’s embrace of subjective identity over divine design exemplifies this tragic reality.
Romans 1:28-32 also makes it clear: God’s wrath is not arbitrary. It is the just response to human rebellion. When people reject God, they do not cease to worship; they simply redirect their worship to something else. Today, we see this idolatry in full bloom—self-worship, materialism, and the deification of human autonomy. The result? A society governed by emotions rather than truth, where men call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).
This idolatry doesn’t stop at the secular world. It has infiltrated the church. Many pulpits have abandoned biblical preaching in favor of self-help messages that soothe rather than convict. They no longer preach Christ crucified but instead offer motivational speeches. Charles Spurgeon, in his sermon Feeding the Sheep or Amusing the Goats?, warned, “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats,” lamenting the dilution of true biblical teaching in favor of superficial amusement. That time is now.
The War on Biblical Manhood, Free Speech, and Objective Truth
One of the most devastating consequences of a culture that rejects God is the destruction of biblical masculinity. The culture is actively working to weaken and redefine manhood, but Scripture calls men to be leaders, providers, and protectors. “A nation without strong men is a nation in decline,” said Richard Baxter, in his work The Reformed Pastor. Yet today, masculinity is demonized, and passive men fill the pews of churches that have compromised the truth.
The war on biblical masculinity is tied directly to the war on truth. Romans 1:25 states that humanity has “exchanged the truth about God for a lie.” This deliberate suppression of truth leads to a society where objective reality is dismissed in favor of personal preference. This is evident in contemporary efforts to curtail freedom of speech and enforce compelled speech, particularly concerning pronoun usage and gender identity.
Legislative measures in various regions now mandate the use of preferred pronouns, compelling individuals to speak in ways that may conflict with their beliefs or perceptions of reality. This shift not only suppresses dissenting opinions but also elevates subjective feelings above empirical truth. Charles Spurgeon, in his sermon The Bible and the Human Heart, aptly observed, “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them,” illustrating the heart’s rebellion against divine truth. Our current cultural milieu reflects this sentiment, as society increasingly rejects foundational truths that challenge personal desires.
Paul warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that many would turn away from sound doctrine, and we are seeing it happen in real-time.
The Revival of Paganism and the Decline of Biblical Christianity
As Western nations abandon biblical Christianity, they do not become secular—they become deeply religious in new ways. Paganism, occultism, and mysticism are experiencing a cultural revival, replacing faith in God with faith in the self, nature, and the supernatural. Astrology, witchcraft, and New Age spirituality are not just tolerated; they are celebrated. The Pew Research Center reports that nearly 62% of Americans hold at least one New Age belief, such as astrology, reincarnation, or the presence of spiritual energy in physical objects. Pagan practices have been mainstreamed through media, entertainment, and even corporate training programs, pushing a secular mysticism that replaces biblical faith with self-exaltation. This is not enlightenment—it is outright rebellion against God. “There is nothing new under the sun,” wrote Solomon in Ecclesiastes 1:9. The same idolatry that led Israel into exile is leading our nation into ruin.
The church has not been spared from this softening. Seeking cultural relevance over biblical fidelity, many churches have traded bold preaching for a theology of accommodation. Many churches avoid preaching about sin and repentance to avoid offending congregants. Instead, they adopt therapeutic messages that promote self-esteem rather than sanctification. This theological downgrade has led to an increase in churches embracing progressive ideology, where social justice rhetoric replaces the gospel of Christ crucified for sinners. The early church suffered persecution, imprisonment, and death, yet today’s Christians fear being labeled offensive. “Soft words make hard hearts,” said Thomas Watson, “but hard words break hard hearts.” We do not need more feel-good sermons; we need a return to biblical preaching that exalts Christ and calls sinners to repentance.
A Call to Stand: Holding Fast to Biblical Truth in an Age of Apostasy
We are living in an age of deception. The signs of divine judgment are evident, but so is the call to remain steadfast. The church must reject cultural conformity and embrace the full counsel of God. A.W. Tozer is often credited with saying, “The true Christian is an odd number. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see, and expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another.”
Now is the time to be that faithful remnant who refuse to bow to the idols of our culture. Compromise is not an option for those who stand on the authority of God’s Word. The cost of compromise is too high, and the time for silence is over.
Will we be faithful, or will we bow to the idols of our age? The answer will determine not only our witness but the legacy we leave for future generations.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” (Psalm 33:12)
