America doesn’t have a political problem at its core. It has a spiritual one.
Pastor Greg Laurie is urging Christians to recognize the moment the nation is facing and respond the only way Scripture says lasting change has ever come: through repentance, revival and believers faithfully living out the Gospel.
“I believe we have two options in front of us as a nation right now,” Laurie said. “Judgment or revival. And by revival, I mean a spiritual awakening. And if we don’t have another spiritual awakening in America, I believe that judgment is inevitable.”
Laurie said America’s growing moral confusion, hostility toward biblical truth and weakening of the family are symptoms of a deeper spiritual crisis that Christians cannot afford to ignore.
“The bottom line is the breakdown of the family is at the root of almost all of our societal problems we see today,” Laurie said. “It’s been said that a family can survive without a nation. But a nation cannot survive without the family.”
Yet Laurie believes despair is not the biblical response. Instead, Jesus has already given His Church its assignment.
“We don’t want to isolate. We want to infiltrate,” Laurie said. “Jesus has not called us to isolate. Jesus has called us to infiltrate, not to evade, but to invade. We’re meant to impact the culture without being compromised by it.”
Rather than withdrawing from a culture growing darker by the day, Laurie said Christians are called to become the salt and light Jesus described in the Sermon on the Mount.
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Four Ways Christians Can Influence Culture
Laurie offered four practical ways believers can faithfully influence the people and communities God has placed around them.
1. Stand firmly on God’s Word.
Laurie said the Church cannot compromise biblical truth simply because culture has changed.
“We as Christians stand on what the Bible says on every topic,” he said. “‘The Bible says, ‘Let God be true and every man a liar.’ And by the way, you don’t get to pick and choose the parts of the Bible you like or don’t like… You can’t edit the Bible. You take what the Bible says on every topic.”
Laurie said Christians preserve what is good by refusing to move away from Scripture, even when biblical convictions become unpopular.
2. Speak the Gospel in language people understand.
Laurie warned that many Americans today have little or no biblical foundation, making clear communication more important than ever.
“People are more illiterate biblically today than they’ve ever been. They don’t know anything about anything,” Laurie said. “So, we cannot assume that our listener understands what we mean when we use terms like saved, regenerated, the need to repent, etc. We need to break down and explain everything to everyone.”
He pointed to the Apostle Paul as the model, noting that Paul found common ground with different audiences without ever changing the truth of the Gospel.
3. Faithfully share the Gospel regardless of the response.
According to Laurie, Christians are responsible for proclaiming the message of Christ, not controlling how people receive it.
“You could compare it to garlic,” Laurie said. “Garlic is amazing when it’s cooking. Garlic is amazing on food. It’s not so amazing on your breath. So, here’s my point. We go to some people with the gospel. They love the aroma of it. They love what it is. They embrace it. They respond to it. And you go to others with the gospel and they hate it. And they oppose you for even bringing the message to them.”
“But don’t worry about that,” he continued. “Your job, my job, our job together is to bring the gospel to people and to live it out before them.”
4. Live an authentic Christian life.
Laurie said a believer’s life often speaks before his or her words ever do.
“What this culture is looking for is authenticity, not perfection,” he said. “Authenticity. In other words, we must be before we can effectively say. We need to practice what we preach.”
He acknowledged that Christians will sometimes fail, but said hypocrisy weakens the Church’s witness while genuine repentance and faithful living point people to Christ.
Salt and Light Still Matter
Laurie said Jesus’ description of believers as salt and light remains just as relevant today as it was when it was first spoken.
“It means as believers, we stand up for what is true. We speak out against what is wrong,” he said. “That is part of our job.”
He added that Christians should also create a spiritual hunger in those around them.
“The greatest compliment that can be paid to a Christian is when a non-believer says, ‘I want what you have. Why are you so joyful? Why do you have peace in the midst of your hardships and difficulties in life? How do you keep going as you do? I want what you have.’ Salt stimulates thirst.”
Laurie also reminded believers that many people will never open a Bible but will watch the lives of Christians every day.
“You are the only representative of Jesus Christ that many non-believers are ever going to see,” he said. “They may never read the Bible, but they’re going to read your life.”
Three Things America Needs
Laurie closed with three practical steps he believes every Christian should embrace if our nation is to experience another spiritual awakening.
1. Christians must infiltrate culture instead of retreating from it.
“God has dropped us behind enemy lines,” Laurie said. “Our job is to infiltrate, to permeate, to saturate, not to evade, but to invade. To live the Christian life with authenticity. We need to be salt and light in the culture.”
2. Christians must pray and repent.
Quoting 2 Chronicles 7:14, Laurie said renewal begins with God’s people before it reaches the nation.
“We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face,” Laurie said. “And notice that it says, ‘Turn from our wicked ways.’ Let it begin with us. Let revival start with you and let it start with me.”
3. Christians must boldly proclaim the Gospel.
Laurie said no strategy, movement or institution can accomplish what only the Gospel can do.
“God has told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel,” he said. “America needs to hear the gospel. America needs to see the gospel.”
While Laurie acknowledged that the nation’s challenges are serious, his message ultimately pointed to hope. If American Christians choose to faithfully live as salt and light, boldly proclaim Christ and seek God in repentance and prayer, Laurie believes revival remains possible because lasting transformation has always begun when God’s people return to Him.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
