Excerpts from "No Earthly Good?" by Abigail J. Fox
“Culture follows religion. We cannot mend the religion of others. We can only take care of our own. Once we understand our duties, we may provide an edifying influence on the Christians around us. Should this be true and growing, then such a Church will be a beautiful sight and will produce its own culture, a vineyard worth sampling. That culture could be replicated whenever God-fearing people populate a Christian Church. And should those people find themselves with authority over regions and even a nation, then the culture will reflect the religion by God’s appointment, and not by the shortcut taken by well-meaning but arrogant Christians.
Christians are the quiet in the land (Psalm 35.20). This is not the modern popular view, but it is perhaps the best way to view the Church’s place today. Being the quiet in the land is not cowardice. It is not avoiding duty but embracing it.”
“Welcome to the 21st century West. You are now living in the ruins of Christendom. Here and there you will see the fruits of the old world order. But they are museum pieces.
This society does not know that it believes in anything. Each individual believes what his neighbours believe. To be different is the most offensive idea. To be the same is to be happy.
Members of the society believe themselves to be kind and tolerant. They are always striving to achieve the ideal of the society, to become famous, rich, powerful and beautiful. These things are wanted as ends in themselves, not as means of exerting an influence for good.
There is still a Church in this New West. But it has gone to sleep, clapping to lullabies. It was not able to combat the new philosophy of the 18th century. In the 19th century it was not able to stop the changes in morality. In the 20th century it could not change the culture around it because there was no real difference.”