by John Lanier, New American Prophet, ©2026
(Jan. 4, 2026) — America is burning – and the Church is busy playing with matches.
We are living in a time of unprecedented cultural unrest. Violence in the streets. Division in the pews. Confusion in the pulpits. And while the world spirals into chaos, the body of Christ is caught between two postures: revival or rebellion.
Let’s be clear – there is no middle ground.
We are either contending for a sovereign move of God, or we are complicit in the collapse of a nation. The Church was never called to be a thermometer, reflecting the temperature of the culture.
We were called to be a thermostat, setting it. But instead of setting the standard, we’ve settled for silence.
The Silence of the Saints
Where are the (real) prophets? Where are the pastors who still preach with fire? Where are the worship leaders who sing with conviction instead of chasing charts?
We’ve traded altars for algorithms. We’ve replaced repentance with relevance. And we wonder why the power is gone.
We’ve softened our sermons, diluted our doctrine, and sanitized our sanctuaries – removing the tears, the altars, and the holy fire until all that’s left is a stage.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…” – 2 Timothy 4:3
And now we’re watching the fruit of our compromise.
Rebellion in the Ranks
Let’s not pretend the rebellion is only “out there.” It’s in here. In our churches. In our leadership. In our worship teams. In our “conferences.”
We’ve rebelled against the authority of Scripture. We’ve rebelled against the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We’ve rebelled against the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
We’ve built ministries on charisma instead of character. We’ve platformed performers and silenced (real) prophets. We’ve turned the Gospel into a brand and the pulpit into a stage – where applause matters more than anointing.
This is not revival! This is rebellion! And rebellion in the house of God is more dangerous than rebellion in the streets.
“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” – 1 Samuel 15: 23
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