Photo by Luke X Martin via Flickr

Is Glenn Beck “the most potent political force in American life today,” as ABC’s Rick Klein describes him?  Was last Saturday’s Restoring Honor rally on the National Mall a political event or a religious assembly?  How many came?  (Estimates range from 65,000 to 650,000.)  What does the event mean today?

Yesterday Mr. Beck launched his next enterprise, www.theblaze.com.  He describes his news and commentary website as “a place that helps me make sense of the world I see.”  Advocates are excited; critics are less complimentary, as you might guess.

My interest this morning is not in Mr. Beck’s political views or popularity, a topic which would be inappropriate for a daily devotional.  Rather, it is in the religious fervor which seemed present at the Washington rally he hosted.

There is a genuine spiritual awakening sweeping the nations in our time.  Last year, South Korea sent more missionaries into the world than America did.  A million Cubans have become Christians in the last ten years.  More Muslims are converting to Christianity than ever before in Islamic history, many after seeing visions and dreams of Jesus.  Some believe that as many as 100,000 people come to Christ every day in the People’s Republic of China.

David Barrett’s World Christian Encyclopedia documents 82,000 new believers every day, but only 6,000 are in Western Europe and North America, combined.  In Great Britain today, four times as many Muslims go to mosque on Friday as Christians go to church on Sunday.  Atheism is a rising epidemic across the Continent.

Meanwhile, the number of atheists and agnostics in America has quadrupled over the last 20 years.  The fastest-growing religious demographic in our country comprises those who claim to have “no religion.”  There is a growing hunger in our culture, a sense that things aren’t right, that something significant is missing.  We desperately need to join the spiritual awakening circling the globe.

One response is The Greater Cause, an event which seeks to renew the Church for the sake of the nation.  Anne Graham Lotz and I will speak on September 10-11 in Pilgrim Chapel at Dallas Baptist University, seeking to lead those who join us in a significant time of spiritual renewal.  You can register to join us or visit our website after the event for recordings.

Jesus is calling us to be his witnesses where we live and to the ends of the earth, but we must have the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the purpose of our Lord (Acts 1:8).  I have already prayed today for a great spiritual and moral awakening to empower God’s people and sweep our nation.  Will you join me?

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