One of the key concepts of the 21st century Christian church in America is that it mustn’t just adapt, but adopt. We must share the gospel in honeyed tones, accepting all those who come.
Those bad parts — the parts that prohibit same-sex relationships, fornication, inebriation, gluttony? Well, I mean, sure, that’s in the Bible — but what we’re supposed to say is that God is about love. That’s the way to reach the masses, especially in liberal strongholds.
Pastor Brett Meador might have a thing or two to say about that. In a city that’s become a byword for progressive craziness — Portland, Oregon — Meador led a crusade that sugar-coated none of the Bible’s message about darkness and evil. He made it clear that people had a choice between life and death, and that choice was spelled out in words spoken by the one true God.
The results: 3,200 people saying yes to Jesus in a crusade that drew 35,000.
This is the Christianity America needs, in other words. It’s the Christianity we’ve been asking for. We may not know it, but we’ve been calling out from the darkness. And when He shows us the light, we say yes.
According to CBN, the PDX Crusade was organized by Athey Creek Church, a Portland-area congregation.
The event was described as the first “crusade” in the city in a quarter-century.
“The outreach was held at the Moda Center on Aug. 2-3, and huge crowds came each night to see top Christian musicians like Chris Tomlin, Zach Williams, Cain, Taya, Anne Wilson, and Kari Jobe & Cody Carnes,” CBN reported.
But it was Meador’s preaching — in front of a graphic which read “Out of Darkness into the Light” — which should be the message American Christians pay attention to.
Would America be better if pastors consistently preached the Bible, not just about doing nice things for others?
“We live in a town where darkness is all around us,” he said.
“If you live here, you feel it — how desperately people need to believe in Jesus that they may find hope. We need to see our town, our city and our whole country come out of the darkness and into the light.”
You don’t even need to live there to know about the city’s problems: drug addiction, crime, homelessness, and general godlessness.
There is a way for deliverance in Babylon by the Willamette, however — and it’s the last thing the libs who have made it that way want to hear.
“Anyone who confess with their mouth and believes in their heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that you’ll be saved,” Meador preached.
“Your sins are forgiven. Doesn’t mean that your life’s gonna be perfect or rosy, but it means that you’re gonna have that peace that only comes through Christ.”
Then, the 3,200-plus came forward, and Meador led them in this prayer:
“Dear Father in Heaven, I admit that I’m a sinner. I want to come out of the darkness and into Your light. So I believe in Your Son Jesus Christ. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that I’m forgiven. Help me to walk with You. Thank You for saving me, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
On social media, the church hailed the breakthrough God created in Portland.
“We’re overwhelmed by God’s goodness and the number of people who gave their lives to Christ,” the church said on Instagram.
“Thank you for being part of what the Lord is doing in our city! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“To God be ALL the glory!” the post concluded.
And, one of the volunteers on the response team said that the church was following up.
“All the people who came forward to accept Christ were asked to fill out a questionnaire to help them plug into a church that is local to them,” the volunteer said, adding that the number might be higher than the 3,200 salvations mentioned in the official stats.
“I was on the floor for all three services, and most of the people I talked and prayed for filled it out [the questionnaire], but there were some that weren’t comfortable with that, so the number of new believers might be a little higher,” she said.
Whatever the case, they heard the real gospel. Not the adapted gospel, adopted to America in 2025. The gospel, the eternal gospel. And, praise the Lord, they responded.
Let this be a lesson to Christians in the West: Preach the truth. Don’t spend your time on marketing the truth or watering it down or making it more palatable. Preach the truth. Full stop.
It works. It always has. And it always will.
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