Where have all the godly men gone? These days I ponder that question with
increased frequency and concern. If the lack of godly men were only a matter of
personality or ministerial preference, then little would be lost. Such is not
the case, though. The church is in great need of awakening and renewal; and, in
the spirit of Richard Baxter, its greatest need might well be godly men.
Not that long ago, “man of God” was a common and honored descriptor in the
church. The phrase ranked alongside “great preacher,” “brilliant theologian,”
or “gifted writer” in frequency and surpassed them in value. Now, it seems as
though the designation “man of God” has gone the way of the bus ministry and
the youth choir—a largely passé referent to a bygone era of church life.
It is as though someone snuck into the shopping mall of the Kingdom and
changed all the price tags, upsetting and inverting God’s value system. We have
increased the mundane and ancillary aspects of Christian ministry, all the
while cheapening its true virtues and values. In God’s economy, though,
character is valued over talent, and holiness over giftedness. Continue at Jason K. Allen
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