There are those who try to ignore the transition and pretend that things are not changing at all. But far more often there are those in the church who are buying into the changes lock, stock, and barrel. The liturgical narrative is being replaced with episodic musical selections. The sweep of biblical history is being replaced with programs of self-help. Sermons centered on the cross of Jesus Christ are being replaced with feel-good pep talks.
Some people say that the church has never faced a challenge as great as the one it faces today.
But people who say that don't know their history very well. Fourteen centuries later the church in Luther's time was beset with political, economic, and cultural transition, with the invention of the printing press then being the corollary of the Internet today. How the early church faced its ordeal and how Luther dealt with the upheaval of his time provide us with useful lessons for the church today. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.