The News
According to The Gospel Coalition, the difference between London and Nashville isn't that one is hard and one is easy—both are post-Christian cities, just in opposite directions. Secular Europe has rejected Christianity outright, while the Bible Belt has a cultural Christianity that often obscures the need for genuine conversion and discipleship.
Why It Matters
If you're planting or leading a church in the American South or Midwest, you may be facing a unique challenge: nominal Christianity can be harder to penetrate than outright secularism. Your neighbors might already "believe in Jesus" culturally without experiencing genuine transformation. This means your evangelism strategy can't assume spiritual foundation—you're often starting from scratch despite living in churched communities.
The Takeaway
Audit your outreach: are you assuming cultural Christianity among your community, or are you treating each person as needing genuine conversion and discipleship?
Source: The Gospel Coalition