What is the biggest issue facing the church today?

If you ask most people you will probably get answers like sexuality, gender, justice, tribalism, threats to religious liberty, cancel culture, consumerism, screen and social media addiction, and relativism—just to name a few.

And they’re not wrong. Those are significant issues.

But they are not THE issue.

Underneath ALL of those issues is the issue that I believe is the greatest challenge for the church today—authority.

As I teach and disciple high school, college, and graduate students year-round at Impact 360 Institute and study the next generation, I am more convinced than ever that the number 1 topic that must be addressed for the church is biblical authority.

Our Culture Has an Authority Problem

If the broader culture has an authority problem then it’s not surprising the church has a biblical authority problem.

Christians have drifted so far away from biblical authority. And it’s not just in progressive Christian circles that champion deconstruction.

Culture is simply what you come to see as normal without having to think about it. And it has become normal for people to see themselves as authoritative as I will unpack below.

10 Barriers to Biblical Authority Today

As I look around, I see 10 cultural challenges that are undermining Biblical Authority.

I will list them and comment briefly below but fully recognize that entire books could be written about each topic. In fact, I have addressed several of these challenges in depth in my book Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority. As you read through this list, you will see how many of these build on each other.

1. Culture of Corruption & Abuse of Power. Everywhere you look there are scandals, cover-ups, and abuse of power. Scandal sells. And the entertainment news cycle is buying so it can drive clicks to create controversy and sell ad space. Sadly some high-profile Christian leaders and churches have been in the news for these reasons as well. The result is that you see a general institutional distrust setting in–especially in Gen Z. And if we’re honest, it’s not hard to see why some people are wary of authority. (more…)