Blog

On January 16, 1384, John Wycliffe died after devoting his life to placing the Bible into the hands of ordinary people. Long before the Reformation, he challenged church authority, exposed corruption, and insisted that Scripture not religious power was the final authority. His English Bible was illegal, dangerous, and costly, yet it ignited a movement that reshaped the church forever. Wycliffe’s conviction still confronts believers today.

Churches rarely lose spiritual life overnight. Decline happens slowly through neglect, misplaced priorities, fractured unity, and a shift from Christ-centered mission to personal preference. Drawing from Scripture, church history, and lived experience, this reflection exposes the subtle warning signs that weaken a local body and harm real people. This is not an attack on the church, but a call to repentance, renewal, and faithfulness to Christ, who alone sustains His body.

The modern church is experiencing a quiet collapse—soft preaching, therapeutic Christianity, CEO-style leadership, and a functional universalism that denies the holiness Christ calls us to. This article exposes how the Downgrade took root, how therapy culture and consumerism accelerated it, and what true biblical reformation requires today.