In California, mission opportunities are endless which means the freedom to do ministry creatively is boundless. This is one of the best things about living in California. Yes, secular cultural ideas and ideals dominate the mindset—but that’s true in every global mission field. Rampant secularism demands a robust gospel, not a retreat from declaring the gospel. When the gospel is declared in difficult places, amazing results can be achieved.
California is one of those places. Many churches, schools, and ministry organizations with a global Christian impact—including a significant impact on the Southern Baptist Convention—started in Southern California. For example, Campus Crusade for Christ, The Navigators, and Focus on the Family all started in this region. Gateway, Fuller, and Talbot seminaries are among the largest in the nation. Schools like Biola, Azusa, Master’s, and California Baptist University have graduated thousands of Christians for service in hundreds of fields.
In one recent list of the 100 largest churches in the USA, 19 were in California. These included Saddleback, Mariners, Sandals, and Harvest (all less than an hour from Gateway’s campus in Ontario, California). Major media ministries, often emerging from these churches, include Turning Point (with Pastor David Jeremiah), J. Vernon McGee (one of the most popular radio preachers of the past 50 years), and John MacArthur’s writing ministry. Significant churches have also catalyzed kingdom growth through various minority groups—like First Chinese Baptist of Los Angeles, Berendo Street Baptist (mother church of the Korean Baptist movement in the USA), and Calvary Baptist, San Diego (which featured the preaching ministry of S. M. Lockridge).
World-changing movements have also originated in Southern California. The Azusa Street revival and the Jesus Movement are good examples. Even beyond those, the most striking Southern California contribution to global Christianity was launching Billy Graham to national (and later international) prominence through the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade. While Graham was not from California, his ministry was propelled forward in ways only possible when someone captures the attention of the media and entertainment industries headquartered here.
So, perhaps you need to revise your appraisal of the spiritual impact of California. Rather than decry the Golden State as a spiritual wasteland, complaining about liberal politicians and Hollywood debauchery, perhaps it would be better to celebrate the power of the gospel to create positive results in such a challenging place. Those of us who live and work in California live these realities daily. We are delighted Southern Baptists will come to our state in June and experience the impact of California Christians on our global movement.
Read More
The Gateway Journal of Theology Inaugural Issue
Read all new articles in the inaugural issue of The Gateway Journal of Theology.
Lessons from Twenty-Five Years of Preaching God’s Word
I am unashamedly an expository preacher. My first sermon, however, was not.
Listen
Jonathan and Sarah Edwards with Nathan Finn
Dr. Nathan Finn came to Gateway to give a talk on Sarah and Jonathan Edwards’s Marriage during a Night Life Event. He joined Tyler Sanders on the podcast to give a brief overview of the meaning of Sarah and Jonathan’s Marriage, the four major interpretations of their
The Blank Bible and Jonathan Edwards’s Biblical Typology with Cameron Schweitzer
Dr. Cameron Schweitzer joins the JEC Podcast to discuss his work on Edward’s Typology and the ‘Blank Bible’ and to talk about his book, “Towards a Clearer Understanding of Jonathan Edwards’s Biblical Typology: A Case Study in the ‘Blank Bible’
Watch
Jonathan Edwards and the Asbury Revival
Chris Chun and Chris Woznicki discuss the signs of true revival, signs of the work of the Holy Spirit, and why it is important to critically assess the characteristics of revival in a spirit of charity.
Jonathan Edwards and the Baptists | Douglas Sweeney, Nathan Finn and Chris Chun
Dr. Douglas Sweeney and Dr. Nathan Finn joined Dr. Chris Chun for a panel discussion on Jonathan Edwards, recorded live at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.