Dear Pastor,
Through the years, my wife and I have worked in what are commonly thought to be
influential sectors of society, she in the media, and I in the corporate world.
In our careers and travels, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in the
influence of the Church in the West, and accordingly, in the spiritual and moral vitality
of our culture. We have had the growing sense that the hope of a people, and of
democracy, lies not in elected officials, entrepreneurs, military leaders,
academicians, or broadcast personalities. It is based on the faithfulness of
her Christian pastors.
One such pastor was André Trocmé, who served a small
Protestant church in southern France during the Second World War. Largely
because of his preaching and example, the village of Chambon became a haven for
Jews escaping Nazi persecution. At great personal risk, he and his congregation
hid these refugees until they could flee across the Swiss border. Tutored in
the Word, they simply saw rescue as their Christian duty.
Many have heard of William Wilberforce’s efforts in Parliament
to abolish the British slave trade. Few, however, know of his spiritual
grounding, of his home church in Clapham, England, where he was fortified and
inspired by the preaching of John Venn. We dream that a new generation of John
Venns would emerge to inspire and instruct a new generation of William
Wilberforces.
It is a critical time, a kairos moment. Many say that
the West is a "cut flower civilization," scarcely sustained by the Christian
perspectives that once brought her life. The bloom is fading at a shocking
rate; we are desperate for spiritual renewal, grounded in Christ and His Word.
We are convinced that the great cause of this day is to
embolden, equip, and encourage the pastor in his God-ordained work. For this
purpose, we have established the Kairos Journal.
Sincerely,
Emmanuel A. Kampouris
Kairos Journal
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