The story of Christianity has always carried a striking duality: revival and apostasy, renewal and rejection, growth and resistance. Even as God has stirred hearts through persecution and hardship, others have turned away, silencing truth and opposing faith. This tension is alive today, as America faces both hunger for revival and a rising hostility to biblical Christianity.
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In a recent podcast with Tucker Carlson, longtime campus evangelist Cliffe Knechtle reflected on what he has witnessed in more than four decades of ministry. Carlson asked him about the shifts he has seen in American spiritual life, and Knechtle did not hesitate to address both the bright hope of revival and the sobering reality of apostasy.
Revival Through Suffering
For Knechtle, revival has never been about comfort or cultural acceptance. Instead, it comes when believers hold firm under pressure, as Paul did in the first century. “I desire to depart and be with Christ which is better by far. And that’s the hope that we have as followers of Christ. I mean, he like wrote most of his letters chained to a wall in a dungeon somewhere,” Knechtle said.
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He pointed out that Paul’s endurance is a model for the church today. Revival comes through faith that thrives in adversity. When Christians are willing to embrace hardship for the sake of Jesus, the Spirit of God often moves with power.
Apostasy in America
Knechtle also sounded the alarm about a cultural shift he has observed since beginning campus ministry 45 years ago. He noted how certain groups became organized around opposing Christian teaching, sometimes showing intense hostility. “Over the past 45 years [I’ve watched] the gay lesbian groups on university campuses around the United States become the most highly organized, the most passionate groups on campus,” he said, adding that they have at times been “the most hateful.”
He contrasted the public discourse of the past with the present: “In 1980 no one could have stood up right in public and said shut up black man, shut up white man, shut up Jew, shut up Christian … but now it’s just everywhere.” To Knechtle, this reflects a dangerous willingness to silence dissenting voices and a turning away from biblical truth, a clear sign of apostasy.
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Knechtle’s words remind us that America sits at a crossroads. Revival is possible, but it will come through faith tested in the fire. Apostasy is advancing, but the Christian call remains unchanged. Just as Paul endured imprisonment with hope, believers today must cling to Christ, trusting that God will work even through hardship to bring renewal.
To watch the full interview, click here.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
