I recently came across a sermon by Catherine Booth, co-founder of the Salvation Army, titled
"Why the Modern Church Is Powerless." I was honestly shaken by her boldness and the raw conviction in her words.
She preached over a hundred years ago, but it felt like she was speaking
directly to our generation. She talks about spiritual apathy, compromise, and how the Church has lost its fire by trying to be “popular.”
I edited and narrated the sermon using AI narration for clarity and posted it on YouTube — not for views, but to help preserve and spread these kinds of powerful Christian voices that are often forgotten today.
Here’s the link if you’re interested:
Catherine Booth Sermon – Why the Modern Church Is Powerless
Would love to hear your thoughts — does this message still apply today? Or are we in a different season now?
God bless you all.
To say the church at any time is powerless, is to say that God is not sovereign. His plan is perfect and right on schedule.
He factors in all our blunders and lackluster faith at times.
The Bible says some Christians have great faith and some are weak; some mature and some infants. It's always been the case. And we have tares in the mix as well, with Satan's influence ... trying to thwart God's plan ( as if he could). He is already defeated.
God allows evil for a purpose; and one of our purposes in life is to learn how to discern between good and evil. We are constantly being tested and in the process of learning lessons. It really is part of our spiritual growth.
Look at the Seven Churches of Revelation; only two of them did not receive a rebuke, the rest were a mixture of either cold, luke warm, bad doctrines, false prophets, one almost dead and another corrupted by the teachings of Baal, another had a prophetess seducing men. They were warned to repent ... or else.
We cooperate with His plan and even though the workers are few, the job gets done. Prophecies could not be fulfilled precisely if man could actually screw up God's plan.
God's power is prevalent!
We are experiencing the last days prior to the Second Coming of Christ for judgment. GOOD AND EVIL are increasing and reaching a precipice, at which time they will be separated.
Evil is being exposed everywhere. We see lawlessness, riots, protests and almost a 30% of the country believing that good is evil and evil, good. The rest of the world is worse off than the USA. These reprobates (over half the population of the world) are blind, confused ... living in a alternate universe as some put it.
Isaiah warned us about these times.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20-21
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I actually wrote this only in response to the OP, before listening to this AI reflection of her sermon. I am not surprised of the doubts brought up about God's sovereignty. The perspective is flawed and lacking the Holy Spirit. AI cannot discern the spiritual workings of God, nor can most people, unless one is "born again". AI does not have faith, it can only access facts on the surface, though billions of bits of information can be processed, it is spiritually blind and can therefore give a secular view, which sounds grim. It sounds like God and Church has failed in their mission. No, wrong.
All priests and pastors point out sin in the world, current conditions, trends, as if we are about to go off the cliff. At times, it seems that way and currently it d
oes. We persevere and hold into our faith through it all, until He comes.
