where are we now?

I'm studying the Book of Acts at the moment, and while it's a glorious history, it makes me painfully aware that we seem to have fallen down somewhere. The Southern Review of Books (not a Christian publication) ran an article last week on Bibles as business. This quote is from the article:

According to Radosh, the Bible, in addition to being a religious roadmap, has also become an entertainment product, a fashion accessory and a lifestyle icon. You can get Bibles in almost any color of the rainbow now. “It’s not uncommon to hear women saying that they've got a new dress for church and they want a Bible with a purple cover to match it,” he said in a recent interview. “There are Bibles with matching handbags. Or, if you're, you know, a teenager and you want to look cool you can get a Bible with a weathered metal cover or one made out of duct tape, or that glows in the dark. Basically, the Bible has become, like the pair of shoes that you wear - a way of expressing your individuality.”

But then there's history...

And when they had prayed, the whole place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:31-33

Signing off with a quote from A.W. Tozer:

"Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and that servile imitation of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of Christ scarcely at all."