By Larry Rosenbaum
Often, Christians ask me why we are still preaching the gospel in San Francisco. In their minds, San Francisco is hopelessly corrupt and headed for certain destruction. My answer to these people is first, that God has called me here and has not changed His instructions. Second, there are many people here who need to hear the gospel. Even if every adult resident of this city had heard and rejected the gospel (which hasn’t yet happened), there are thousands of children born here every year, thousands more immigrants and foreign students, and millions of tourists who come here every year. These people have not all heard and rejected the gospel.
Finally, San Francisco is one of the most influential cities in the world. Over the past 40 years, our society has gone through tremendous changes ‑‑ away from God and Christian morality. To a large extent, these changes originated in San Francisco. San Francisco was a leader in the drug movement, the new age movement, occultism and satanism, radical left‑wing political movements, sexual immorality and homosexuality, etc. It was the first U.S. city to allow “topless” bars and have a “Church of Satan.” It was the first U.S. city to officially endorse homosexual relationships.
These changes did not remain confined to San Francisco and a few other cities. They have influenced every city and town in the United States, and almost the entire world as well. In the Bible, leaven (yeast) represents sin. “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” 1 Cor. 5:6. Sin does not remain confined in one location. It spreads everywhere. In 1965, illegal drugs were available only in large cities. Today, they are sold in every town in the U.S. One survey found that marijuana use among 8th graders has doubled in the past three years.
The United States is by far the most influential nation on earth. Almost every nation, even Communist China, is now seeking to adopt American‑style capitalism. American movies and television shows are seen by billions of people in almost every nation. They show an extravagant standard of living and glorify our corrupt morals and hostility to Christianity. The moral decay of cities like San Francisco and Hollywood is spreading around the world ‑‑ rapidly.
Just as the spread of an infection is stopped by antibiotics, the spread of sin can only be stopped by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By mobilizing Christians to pray for San Francisco and proclaim the Gospel to the people of this city, we are helping slow the moral decay in this city ‑‑ and its spread throughout the world. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary writes: “Salt. A common food preservative, often used symbolically. Believers are a restraint upon the world’s corruption. Unbelievers are often kept from evil deeds because of a moral consciousness traceable to Christian influence.”
Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no man can work” (John 9:4). We too must seek to be a strong witness for our Lord Jesus Christ while we can. The day may soon be coming when we will no longer be able to witness openly for Jesus Christ in our nation. Please pray for us and help us be light and salt to a dark and decaying world.
