Holiness and repentance

Dear Editor,

Is there, in modern Western Christianity, a Biblical emphasis that has been overlooked? As the church in the West has gone through periods emphasising various good things – from Bible exposition, evangelistic courses and church-planting to social care outreach, lively worship and charismatic gifts, apologetics – might we have lost sight of something important?

It strikes me how rarely we hear powerful ‘prophetic’ preaching that takes seriously the holiness of God and His hatred of all sin, and that urges thoroughgoing repentance.