FAILURE OF SOCIETY THE RESULT OF THE CHURCH? I THINK NOT

I recently read an article/sermon by John Piper in which he speaks of the end of the age and the importance of living for God in response to its realization. One thing he said struck me though. He mentioned various errors and avoiding them until the end of the "the lawlessness and unbelief and immorality of the last days is a sign of the church's failure." I have heard this statement many times from people, especially pastors. I will not give my opinion as to why I believe it is most definitely an inaccurate statement, but here is what Piper so brilliantly says about the issue:

That is not a biblical statement. I am not saying that at any given time the church might not have more impact on culture if she were more holy and more full of the power of the Holy Spirit. What I am saying is that there are always other factors involved in the corruption of culture so that it is never so simple as to say the failure of the church is the reason the culture is corrupt.

It wrong to say, as so many do, “The condition of society is the report card of the church.” This is especially wrong to say at the end of the age. The apostasy, the rebellion, the lawlessness, the explosion of antichrist at the end of the end is God’s mysterious plan, not the church’s failure. Jesus will not say to his suffering church, as he rescues her from her oppressors, “You know, there would have been no man of lawlessness and great rebellion if you have been a faithful church.” In fact, it is only a strong and pure church that will survive these days, not a failing church.