Reading Eric Metaxas "Letter to the American Church" was sobering. As he explained the similarities of the American Church of today and the German Church of the 1930's, and how both arrived at seemingly similar situations, there were a couple thoughts running through my mind.
How did we as Christ followers allow this to happen?
How do we do something about it?
Both of those questions have been running through my mind for awhile now, as I considered my part in the complicity of it all. More and more we hear the call from evangelical leaders with a similar theme; Politics isn't our mission, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ is, which is very true. However the implication, if not the straight out message, seems to be that if you are a Christian and involved in politics, you are somehow a "Christian Nationalist" (defined in whatever way helps your point the most) and in grave error. The fact that this is coming primarily from so called progressive Christians should at least make us consider the validity of that whole train of thought.
But what is the "this" in my first question? In the 1930's the German Church largely turned a blind eye to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi death camps. Are we really facing such horrors?
The answer is yes. Since the "sexual revolution" of the 1960's we have seen a devaluing of life on an almost unimaginable scale, a redefinition of marriage, and a culture of confusion demonstrated by the rise of the trans-gender movement, to name a few things that are not Christian by any historical or orthodox definition.
Christians have largely been content to "live and let live". We understand that in a pluralistic society there are going to be people with different views on these and many other topics, and we have agreed to disagree.
It's come back to bite us. Hard.
In 2020's America "live and let live" is not acceptable. The only thing that is acceptable is the acceptance of everything.
Thus the second question. What can we do about it?
I know what we can't do any longer. Stay in our hidey-holes with our tails tucked between our legs.
How many lives will be irreparably damaged because of our unwillingness to stand up and face down evil?
Yes, there is a price to pay. We might be called mean and nasty things. We might get "cancelled". We might face actual hardships and pain. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will.
Are we willing to stand up to the bullying with the truth as defined by God's Word anyway?
Being "nice" and being "kind" are two very different things. Being "nice" can be defined as telling a person what they want to hear, usually in order to avoid making them upset or angry. Being "kind" however, is far more powerful and beneficial. Being "kind" can be defined as telling a person something they need to hear in a way that will make them receptive to both you and what you are saying, the result being that appropriate action is taken for their good.
You don't have to bully the bullies, but you don't have to back down either.
Often times we are reminded that Jesus prayed to the Father that we would be brought to "complete unity" (John 17:23), with the apparent intent of reminding us that we Christians should all just get along, regardless of our worldview. Often this is referred to as being "Gospel Centered".
Jesus did indeed pray that we would be unified. But what are we to be unified about? Or better asked, who are we to be unified with?
We are unified with each other as we are unified in Christ - "...that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity." (John 17:22-23)
And who is Jesus? He is "the way, the truth, and the life". (John 14:6)
There is absolute truth, and Jesus is it. I don't pretend to have a monopoly on the truth, or on Jesus. I will be really surprised if all my nuances on theology are correct.
But all too often in modern evangelicalism the truth has been getting awfully squishy. If it doesn't sound nice or it may make us look mean, let's figure out a way to dance around it in order to not offend.
Yet there are certain things we know to be true, because truth Himself revealed them to us in the Bible.
God has a plan for human sexuality.
God has a plan for marriage.
God instructs us regarding the taking of human life.
God has told us we are responsible for the widows and the orphans. (We as in the Church, not the government).
And many other things that are relevant to the culture, and the culture of politics, we live in today.
Our mission as Christ-followers is clear.
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. - Mark 16:15
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20
We are to preach the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and we are to "make disciples", "baptizing" and "teaching".
We must speak both to the culture and to each other. It is not good enough to be ignorant of what is going on in the world and just avoid it, or even worse be aware of what is going on in the world and ignore it anyway. Sometimes that might mean challenging our own thinking and the thinking of others who claim Christ.
We both must disciple others and be a disciple. We must constantly be being taught by the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit what truth is, and then we must be willing to voice it to others, regardless of consequences.
In his book, Metaxas gives this quote. We would do well to consider it.
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.
Not to speak is to speak.
Not to act is to act.
God will not hold us guiltless.”
