Discerning Christians are aware that a revolution against God, godliness, and biblical teaching has been underway for the past few decades. We are currently seeing a rage in our society that resembles the description of Psalm 2 and will likely continue fomenting until our national election. Between the COVID-19 crisis and the anger in the streets, we need biblical Christians to discern the times and deploy with the gospel message.
The revolutionaries are successfully intimidating Americans away from Scripture and reorienting society away from godliness. We see this taking place in several areas, but two in particular stand out:
A fight against the sanctity of life: The Wall Street Journal reported just last year that the American birth rate is at a thirty-two-year low. The fall in birth rate coincided with the availability of the birth control pill.
Environmentalism, which can border on being an idolatrous religion, has become a leader in promoting abortion. In an article in the Global Environmental Change journal titled “Reproduction and the Carbon Legacies of Individuals,” authors Paul Murtaugh and Michael Schlax went so far as to advocate for abortion because women must take responsibility for their “carbon legacy.”
As Christians, we certainly believe that we are stewards of the world God created. But we are also stewards of the life He creates. And human life, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) is unimaginably sacred.
A fight against the biblical family: The teachings of the Bible clearly collide with the revolutionaries’ teachings because they reject the gospel revelation.
In Genesis 1, God created human life in His image and designated male and female. In Genesis 2, He ordained marriage. Indeed, a stable society requires stable families. Yet, beyond the tragedies of pornography and divorce in our society, Satan has now convinced a seeming majority of people that even the designation of male and female is unnecessary. Just last year in Canada, the Supreme Court of British Columbia ordered that a fourteen-year-old girl could receive testosterone injections without parental consent. If the parents intervened, they would be charged with family violence. Society says that gender identity is up to the individual (even children) and has nothing to do with God.
Furthermore, the titles of mother and father are being repudiated in Europe. Callum Paton reported in Newsweek that France’s National Assembly voted in favor of amending the terms mother and father and instead using parent 1 and parent 2. These title gymnastics are designed to comply with the European Nations’ laws on same-sex marriage.
Here in America, corporations are now forced to acknowledge and address these changes. Just last month, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights act of 1964 which prohibits employment discrimination based upon one’s “sex” now effectively means one’s “sexual identity or gender identity.”
Not so long ago, Pete Buttigieg said that God made him gay (an idea not found in Scripture). He demands Christians evolve in their understanding of this issue. Sadly, many churches are “evolving.”
Besides the fight against the sanctity of life and the biblical family, we could list other platforms from which our society is raging against God. But I think it’s evident that this is taking place.
The response to the current crisis has been varied.
Certainly, there is great anger in our land. We all see the angry demonstrations, and we hear from angry politicians. But average citizens are quite emotional as well. A June 30, 2020, Pew Survey indicates that only 17 percent of our citizens feel “proud” when thinking about our country. Anger and fear are widespread. In the same survey, 53 percent of adults said they are not hopeful about our country’s future.
We know anger is not the answer. “For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:21). It is true that a godly Christian will be angry against sin and injustice, but the book of Proverbs repeatedly cautions us against the kind of reactionary anger that is currently being stirred in our nation.
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly…—Proverbs 14:17
Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:—Proverbs 22:24
An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.—Proverbs 29:22
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.—Ecclesiastes 7:9
A committed Christian will be a counter-revolutionary…but not through anger.
So what should we do?
It seems that as our society needs answers, many Christians are stammering and struggling. Perhaps the change of our worship schedules and the limitations on assembling as local church bodies has made it hard to know when to speak. Perhaps Christian leaders feel now is more of a time to encourage and comfort people. This has definitely been a part of my game plan lately. But we must do more.
I believe there are at least three actions Bible-believing pastors must take:
Preach about the sacredness of God’s institutions.
In the midst of a confusing and hateful moment, we must preach for life and the biblical family. We must open God’s Word and speak to the issues of the sanctity of life, the sacredness of a God-created gender identity, and the sacredness of the family.
Our second president John Adams said it well:
“It is the duty of the clergy to accommodate their discourses to the times, to preach against such sins as are most prevalent, and recommend such virtues as are most wanted. For example, if exorbitant ambition and venality are predominant, ought they not to warn their hearers against these vices? If public spirit is much wanted, should they not inculcate this great virtue? If the rights and duties of Christian magistrates and subjects are disputed, should they not explain them, shew their nature, ends, limitations and restrictions?”
How will the people in our churches overcome the aggressive onslaught of secularization and anti-God rhetoric and philosophies if we don’t biblically address these areas? Because these ideas are so pushed on secular college campuses, young adults—in particular—are vulnerable to philosophies which could draw them away even from the faith.
Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville toured America to understand the secret of her greatness. He wrote:
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. (emphasis added)
But if the pulpits are no longer aflame with righteousness, could it be that the people will no longer know the truth?
Stop mimicking the message of the revolutionaries.
Sadly, in the midst of major cultural upheaval, many Christian blogs and podcasts are little more than the regurgitating of secular ideas with some Bible verses tacked on. And the ideas they are sharing are often rooted in agenda-driven, hard left goals of dismantling the biblical institutions of the home, government, and church.
For instance, recently we have heard the plea to acknowledge that black lives matter. Every biblical Christian acknowledges that black lives do matter and that racism is a sin. (I preached a Sunday morning message on this topic two months ago.) I am burdened for my black friends and neighbors who have felt their lives are devalued by our society, and I am thankful for any wise steps that lead to healing in our society.
At the same time, however, I’m concerned to see the Black Lives Matter organization gaining such traction among well-intentioned people who want to help. Even a cursory look at blacklivesmatter.com reveals an underlying agenda, including stated objectives to “disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure,” ”foster a queer‐affirming network,” and “do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege.” This is not an organization that is bringing real help to black families…or to anyone else, for that matter. Rather, it seems to me to be an anti-Christian organization seizing the moment to push their agenda.
So when a Christian turns all his creative energy for blogs and podcasts to restate what is already being stated in secular spheres, he loses the opportunity to share the transforming power of the gospel and exactly how it changes lives.
What is happening today is that the revolutionaries are setting the conversational bait, and soft preachers are taking it.
Part of this is because Christian leaders are acting with false guilt. Part of it is because they are not disciplining their minds to thoroughly examine what they are passing on. Part of it may be that they themselves are not grounded and experienced enough in Scripture to “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
The collateral destruction is larger than a single podcast episode or blog post. I fear that churches today are “evolving” in their convictions and are at the same time losing the truth.
Pastor, what about what you want to share is uniquely biblical? If it could be said by someone who isn’t a Christian or if it is solely on the topics non-Christians are discussing, you may need to go to Scripture for a fresh message.
Preach the gospel.
Round tables and discussions on current issues are good. I have met with many groups and leaders in my own community to discuss legal, moral, and ethical issues of our day. But I won’t do these meetings without sharing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
At the root of the revolutionary message is faulty theology—about man and his depravity, about sin and its consequences, and about salvation and its availability through Christ.
So the message this world needs is not kinder Christians who “lovingly” encourage people to seek salvation in themselves. The message this world needs is that Christ died for their sins, was buried, rose the third day, and offers salvation to all who will believe.
Preach the gospel.
Conclusion
We want to be wise. We want to listen to counsel. We still care for the concerns of our church members. But above all, we want to follow Christ and lead others to Him.
The combination of problems facing our country and the people we serve is astounding. But we serve a God who offers peace, grace, and healing.
