I read a study by somebody somewhere that interviewed pastors on the culture war in America. Most of the evangelical pastors and a majority of mainline denomination pastors say that Christians are "losing" the culture war or have already lost it.
I disagree.
Because there is no way for a Christian to lose a culture war.
Because we aren't fighting a culture war. And you can't lose a war you don't fight.
People who think that Christians actually can lose a culture war are only thinking from an American Christian point of view. It is truly important to think from the perspective of the ENTIRETY of the Christian faith- beginning in Jerusalem after Jesus had been crucified and risen, a substantial minority, persecuted, thrown to the lions, spreading to every continent and every nation on earth, etc.
When you look at Christians from that point of view, you answer the culture war quite differently.
Now, do I mean that America won't change into a godless, secular, anything-goes kind of society? No. That's definitely happening and most likely will continue to happen. What I am saying is that that is not a loss for Christianity.
What I am saying is that Christians, true Christians, really don't care what the culture around them says. We have a remarkable indifference to cultural trends, popular movements, anti-Christian laws, and government policies that restrict faith and free speech. In other words, Christians never ask permission to be Christians.
That is why Christians will never lose a culture war.
The Christian doesn't really care if the government takes away the right to freedom of religion. We didn't ask permission from the government to be Christians anyway. The right to freedom of religion doesn't come from government; it comes from God. Therefore, we don't really care about laws prohibiting our faith expressions or our beliefs. Weren't all the heroes of the Bible arrested and thrown in jail? Jesus, Paul, Peter, John- every one of them spent time in jail and/or were executed for their faith. If these are the heroes we look up to, shouldn't we be willing to do the same?
That's why Christians will never lose a culture war.
My friends in other countries, especially Muslim and Hindu countries where Christianity is viciously repressed and persecuted, continue to practice their faith regardless of what the culture says. They aren't waiting around for government or society to tell them it's okay. They, like all other Christians, practice their faith regardless.
So when I hear people saying that laws are being passed or policies are being implemented that take away the rights of Christians or challenge Judeo-Christian traditions, I'm not too concerned. The only people that laws and policies would affect are people who are half-heartedly committed and are looking for comfort more than Christ.
The only way Christians lose the culture war is if we individually decide to no longer follow Christ. We lose the culture war when people look at Jesus, look at the world, and choose the world. Other than that, no amount of law or policy or cultural degrading can or will defeat a Christian. This world isn't our home anyway.
After all- all they can do is kill us. Then we go to heaven.
In other words, we can't lose.
So I invite you to join me in chilling out, stop worrying about "losing the culture war," and instead look at the amazing opportunities that God is bringing us in America right now. Our society now looks exactly like the society that Christianity was born into- and the Church was so successful that it changed the entire culture and the entire world simply through the testimony and dedication of its earliest leaders. If you had to bet on which would be around in 2014- the Church or the Roman Empire- most of us would have bet on the mighty powerful Empire, not on the ragtag bunch of believers who were constantly getting thrown in jail and killed. But the Church was so successful in that culture that we now name our kids John and Paul and our dogs Nero and Brutus.
Lose the culture war? I don't think so.
I disagree.
Because there is no way for a Christian to lose a culture war.
Because we aren't fighting a culture war. And you can't lose a war you don't fight.
People who think that Christians actually can lose a culture war are only thinking from an American Christian point of view. It is truly important to think from the perspective of the ENTIRETY of the Christian faith- beginning in Jerusalem after Jesus had been crucified and risen, a substantial minority, persecuted, thrown to the lions, spreading to every continent and every nation on earth, etc.
When you look at Christians from that point of view, you answer the culture war quite differently.
Now, do I mean that America won't change into a godless, secular, anything-goes kind of society? No. That's definitely happening and most likely will continue to happen. What I am saying is that that is not a loss for Christianity.
What I am saying is that Christians, true Christians, really don't care what the culture around them says. We have a remarkable indifference to cultural trends, popular movements, anti-Christian laws, and government policies that restrict faith and free speech. In other words, Christians never ask permission to be Christians.
That is why Christians will never lose a culture war.
The Christian doesn't really care if the government takes away the right to freedom of religion. We didn't ask permission from the government to be Christians anyway. The right to freedom of religion doesn't come from government; it comes from God. Therefore, we don't really care about laws prohibiting our faith expressions or our beliefs. Weren't all the heroes of the Bible arrested and thrown in jail? Jesus, Paul, Peter, John- every one of them spent time in jail and/or were executed for their faith. If these are the heroes we look up to, shouldn't we be willing to do the same?
That's why Christians will never lose a culture war.
My friends in other countries, especially Muslim and Hindu countries where Christianity is viciously repressed and persecuted, continue to practice their faith regardless of what the culture says. They aren't waiting around for government or society to tell them it's okay. They, like all other Christians, practice their faith regardless.
So when I hear people saying that laws are being passed or policies are being implemented that take away the rights of Christians or challenge Judeo-Christian traditions, I'm not too concerned. The only people that laws and policies would affect are people who are half-heartedly committed and are looking for comfort more than Christ.
The only way Christians lose the culture war is if we individually decide to no longer follow Christ. We lose the culture war when people look at Jesus, look at the world, and choose the world. Other than that, no amount of law or policy or cultural degrading can or will defeat a Christian. This world isn't our home anyway.
After all- all they can do is kill us. Then we go to heaven.
In other words, we can't lose.
So I invite you to join me in chilling out, stop worrying about "losing the culture war," and instead look at the amazing opportunities that God is bringing us in America right now. Our society now looks exactly like the society that Christianity was born into- and the Church was so successful that it changed the entire culture and the entire world simply through the testimony and dedication of its earliest leaders. If you had to bet on which would be around in 2014- the Church or the Roman Empire- most of us would have bet on the mighty powerful Empire, not on the ragtag bunch of believers who were constantly getting thrown in jail and killed. But the Church was so successful in that culture that we now name our kids John and Paul and our dogs Nero and Brutus.
Lose the culture war? I don't think so.
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