Every Christian should be reading the tea leaves this week.
The election is over; Trump came out on top for all kinds of different reasons.
But if you think that one of them was religious in nature, you had better think
again. It doesn’t take a Jewish prophet to see what the future relationship
between Christianity and American culture is likely to be. The hostility that
we are seeing directed at the recent election in America is nothing short of
fascinating. I continue to read article after article of some of the most
incredible venom and vitriol I have ever witnesses. True, I thought this
country was determined to elect its first female president if for no other
reason than that it was a cool idea. After all, we have been living the
consequences of the last cool idea for eight years now. Why not pile on another
eight? I was wrong. Old America showed up this week and decided it would play
in this thing they call the election after all. I want to do my best to keep a
Christian perspective, a biblical perspective on all the goings-on of this
week. I admit; it isn’t easy. Trump wins and now we live with the protests and
the rants from just about every quarter. What is going on in American culture?
Who are these people who seem to completely lack the slightest understanding of
how things work in this country? They seem absolutely clueless and by all
indications, they have no interest in changing that. The only interest they
seem to have is getting everything their own way and stomping out any and every
thought that might disagree with their own.
What exactly is it that the protesters are protesting? Is it
that their candidate lost the election? Is it that their candidate won the
majority vote but lost the electoral college? That is nothing new. We all know
and understand the genius of that system and if we don’t, then maybe we shouldn’t
be foaming at the mouth until we do. Many people do not see this as a big deal.
But combined with the articles and the hatred I see coming from every
direction, I believe the church had better pay close attention to these
activities this week.
Trump is painted as a racist, a bigot, hateful, a misogynist,
homophobe, and a plethora of other adjectives too many to mention. It is not
lost on the culture that 86% of the evangelical vote went to Trump. Like Trump,
like Christianity; evangelical Christianity. The side that lost believes the
side that won is a hate-filled group of people who do NOT deserve to have their
voice heard. These kinds of people should not be allowed to vote. They do not
deserve to own their own business, to make their own bathroom policies, to have
their own religious beliefs, etc. If you do not agree with how the liberal side
thinks about these issues, then you should be entirely shut down. This is not
an issue that is up for debate in their mind. Who debates the idea of hate?
Hate is not a thing we debate. It is a thing we mute. It is a thing we destroy.
That is the argument.
All debates that protect someone’s right to hate are a
waste of time.
The Christian view of x is an attempt to protect a Christian's right to hate.
Therefore, it is a waste of time to debate x.
(x = gender identity, gay marriage, abortion,
euthanasia, etc.)
No amendment or law that protects hateful behavior should be
protected by the constitution. Religious freedom must be redefined in a way
that prohibits any position that is deemed hateful to anyone. The church has a
few more years, and I do mean just a few to prepare itself for what is about to
happen in America. The point of the argument is that any religion that requires
hate in its confession should be deemed illegal for the sake of the health and
benefit of society. The evangelical version of Christianity requires that
Christians confess what essentially amounts to hate and bigotry toward gays and
women. Therefore, the evangelical version of Christianity should be deemed
illegal. One way to ensure that the liberal point of view becomes the societal
norm, abolishing all competitors, is to begin with the abolition of evangelical
Christian beliefs. After all, the opponents of evangelicalism will point toward
other versions of Christianity and claim that this is not really about
religious liberty but about an aberrant version of Christianity that is harmful
to society. It is essentially the same difference between Islam and radical
Islam. This is where, I believe, the culture wants to go and by all indications
of the recent election, it wants to get there as quickly as possible.
Given the current state of affairs and barring a move of
God, the likely future state is not one that seems promising where the peace of
the churches of God are concerned. What should evangelical, or better yet,
biblical churches do in preparation for the new future?
First, the churches need to acknowledge the current state
and the trajectory of the immediate future. Hiding behind a false optimism is
not only living a lie, it is not helpful. Here is what Jesus told His early
disciples: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute
you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (Matt.
5:10-11) Paul told the young pastor Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a
godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12) Jesus and Paul
did not pull any punches. He told the church what they should expect from the
world. We should do the same. We should remind ourselves of the words of our
Lord.
Second, the churches need to train their people how to be
better theologians, evangelists, and apologists. Look at the work of the early
apostles within the Christian communities. They were involved in refuting false
teaching after false teaching and one ungodly behavior after another. The
opposition to the Christian worldview was relentless. It feels like this is
happening in American culture. But I think that feeling is a little deceptive.
I think America has been nation mostly of hypocrites for most of her history.
Unpopular? Oh, you better believe it. America was never a Christian nation
because there is no such thing as a Christian nation. What Christians need to
understand is that America’s cognitive respect, her outward respect for
Christian principles is shifting, evaporating, and it is doing so at record
speed. America isn’t becoming less Christian. American culture is becoming less
tolerant and respectful of Christian principles and ideas. She has never been a
majority Christian nation. Our churches need to change their perception of
American history, the nature of the revolutionary war, and the plague of
slavery. We need a paradigm shift in how we look at our culture and her
history.
Third, we need to recognize that we are outnumbered and
surrounded by opponents of Christianity on every side. The fight is real. There
is a war taking place and it is more violent than anything we may have
witnessed in the natural world. We are in a spiritual warfare. We need to act
like it. Paul told the Ephesian elders, “Pay careful attention to yourselves
and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care
for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after
my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and
from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away
the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years
I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31)
It is unwise for us to run through this passage and not pause and allow these
words to sink in.
The disposition of the majority of American culture will
quickly make the final shift from cognitive respect to utter contempt where
Christianity is concerned. That final shift cannot be allowed to catch us off
guard. This is not about taking our country back. I have said that myself a
million times if I said it once. But a few years ago, I realized how incongruent
such a statement is with Scripture. Christians do not own America. They never
have even though it may have felt like it at one time. This is about preparing
the people in our communities to go out and be the light we are all called to
be. It is about having the courage to articulate the gospel, to call neighbors
to repentance and faith. It is about making sure that we can all put up a
defense for the hope that is in us. We can and must do better and today is the
day to start. We should have been doing this all along. We haven’t been. It is
time to repent of that sin now and begin to work while we have light to work
in. The day is coming when darkness will fall upon us and the work will become
far more difficult. We must prepare our hearts and minds for that time, now,
today.
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