Posted on 03/21/2017 3:42:19 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
In a piece over at Fox News, Larry Alex Taunton argued that evangelicals “need to stop being wimps.” (A glance at the URL suggests that the writer’s original title may have been a bit saltier.) Taunton makes a vividly argued case.
As an example of wimpiness, he adduces Barnabas Piper, famous for being the son of John Piper. Writing at WORLD, Piper reassured the world that he’d not eat at Chick-fil-A to support a fellow-believer targeted by “gay agenda” activists et al for the compounded crimes of (a) being a Christian (b) out-loud and (c) in public. Piper was very concerned about being perceived as “divisive” – by the sorts of folks who do all they can to muzzle Christians like Dan Cathy (and Barronelle Stutzman, Aaron and Melissa Klein, and others), and to drive them out of the public arena and out of business. Piper suggested that publicly and materially supporting a brother persecuted for his faith would not serve “the Kingdom of God.”
Taunton is incredulous at Piper’s rationale and argues at length that it’s symptomatic of a growing evangelical disdain for meaningfully opposing evil, displaying the emasculation C. S. Lewis warned against decades ago. Evangelicals must be willing to fight, to push back against evil cultural influences, in the light of prevalent blasphemies, abortion, sexual degradation, and increasing hostility towards Christians. We may have the “do not sin” part of Ephesians 4:26 down pat, but we’re failing to observe the first two words: “Be angry.”
Is Taunton right? Do I agree? Mostly yes, kinda no.
I have long observed that an alarming swath of public evangelicals seems to be driven by a consuming desire to be liked by the world.
Now, that is my characterization, not theirs. To their minds, they are trying to be good representatives of Jesus. They are focusing on “kingdom” issues. They eschew evangelicalism’s past mistakes of tying itself to various moralistic fads such as outlawing alcohol or opposing nylons and lipstick. They want to be sure that unbelievers know that they love them, that the GOP is not the Kingdom of God. They want to be seen as scholarly, cautious, nuanced, careful, measured, and helpful. They shrink from the thought of being seen as dogmatic, triumphalistic, or narrow.
Are those bad motivations? As stated and as far as they go, most of them are not.
However, I’ve come to fear that they mask fatal flaws. For starters, these sorts are willing to let their motivations be judged and dictated by the reactions of unbelievers.
Beyond doubt, we Christians want (or should want) to make Jesus and His Gospel the central issue. As I argued at book-length, it is the Gospel alone that identifies, targets, and solves our real and deepest miseries and brokenness and wrongs. Success in persuading unconverted pagans to become moral pagans is failure. True, it would make for a better life for them and society in the short run; but Hell will be eternally full to the brim with unredeemed moralists.
Yet are the evaluations, responses, emotions, and words of the lost our best gauges? Let’s see:
Christ and His Gospel sound like the very soul of stupidity (1 Cor. 1:18, 22-23) and smell like death to them (2 Cor. 2:15-16).
Yet – and here, I think, is the marrow of the issue – some of us really do want them to like and respect us. Whatever they think of God.
See, that’s a problem. James warns that the spirit of yearning to be friends with the world is a spirit of adultery and hostility toward God (James 4:4). The more faithful we are toward our Lord, the more likely the world is to hate us and want to silence us permanently (2 Tim. 3:12). Is that startling to hear? It isn’t said much, but it should be. In fact, I seem to recall the warning that the world’s applause and approval is generally a really bad thing to the faithful disciple (Luke 6:26; 16:15).
So I should expect that the world will, much of the time, hate Christians who are unapologetic, unwavering, bold, outspoken believers. I should expect it to mock us, try to discredit us, seek to silence us. I should never take my clues from such reactions (real or anticipated), but instead focus on believing, trusting, obeying, and seeking to please and glorify God (Deut. 6:5; 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 1:9-10).
All that said, when the world hates me, I do want it to hate me for the right reasons. I don’t want it to hate me for actually being a jerk, a big mouth without a heart to show love or hands to serve.
Yet even there, my first love and service (God says) should be to the family of God (Gal. 6:10). And when they are persecuted by Christ-haunted haters, I should show believers sympathy and support, even if it means that I share the hatred and abuse they’re experiencing (Heb. 10:32-34; 12:3-4; 13:3). And I must testify to the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone.
That’s serving the Kingdom, God’s way.
How can we put that all together and apply it to the matter at hand? Let me break it down:
1. Biblically faithful Christians should not expect to be liked and respected by a world that hates and despises our Lord.
2. Biblically faithful Christian should not want to be liked and respected by such a world.
3. We should testify to the Gospel of Christ at all times and in all circumstances, expecting to be hated for it apart from a work of God’s sovereign grace.
4. We should take our cues from God and His word, and not from those who hate and despise both.
And, finally:
5. When the world tells us we’re doing it wrong, we should just figure it must be another day ending in “y.”
One thing I think that has happened to explain this is that we’ve been beat over the head with *turn the other cheek* and *do not judge* but those who have no respect for Scripture but have no problem using it as a weapon to bludgeon Christians into submission with.
They think that once they throw around a few Scripture verses, Christians will cower and think *Oh no! They’re using the Bible. I have to listen or they’ll think I’m a bad Christian*.
And unfortunately, they have been right.
We need to stand up for what’s right and do it in a Godly way. Delivery is a lot and we need to make sure that the problem they have with what we’re standing for is not how we come across. IOW, that our presentation of the material is not offensive in and of itself, but if they are offended, it’s by the message, not the messenger.
“Sell your cloak and buy a sword” ping.
I agree with your assessment, and suggest a solution.
It is important for all Christians to be thoroughly conversant with the Word of God. It is not just “Memory Verses” or familiarity with Bible Stories that will defeat these leftist arguments, but an understanding of context, meaning, and the Whole Counsel of God.
Like the devil who tried to tempt Jesus, leftists almost invariably truncate Scripture, misquote it, or twist its meaning to suit their own agenda. When the Christian is not “well versed”, these attacks seem reasonable and pious, and so cause confusion.
However, if one knows Scripture and UNDERSTANDS what it is saying, these “fiery darts” are instantly quenched. Even well-meaning misquotes are caught right away.
As a classmate of this guy’s dad, Johnny Piper, I said it then and I’ll say it now: “We’re Christian, but we’re not stupid.”
Preach it, sister.
:-)
Christianity Lite has become the popular object of church growth. Success has been achieved when the church’s website has been added to a person’s favorites on Internet Explorer, along with Oprah, Dr. Phil and PBS. Attending such churches allows the unsaved to establish linkages for cherished secular actions and concepts while sanctifying themselves by including Christianity within their lives.
Yet the church leadership must at no point allow disruption of those linkages, which occurs when congregation members undergo the stress of encountering the Lord Jesus Christ in all His majesty as Job and Moses did in the Old Testament, or as Paul, Peter, James, and John did in the New Testament.
We left a church we had attended for 35 years. The pastor no longer acknowledged the existence of Satan; an enemy proficient at bending any human thought or action to his advantage. He would no longer mention that relationship with Jesus Christ, furthered by lifelong praise and prayer, provides the only antidote to entrapments of the culture. The pastor would no longer present that Jesus offers everything for justification, and is the only hope of finding a path to the Kingdom of Heaven.
I try to conduct my life in such a way as I can take as much comfort in the enemies I make as the friends who surround me.
I’ve preached that to many libs in my lifetime saying that Jesus was some peacenik. He wasn’t. He kicked the crap out of the sellers who turned his Dad’s place into a mini Tijuana. Fashioned a nice little whip too.
“Piper suggested that publicly and materially supporting a brother persecuted for his faith would not serve ‘the Kingdom of God.’”
It’s not easy to be the son of a famous Bible teacher. Expectations may be too high for him.
That being said, I support Chick-fil-A against homosexual activism regardless of whether Cathy is a true believer. Even if he was an atheist, Buddhist, or Hindu, I would still have supported the owner’s pro-family position. That he is a professing Christian who closes his businesses on Sunday is just a plus.
I don’t think we are supposed to get into physical fights or use violence for our Christian faith. But, as good citizens, as lovers of freedom, as people who care about others and society in general, don’t we have a duty to take action and even use force when needed?
Surely the advocates of Christian pacifism would not expect Christian law enforcement officers to put down their weapons and just plead with criminals to turn themselves in. Surely they would not advocate that Christianity has no place in the military. How about Christians being legislators, judges, presidents, journalists, educators, and corporate executives? Are we supposed to acquiesce to the enemies? Are we suppose to only use words?
Go Jesus go!
We are now reaping the whirlwind of lukewarm churches pure and simple, not to mention the breakdown of the institution of marriage and family and the education system.
PS It’s hard to follow parked cars and that’s exactly what congregations have to put up with . . .lukewarm church leaders/teachers/preachers.
Perhaps this?
Because if the evil cultural influences continue to claim more ground the less distasteful the final pushback will become.
.
Christians need Knights. And they best discover these knights before the mooslim apes cut their heads off.
The Lord became upset that the Old Law required people to make purchases at the temple. Then he disrupted the tables and said, this is not a “den of robbers” (Mt 21: 12). Then the leaders of the Old Law realized that their source of income for a thousand years was unethical and should be stopped. Then the leaders, motivated to preserve their income, concluded that Jesus was unethical and should be stopped. Then the leaders flattered the Romans for once and convinced the Romans that Jesus should be killed.
Today the leaders of the Old Law still require people to make purchases at the temple. And today Jesus is still viewed at unethical person who should be stopped.
Old Law: any group that requires people to make purchases to become good members of the group.
New Law: the Lord’s group that requires people to make a commitment to the sacraments to become good members.
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