In my opinion, one of the greatest strategic successes political candidates and parties apply against the church is what is know as “divide and conquer”. The reason we have difficulty advancing our causes and concerns is because we have no civic leadership advocating for them. The reason we have no political candidates willing to provide leadership in advancing our causes is because we cannot elect them. The reason we cannot elect them is because Christians have a hard time moving in unity to become a type of monolith movement that can influence election outcomes to their advantage. Politicians and parties know this and do everything in their power to dilute our influence and keep our influence spread thin. The easiest illustration to offer is the primary system of selecting candidates. The 2016 GOP primary process offered at one time over 15 candidates for president. Of that number, I could easily identify 4 or 5 candidates that might have made an acceptable choice for many committed and consistent biblical worldview voters. The problem was that our voting block diluted their impact among those 4 or 5 by spreading out our votes and consequently the less than stellar candidate navigates his way through the pack and becomes the nominee in a system that cannot think beyond a 2-party paradigm. When the general election takes place, the Christian assumes for their vote to matter they must choose between the “lesser of two evils” in order to avoid catastrophe from the opposing candidate. It is a scenario we have consistently seen for several decades now and inevitably all we get from it are the “table scraps” of political movement with regards to the great moral issues of our day. The millions of evangelical voters who could move rapidly to rebuild this nation into a Christian civilization will never see it happen because we haven’t figured out how to move as one.
Contemporary Church Issues
REBUILDING BLOCK 9: The Priority of Revival
The Church has as a part of its mission and call a prophetic mandate. What I mean by the word “prophetic” is that the Church reminds the individual and the culture of it’s responsibility towards God. The biblical word most associated with that prophetic calling is the word, “repent”. The Church, led by it’s pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles, declare repentance to a lost and deteriorating world. Repentance means that there has been a change of mind with a corresponding action (fruits) that demonstrates a true heart transformation. Reformation without heart transformation is at best challenging and perhaps ultimately impossible. Christian civilization may be embraced because it demonstrates to the human mind the only viable, long term worldview which will beget any sense of liberty and success, but it is maintained because the hearts of individuals and communities have legitimately been touched by the presence and power of God. This will only occur when genuine revival takes place by the plan of God.
REBUILDING BLOCK 8: Training the Next Generation
For all of the obvious errors that can be unveiled in a secular worldview, the strategy relativists and secularists have used to seize our culture has been amazingly effective. Say what you want, their relentless pursuit of changing the historical narrative of America, the philosophical underpinnings of our Constitution, and the dismissal of the need for a Judeo-Christian ethos has been remarkable. Everyone, including the most optimistic among us, recognize that we are on the front side of a “post-modern” America. Their success is due in no small part to capturing the minds of the next generation through any and every means possible. They have infiltrated the public school system, taken over most colleges and universities, and commandeered the media. There is hardly a direction you can turn that secularism hasn’t entrenched itself. The last bastion of hope still resides in the Bible-believing Church which unfortunately does not see the need many times to address the challenge or has simply capitulated to a theology of inevitability which has already raised the white flag of surrender.
REBUILDING BLOCK 7: Confronting a Culture with Truth
Cover of Time Magazing week of March 26, 2017
Christianity is built upon truth. It has it’s roots in Old Testament revelation and it’s fulfillment is made complete in Jesus Christ who said unambiguously, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) To think that Christianity is a subjective philosophy which can be synthesized with various other philosophies, religions or worldviews is simply wishful and erroneous thinking. Christianity teaches exclusivity with regards to salvation through Jesus Christ not because we are hateful, intolerant bigots, but rather we take serious what the Scripture has revealed. Christian orthodoxy maintains that truth can only be found in Jesus Christ and the totality of Scripture. There may be overlaps of truth found in other philosophies and religions, but that does not validate the entire truthfulness of those worldviews. It is only in the Scriptures where we can find a personal and corporate standard by which there is an assurance that we are building our lives and our communities (nation) on a solid foundation.
REBUILDING BLOCK 6: Standing on Principle not Pragmatism
One of my favorite movies is Braveheart, the story of William Wallace. Wallace was a Scottish peasant who led Scotland to war with England’s King Edward the first. The movie is fictitious at numerous points, but nevertheless has a certain inspiration imbedded in it concerning the struggle for freedom over tyranny. The conflict (called a “rebellion” by the English and Scottish nobility) begins due to the murder of Wallace’s wife. Wallace had married his wife in secret disobedience to English law of ius primae noctis (Latin), “right of first night”. Once this news was uncovered, his wife was executed by the offended English lord sending Wallace into a killing rage of justice (vengeance?) which likens him to a 13th century Rambo. The village supports Wallace but now they realize they either fight England for their freedom or they all shall be killed.