“God
created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or
right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no
possibility of going wrong, but I can’t. If a thing is free to be good it’s also
free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did
God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible is
also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth
having.”
-C.S. Lewis, The Case
for Christianity
INTRODUCTION
Christianity appears to have
come at a crossroads. In the American culture specifically, there is an
insurmountable pressure from outside factors of the church to submit to
“progressive” ideas. Times are changing and ideas are evolving. Morals that are
culturally acceptable are not the same as they were years ago. Voices have
broken out to change the way society sees the world. There are many issues at
present in which the church seems backed into a corner by those progressive
ideals. To say anything other than what is accepted by secular culture would
mean hate. To the church who wishes to reach the lost, they feel they must
sweep certain issues under the rug or conform to new age thinking. Families and
friends are changing their beliefs not based on the God they love but rather
their loved ones in order to accept who they are or even to fit their own
personal life styles.
The
question then resides as to whether or not Christians are being too stubborn to
change or are staying true to the Biblical teachings of Christ. When it comes
to reaching the lost, it is possible that churches do not want to ruffle any
feathers in order to reach those who may feel offended that the church feels a
certain way about a topic. In today’s press driven world, all it takes is a
single tweet to dismantle an establishment by claiming the institution is one
of hatred.
Christians could
very well be wading too far into secular waters. Instead of being baptized into
new light, they are being baptized into a culture fixated on corrupt ideals
that will only plague one’s narrow walk to the kingdom of God. Can a Christian
still be called a follower of God if they are accepting new ideals and
attributing the Bible to them? Does the Word of God need to be interpreted in
light of a changing world?
The Bible has not changed. It is
the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The Bible should not
change because of a changing world. New ideas should not penetrate what is
eternal. Disciples of Christ need to follow the Word of God as it is and not
attempt to change that Word to fit popular concepts. In order to make and
become effective disciples, Christians need to hold conservative ideals in
today’s liberal world, challenge today’s hot topics, and present their beliefs
in a loving manner that does not compromise their ideals.
THE INHERENT MAN
If anyone
claims to be a Christian, they should naturally lean towards conservative
ideals. Noted American conservative and host of a syndicated radio talk show,
Dennis Prager, stated in his article “If You Believe That People are Basically
Good” that “…if you believe people are basically good, you, of course, believe
that you are good-and therefore those who disagree with you bust be bad, not
merely, wrong” (Prager, 2002). In an interview on CRTV’s talk show “Louder with
Crowder”, Prager went more into detail basically dividing liberals and
conservatives into two camps. Liberals typically see people as inherently good,
in which they believe that they are good and everyone who disagrees is bad, and
Conservatives see people as inherently bad (Kirchoff, 2017), . Wait, so if
Christians are supposed to be loving, how can they see people as bad? How can
Christians align themselves with conservatives if they are only seeing the bad
in everyone?
Christians
need to align themselves with conservative ideals of people being inherently
bad because this is how the Bible sees humanity. If Prager is correct in his assessment
of liberals and conservatives, the Bible aligns with conservative thoughts on
man being inherently bad: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God,” (Romans 3:23, NASB). If the Bible states that “all have sinned” then it
is evident that no one is inherently good. If no one is inherently good, then
Christian worldviews need to look at man as being inherently bad. If man is
inherently bad, than Christian ideals should be aligned more with conservative
ideals.
This is not
to say that conservative ideals are perfect. The point being made is that in a
time where ideals are shifting and more liberal understandings are making their
way into Christian ideals and beliefs, Christians should lean more towards a
conservative point of view as opposed to liberalistic ones. Then the question
needs to be asked, “What does Christians following more conservative ideals
look like Biblically?” Do not think that conservative ideals should be followed
blindly. It is not the Bible fitting into conservative schools of thought but
vice versa.
WHY SHOULD THE CHURCH
CHALLENGE TODAY’S PROGRESSIVE IDEALS?
When the
Christians’ personal beliefs actually reflect that of the Bible’s, it may
challenge today’s progressive movement of liberal principles. The church
(namely Christ followers) needs to challenge these hot topics in a Biblical
understanding in order to properly follow the great commission of making
“disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19). A Christian (namely born-again)
can lead someone to Christ by having them accept Christ into their heart, but
if they are not keeping God’s commandments, there will be serious
ramifications.
A Christian
may not truly be a disciple of God if they are not keeping His commandments:
“The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him…” (1 John 2:4). Following
God’s commandments is essential to be a faithful follower of Him. This is the
epitome of why churches need to challenge today’s hot topics. If someone is
lead to Christ and they are following along with wrong ideals and agendas, they
are not truly keeping His commandments. It can be swept under the rug as much
as possible, but the bottom line is that Christians need to look at these hot
topics and understand from a Biblical standpoint where their thoughts and
beliefs need to lie. The Bible needs to be the foundation to which all
political and moral understanding arise. New and non-believers may never
understand these points unless the church is willing to take a Biblical stance
on hot topic issues.
HOW DO CHRISTIANS
REACH THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH THE BIBLICAL STANCE OF HOT TOPIC ISSUES?
Taking a
Biblical stance on hot topic issues may not be popular. It can come off as
hateful and not understanding, but this is why it is important for Christians
to take a loving stance towards people who do not understand Biblical points of
view. “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the
same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you…” (1 Peter 4:4). The world
may not understand or may not be willing to understand and the Word of God
states in the previous verse that the world will be surprised we do not run
along with their reckless and abrupt behavior. There is supposed to be a
striking difference between what Christians believe and what the world believes
(Romans 12:1 & 2). In order to reach such people is not to be accepting of
their beliefs but also does not mean to turn them away.
We see all
throughout the New Testament that Jesus reached out to those who were needy. It
is not that He accepted their sinful lifestyle and asked them to continue on
and follow Him. He told the Pharisees that is not the healthy that need a
physician, but the sick (Mark 2:17). He even called men to leave their
livelihoods to join Him (Matthew 4:18-22). It is important for Christians to understand
that loving the lost and loving enemies does not mean accepting their sinful
lifestyle. There is a radical change when it comes to following Christ. It is
not just accepting Christ into one’s own heart and continuing down a sinful
path with no change. There is big change and it must be evident.
SO WHAT IS THE POINT
OF ALL THIS?
Christians
need to follow the great commission of making disciples and being disciples by
leaning towards more conservative ideals through a Biblical lens, challenge hot
topics of today’s society, and lovingly reach out to those who may oppose those
views. The Bible states that everyone
has sinned and from that concept Christians need to align their beliefs along
conservative tendencies. Conservatives tend to track people as inherently bad
and this aligns with the Biblical belief that everyone has sinned. In order to
properly follow a truly Biblical thought process, hot topic ideas need to be
challenged. New ideas are being formed as to how the world is and Christians
need to be able to lead new followers in the right direction. True followers of
Christ must keep God’s commandments in order to actually follow Him and in so
doing need to challenge false world conceptions of normality. Though not
everyone will agree, Christians still need to reach out to the opposition and not reject them. Those
who disagree may not understand and simply accepting them without repentance
will not truly save them. The world is changing and Christians need to keep the
true Word of God alive and not allow outside influences to corrupt what is
true.
Note: This article
follows along the lines to any references of God to be capitalized, including
(but not limited to) He, Him, and His. It is intentional as well as necessary
to differentiate between man and God. All verses taken from the New American
Standard Bible unless otherwise noted. If there are any hot topics that wish to
be discussed, or if there are any challenges you wish to present or
corrections, please email. This article is from one individual’s understanding
of the Word of God.
References:
Kirchoff, C.
(2017, April 14). “TRUMP VS. KIM JONG! Dennis Prager and Paul Joseph Watson.”
(LWC # 152). Louder With Crowder. Available
at https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/lwc-152-trump-vs-kim-jong-dennis-prager-paul-joseph-watson/
Lewis, C.S. (1996) The Case for Christianity (Reprint). Touchstone Books.
Prager, D. (2002,
December 31). “If You Believe That People Are Basically Good.” The Dennis Prager Show. (Web Page).
Retrieved from www.dennisprager.com/if-you-believe-that-people-are-basically-good/
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