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Here is a great article by Kevin DeYoung:
"The Three R’s of Christian Engagement in the Culture War
Kevin DeYoung, August 3rd 2012
"I know, I know—you really don’t like the term “culture war.” The mission of the church is not to “reclaim” America. The growth of the church does not rely on political victories or societal approval. And we don’t want the people we are trying to reach to think we are at war with them. I understand the phrase sounds more aggressive, confrontational, and militaristic than we like.
But call it what you want—a culture war, a battle of ideas, an ideological struggle—there is no question we have deep division in America. The most obvious division right now concerns homosexuality. When Dan Cathy’s off-handed, rather ordinary comment in of support traditional marriage sends big city mayors out on their moral high horses wielding the coercive club of political power—and when the subsequent response from middle America is a record-breaking avalanche of support for Chick-fil-A—you know there is more than a skirmish afoot. I know every generation thinks they are facing unprecedented problems, but it really does feel like free speech, religious freedom, and the institution of marriage are up for grabs in our day.
Given this reality, how should Christians respond?
Let me suggest three R’s.
1. No Retreat. In the face of controversy and opposition, it’s always tempting to withdraw into friendlier confines. But working for the public good is part of loving our neighbors as ourselves. The pietistic impulse to simply focus on winning hearts and minds does not sufficiently appreciate the role of institutions and the importance of giving voice to truth in the public square. Conversely, the progressive impulse to stay quiet for fear that we’ll invalidate our witness is a misguided strategy to win over the world by letting them win. Either that or a disingenuous attempt to hide the fact they’ve already sold the ethical farm.
2. No Reversal. No matter the pressure, we must never deviate from the word of God to please the powers of the world (Rom. 12:1-2). This principle does not automatically determine the course of action in every sphere, for politics must sometimes be the art of compromise. But as far as our doctrinal commitments, our pulpit preaching, and our public values, we mustn’t give a single inch if that inch takes us away from the truth of Scripture (John 10:35). He who marries the spirit of the age becomes a widower in the next. The church is not built on theological novelty, and souls are not won by sophisticated ambiguity. Whoever is ashamed of Christ and his words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38).
3. No Reviling. If this is a battle, then the followers of Christ must be a different kind of army. Even when our passions run high, our compassion must run deep. There is no place for triumphalism, cynicism, and settling scores. We must be happy, hopeful warriors. When reviled, we must not revile or threaten in return, but entrust ourselves to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23). We must not be surprised by suffering (1 Peter 4:12). We must not hate when we are hated (Matt. 5:43-44). And when we rest peacefully at night may it not be because all men think well of us or because the culture reflects our values, but because our conscience is clear (1 Peter 3:16). In the fight against powers and principalities we must never go away, never give in, and never give up on love."
Click here to go to The Gospel Coalition's website.
Also fantastic is one of the comments made under the article by J. Thomas:
"Hey folks. There’s a lot of good stuff here and its good to see people thinking about these issues.
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I have a hand full of comments to add, for what they’re worth.
1) Unless we intend to be Amish, then there are few ways that we can practically alienate ourselves from the culture that we live in. There is an economy of culture where ideas and behaviors are transacted. Thankfully for us, our forefathers provided us with the framework to worship God according to church priorities rather than government priorities. What an incredible blessing and mandate for stewardship that is. We have taken it for granted for too long. Churches are given direct charge to spread the gospel, and for that to happen we need to be able to exist in the culture in some form.
2) Christians around the world benefit from our maintenance by stewardship of the religious freedom that we are blessed with. The United States is the hub of foreign missions. What happens if religious liberties erode in the US? What effect will that have on persecuted Christians around the world? Catholic Charities and many other groups rescue persecuted Christians from places like Sudan. If they cannot bring them to the US, then where do they go?
3) Paul the apostle went into the Greek square and debated intellectuals directly about God. We can also look to Jesus, who was not just a spiritual guide, but a teacher of correct philosophy. Jesus didn’t hold any punches when speaking to anyone. He was direct and many times his words were intended to cut to the core.
4) Jesus directly confronted government officials (both Jewish and Roman), and though meek, his intellectual fortitude was strong and unwavering. Jesus even commented on Roman tax collector, acknowledging their corruption and later showing forgiveness to Matthew.
5) The Bible tells us not to forsake the body of believers. I think that this instruction can be extended to believers in crisis. What can we say when the entire body of believers is in crisis while being lambasted and viciously attacked in public by immoral and unethical politicians who intend to silence us all by intimidation? Should we not use all the resources available to us, conforming to the will of God, to come to the aid of believers in trouble? God has given us the grace of community here in America. It’s an incredible gift, and I think that it’s our responsibility to be stewards of that gift for the good of the body of believers around the world.
6) America was founded for the partial purpose of providing an avenue for free worship. Let’s not be fooled into believing the lies of those who are, as we speak, beginning to attack the Christian church not only culturally, but legislatively, judicially, etc. It behooves Christians to pay close attention to what comes through the legislature and the courts, and to fully understand the impact of the changes that are made, who is responsible for the changes, and why they made the changes. Christians have neglected this at large. We need to be vigilant. Just in the past 5 years, there have been attempts to institute major changes to the parameters at which worship is allowed. Do most Christians know that the Obama administration tried to seize hiring control from churches? They went in front of the Supreme Court and tried to argue that churches are discriminating against other religious people when they hire Christian clergy and administration. They wanted to force churches under the federal hiring guidelines. Thank God the Supreme Court whacked that down. Thank God that our founders provided a way to whack it down. This is just one of many incursions the federal government has made into church matters of late. We need to wake up to the reality of the times. America is changing. We are given the ability to protect ourselves by Christians who went before us and built a matrix of law and politics that allows us to exist free of persecution. How brilliant they were! It’s up to us to make sure our children and other generations of Christians can enjoy that same blessing. Let’s not pass them on a curse of persecution due to our reluctance to stand on Biblical principles culturally and publicly."