Moral Confusion: Fallout from a Culturally Saturated Church
Moral Confusion
Fallout from a Culturally Saturated Church
“If we believe only what we want to believe and reject what we don’t want to believe, then it isn’t the Bible we believe but ourselves.”
True confession, I am a wannabe intellectual. I gobble up books on theology and am energized by gritty conversations about worldviews, philosophy, logic, and how they apply to sound doctrine. I love processing these ideas with others in order to gain a better understanding of who God is and how to apply that knowledge to help me become a more faithful follower of Jesus. While I have a great love and appreciation for deep thinking, I am the first to admit the limit of my own intellect. Just when I think I have figured out a topic, I quickly discover that I’ve barely scratched the surface. Rather than being discouraged by this, it excites me all the more. I love learning and it thrills my heart that I can spend my whole life studying and never exhaust the riches and depth of God’s Word.
I say all of this to preface the following assessment of our current cultural moment. I will be the first to admit that I do not understand these matters to their fullest extent. However, they present a dilemma within the Church that cannot be ignored. Please know that what I share comes from a place of love, trepidation, and humility. Come, let us reason together in the Scriptures and allow the truth of God’s Word to inform our feelings rather than the other way around. As Augustine so aptly stated, “If we believe only what we want to believe and reject what we don’t want to believe, then it isn’t the Bible we believe but ourselves.” We all must ask this critical question, “If I am confronted with a choice between what I feel is true and what God’s Word says is true, am I willing to let the Word of God overrule my heart?” There can only be one king of the hill in our lives. It is either God or self. The irony is that many Christians fail to recognize that the outcome of this battle for sovereignty has already been determined for all who call Jesus Lord. As Paul testifies in the book of Galatians,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” - Galatians 2:20
Paul echoes a similar sentiment in Romans chapter 12 when he charges believers in Christ to no longer be conformed to the patterns of this world, but instead, be transformed by the renewing of our minds. By doing this, we are able to discern what is good and acceptable according to God’s will. Our will is surrendered at the foot of the cross, and we now live to please God rather than ourselves. This kind of willing obedience and submission is how we express our worship to God. (Romans 12:1-2)
While there are many people and churches who practice this kind of faithful, integrated devotion to the Lord, they are sadly the exception rather than the rule. The cultural distinction between Christians and non-Christians has become a blurry line at best. The once clear convictions of a Judeo-Christian ethic has markedly declined among churchgoers in America. The pandemic, racial tensions and politics of recent years have served to reveal this concerning condition of the Church. It seems that world events keep ripping the covering off the body of Christ, until she stands indecently bare before us. In recent weeks I’ve found myself embarrassed by her exposure as I have read countless social media posts by people who simultaneously hold the banner of “Christian” while also celebrating and advocating for sin. This kind of incongruence has become commonplace. Rather than allowing the Word of God to shape our thinking on flashpoint issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ ideology, many have deferred to their feelings to inform their positions. There has been a shift from a reality that is grounded in the truth of God’s Word to something altogether different. It seems a torrential current of worldly philosophies and ideologies has swept up even the most well-meaning Christians.
Natasha Crain, an astute cultural apologist, outlines the framework of this secular worldview in her book, Faithfully Different with the following four tenants,
Feelings are the ultimate guide
Happiness is the ultimate goal
Judging is the ultimate sin, and
God is the ultimate guess.
If I were to counter these ideas from a biblical worldview, I would contend that,
God is the ultimate authority
Holiness is the ultimate goal
Denying the Lordship of Christ is the ultimate sin, and
God can clearly be known through His Word and His Son
I encourage you to honestly consider which worldview resonates most with you, and why. The Church is in a defining moment and we must examine our hearts before the Lord. Like Joshua, we must choose this day whom we will serve, God or self.
As I spent time reading the comments on social media in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade, I expected the vitriol from non-Christians, but I was taken aback by the way many Christians responded. In my thirty years of following Christ, it has been my experience that abortion was an issue without any wiggle room for those who call Jesus Lord. It used to be a hot topic where Christians could share common ground even across denominational differences. This clarity and conviction is now muddled with ambiguity and political talking points. As I sought to understand the reason so many Christians are now aligning themselves with a Pro-Choice position, I couldn’t find an explanation that was rooted in biblical truth. What I did find was a replacement of the authority of God with the authority and influence of our culture. Rather than allowing God’s truth to inform their thinking, many of their views were shaped by the cultural narrative and opinions of Christian leaders they respected. It seems that influence no longer flows from the Church into the world, but from the world into the Church. As I continued to pull on this thread, I discovered the most alarming source of this shift. The American Worldview Inventory recently released on May 24, 2022 that only 37% of Christian Pastors have a biblical worldview. (This included all protestant denominations and Catholic priests) Even when narrowing the focus and taking a smaller cross-section of pastors, the results were still unsettling. Only 51% of Evangelical Protestant pastors possess and practice a biblical worldview. It is chilling to realize that we are living in times precisely foretold in the bible.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
- 2 Timothy 4:3-5
Although these statistics and warnings from Scripture are alarming, we must not get discouraged. God has purposed us to live at such a time as this. We need to take heart, stay the course, and cultivate a faith that is deeply rooted in the firm foundation of the truth of God’s Word. The same encouragement and warning Paul wrote for Timothy applies to us today. There is much work to be done and it’s going to require courage to wisely, lovingly, and boldly speak the truth. We can no longer be silent for fear of offending others. If we love them, we will be willing to lean in and have difficult, yet respectful conversations. There is a spiritual battle for truth being waged within the Church, but we know that the gates of hell will not prevail against her. (Matthew 16:18) Through Christ we have divine power to destroy strongholds and demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) In order to do this, we must set some critical priorities.
First we must be like the Berean Jews mentioned in Acts, “Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” - Acts 17:11 We must receive the preaching of God’s Word eagerly, but we also must examine the Scriptures to ensure all that is being taught is true and in alignment with sound doctrine.
Second, we must understand the cost of discipleship. When we choose to follow Jesus it requires a reorientation of all that we are and all that we do. Our affections must shift from self and the things of this world to Christ. Doing what pleases Him must be our greatest desire, no matter what the cost. We must be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)
Thirdly, we must be part of a biblically faithful church that preaches the Word of God and follows the Scriptural mandates for the proper ordering and conduct in the church so that the mystery of Christ in the gospel is most accurately, effectively, and beautifully revealed. (https://www.doxachurch.net/sermons/series/the-dearest-place-on-earth)
Lastly, we must not go it alone. We must live in community with other faithful believers, practicing the “one-anothers” found in Scripture, and humbly submitting ourselves to church leadership, and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We all need the love, encouragement, correction, and accountability that God designed for the family of God to provide.
While the current polarization in the church is painful, it is also purifying. I am confident that the Lord is using this season to prepare His bride for Himself. I hope you feel like I do, and desire to have a heart that is fully surrendered to Him and ready with oil for your lamp when He returns.
