The Church at a Cross Road

 The American church is at a crossroads and does not know it yet.

 

Focus on the Family produced an audio biography of Dietrich Bonhoffer years ago.  Early on, they have him in America in the 1920s asking a friend, “What if the day comes when I have to choose between my country of Germany, and my Savior?”  His friend laughs it off as highly unlikely, but we in the audience know what’s coming with Adolf Hitler.

 

Our national moment may be less dramatic, or a few years into the future.  But it is coming to most of us, and it is already upon some of us, like John MacArthur.

 

Civil disobedience is now a live option for the church, and may soon become necessary.

 

It won’t do to laugh it off as unlikely.

The PCA might be too cool and with-it in the culture to take such a stand.

The OPC might be too book-of-church-orderly to take such a jarring, out-of-the-ordinary stand.

 

It won’t do to refute Grace Community’s defiance with nuance, “what-about”-ism, and academic niggling.  Brad Littlejohn and others have tried this.

If we do not assert and exercise the church’s authority as separate from the state (Kuyper’s sphere sovereignty), our newly secular rulers will take it away.

 

We no longer have governors, judges, state representatives and Congressmen who have a gentleman’s agreement with the citizenry that they’re generally for the religious and won’t bother them.  We now have rulers in blue states actively hostile to religious activity.  (See the US House of Rep’s Equality Act, which Pelosi will be pushing for, after the election.)  Or at least they see church/mosque/synagogue as a “non-essential” side-luxury of life, not the core of meaning that it truly is for most of their citizens.

 

We now have a BLM movement adopted by all our major media and sports and corporate institutions, shouting out, “Eff your Jesus, Eff the police.”  Their anger is visceral, vulgar and aimed directly at us.  Just ask Rand Paul about it.

 

Forty years of Marxist/leftist teaching in our colleges has born its fruit in rioting rage against God and proper authority.  They only seek pretexts in George Floyd and Jacob Blake and others, to openly shoot policemen in the streets in broad daylight.  Then block the hospital in hope that they die.  This has actually happened in the last few days.

 

How is a society to say “NO” to this raging violence?

 

The ballot box is not a complete solution.  It is tainted by poor choices people make, and the lies of Joe Biden:

- Trump lied (on COVID) so people died.

- the police are out to get black people.

- Biden is for justice – equity for minorities; Trump is in it for his racist, white, rich friends on Wall Street.

 

None of this is true, but the Left will try any tactic, however false, to get Trump out.

 

I’ve said it to several people in the last few days, and I’ll say it here:

A vote for Biden in November is a sinful act, invoking the wrath of God.

Not because Trump is so great, or because we want America to be great again.  

(I’m not saying Christians must vote for Trump.  That’s another discussion, though I personally think they should.)

But because Biden is all in pushing for the law to let the unborn be hacked to pieces in the womb by the thousands every day.

Because Biden is all in to celebrate sexual perversion, as defined by God’s Word.

Because he has hitched his campaign to this cultural (French) revolution that defines racism as unequal outcomes in society, when true racism is judging someone by the color of their skin.

 

 

All that said, politics is not the answer.

 

To say NO to this raging violence, we need personal interactions with integrity by the silent majority.  The rioters on the news are a loud, vocal, and violent tiny minority, seeking a revolution.  Stop demanding absolute equality, or you’ll wind up in the guillotine yourself.  Let’s be gracious to each other and treat everyone with the dignity they should have as image bearers of God.  Do not harbor hatred in your heart for the rioters.  They are on the road to hell and need illumination by God’s Spirit or they will be lost forever.  Pray for them, and for your own heart to be at peace and joyful in God’s difficult providences.  (I realize some of them just believe lies and may be true Christian believers, too.)

 

I plan to vote for a black man to be my senator in November.  (John James, Michigan!)  NOT because of the color of his skin, but because of his positions on the important issues.  Critical race theory treats people unjustly and inequitably, in the name of justice and equity.  It is evil, driven by envy, revenge, and anger.  How about if we judge people by the content of their character, instead of by the color of their skin (MLK’s dream), and admit that such content of character is not always equal?  Society should reward certain behavior and character (producing goods and services and jobs, charity, piety, etc.), and punish others (rioting, looting, invading and threatening gated communities, shooting cops, blocking hospitals, etc.)

 

That shouldn’t be too hard to admit, when we compare 9/11/01 first responders with Target looters and cop killers, should it?