Many Churches a No Show in the Culture Wars |

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Many Churches a No Show in the Culture Wars

Posted onJune 18th, 2010 Religious Freedom | 17 Comments »

I was asked recently how it is that 60% of weekly church attendees support repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (according to a Gallup Poll from last year). The answer is simple: many pastors rarely if ever address the morality of homosexual behavior (or any other current controversial issues) from the pulpit. But we are bombarded by media with a secular worldview on everything from sexuality to the orgin of life.

The Bible has quite a bit to say on these issues and others like abortion, family, and citizenship. A quick glance at a few “sermon starters” on Family Research Council’s website gives you an idea what’s freely available online. But if pastors never take up these topics on Sunday morning, most church attendees will simply conclude the church doesn’t have a position.

The good news is, there are some pastors – like those involved in ADF’s Pulpit Initiative - who have not abandoned the culture wars. Not only do they speak up about what the Bible has to say on issues of the day, they encourage their parishoners to vote for people who share that biblical worldview.

But the failure of most churches to show up for the battle is not just unfortunate, it’s disasterous for religious freedom in America. An article in the Washington Post by Lawrence P. Grayson does a great job of demonstrating how the current societal trend of condoning immorality is on a collision course with religious freedom in America. If pastors don’t teach what the Bible has to say about these issues to their parishoners, their opinions will likely be formed by something other than religious conviction. This is harmful to the health of inviduals, society as a whole, and government. Mr. Grayson aptly quotes John Adams as saying, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

It’s vital that pastors address issues like homosexual behavior, from the pulpit, on Sunday morning. Otherwise folks think the Bible has nothing to say about sexual mores and other important matters we are currently wrestling with as a society.

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Author Kevin Theriot ADF Senior Counsel

ADF Senior Counsel - Church Project

Libertybella

The church has not been preaching enough about SIN, plain and simple. If you don't “feel” convicted, then people will not turn away from their sin. When you don't need a Savior, then you don't need a Christian World View. Many Christians have a cafeteria style approach to real world concerns and how the culture has deteriorated. No one wants to be called a “bigot” or “homophobe”. That is anathema! So, then they adjust their belief system to slide into the cultural norm.
Please Pastors! We need Christians with moral fortitude, with character and backbone if the Church is to survive in the present and future culture. We are losing this battle because you are not holding their feet to the fire! Please, I pray! Jesus was NOT a wimp!
http://twitter.com/BZavala137 Benny Zavala

Irwin Lutzer's book “Hitler's Cross” goes into detail about the church and how she compromised to Hitler's demands for the sake of a greater Germany. We've already seen Notre Dame honor President Obama while being the most pro-abortion politician in history, and Georgetown University covering up all things Christian for the appeasement of Obama during a televised speech. As the Apostle Paul pleaded in Phillipians ;

“according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain
Phil 1:20 (NKJV)
desert

First of all, don't put any faith in polls….figures don't lie, but liars figure! Second…I don't believe for a second that Bible Believing Christians support homosexuality in any form!
Tomhanig

Thanks for your critique of church life or lack of it. Being a homophobe isn't bad- it puts you in a league with Moses, Paul and other writers of the Bible and it just happens to God's point-of-view. So take heart if you're persecuted for the sake of righteousnes- you're in good company.
Gcsetoc

A pastor does not have to spend their entire sermons on homosexuality. Any pastor who does not agree with the fact that the Holy Bible is a “rule and guide” for our faith and practice in life; is not true to their religion/faith. Morality is now being replaced by immorality in what I deem a struggle for semantic space in society. What was, since time began, consider immoral, is now being forced upon society by an immoral subculture of homosexuality under the guise of civil rights and the biggest lie of all: “God made me this way.
Aubrey

The Bible is clear that we will be held in account for not warning those stumbling towards the slaughter. Pastors and Elders are held to a higher standard, True Love, God's love is teaching, reproofing and warning people that their lifestyle is at enmity with God. Let the Spirit convict them of their sin so they may come to true repentance and enjoy everlasting fellowship with our Dear Lord and Savior.
http://www.restoreamerica.org David

Rome burns…and Christians sleep. God calls us to ‘stand’ and we sit down, cower in the corner and act faithlessly like God is NOT ‘with us’ as He PROMISED! And…He won’t be if we don’t stand up, IN FAITH, and demonstrate we are trusting in Him, and not ourselves. He doesn’t honor unbelief. Remember Abraham offering Isaac? God said, ‘Stop! Now I know that you trust me.” Our pastors are ignorant of our history, afraid rather than informed, on the sidelines rather than in the game, stradling the fence, waiting for the rapture (if they are pretrib), practicing a form of convenient, unsacrifical and comfortable religious ‘separation’, (like the German church at the time of Hitler), ‘safe’, pathetic contributors to our demise by their wimpy silence, with a wilful disbelief, and unwittingly separated from the truth by their own cowardice, and will be held accountable as ‘hirelings’ not ‘shepherds’.

David Crowe
jeff

EZEKIEL 3:18-19
“When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; BUT HIS BLOOD I WILL REQUIRE AT YOUR HAND. Yet, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
Adiaphora

Thank you for your article. Unfortunately, most Christians are asleep at the wheels. By that I mean most Christians are paper Christians with no solid Biblical worldview. The question is why are pastors not addressing these issues — cultural issues? Part of the reason I believe which was succinctly pointed out by Francis Schaeffer is the Upper and Lower Story. What these leaders' worldview consist of is that Christianity is in the Upper story which is relegated to value system, not necessarily applying humans on earth whereas Lower story is the secular system/science applies to all humans.
Modern day Francis Schaeffer is Herbert Schlossberg who wrote a book entitled: Idols for Destruction. Published by Crossway. The essence of his thesis: If the church does not judge what is right and wrong from God's view than the church is not only watered down but with the idols.
http://twitter.com/wthrockmorton wthrockmorton

Churches preach about sin, but many of them are tired of the culture war because it gets in the way of preaching the Gospel.
Pamelaowe

Thankful for this encouraging article that all Christians & especially ministers SHOULD read.
Jwoods7535

Pastors can speak up or lose Freedom of Religion !
Fred

No disrespect to the author but I disagree. Did Jesus preach against issues that were prevalent in the region/time? I don't think so. He preached against sin itself and preached what was right, which is different than preaching against a specific issue. I believe that the problem with America is not whether or not groups condone immorality, the … See Moreproblem is that people are not getting saved. Why aren't they getting saved? Christians are not sharing the gospel enough. Why aren't they sharing the gospel enough? They are the ones who are engaged in the sin in the first place. What is the solution then? 2Chr7:14
Don

The Cultural wars have created a mess because we have lost our sense of moral values; taking only parts of the Bible; and trying to rewrite history to be politically correct.
People in some of the churches have brought scandal to the chucrch and the church leaders did not confront these sins. Some churches have split because the members did't accept non-biblical teachings. Why we might not be a Christian nation?
We have become a feel good society, if it feels good do it. Some people will move if they are uncomfortable and feel convicted because of the Holy Spirit speaking to them about their sin. Often only one side of God is mentioned, the love side, not the justice or repentance side.
We have gotten caught up in semantics, I replace the word religion with denomination(Catholic church,Church of England). We have a Judeo-Christian heritage where God had a great influence. We have freedom of religion not freedom from religion. Any religion that preese that they are the only religion and forces their ideas on others should be stopped. God gave us free will, but we have to pay the consquences.
Jpherling

The Bible doesn't say anything about abortion, gay military service, or gay marriage. Those like you who claim it does are spuriously claiming Biblical backing in order to further their own agenda.
John Herling

What about gay “Believing Christians”? And don't say “there aren't any”, because a certain percentage of people in any organization consists of gays.
Alethia

Fred has not read what Jesus said!
Against the specific sins of the specifically named and singled out group of His day,
the Pharisees. See Matthew 23:13-34.
Against the evil conduct of the money changers in the temple, Matthew 21:1-13.
Against the evil of His own people in Jerusalem, Matthew 23:37-38.
Aginst the sin of those who misapplied Scripture to forsake their parents, Matthew 15:1-9.
And this is just a brief example of how Jesus preached against specific sins of His time!
Whatg Jesus said in Matthew 22:29 about the Sadducees, applies to Fred! Look it up, Fred!