We Lost???

From Center For Christ & Culture

The Culture War is Over: We Lost!

Wow! That is a strong statement. So, why did he say this? The author, S. Michael Craven, is reviewing a book by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons entitled unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... and Why it Matters. In the book, there is a story told about Jud Wilhite, a pastor in Las Vegas who says, "In Las Vegas, where I live, the culture war is over. We lost. Let me repeat: WE LOST. Now our calling is to love and accept people one-on-one, caring for them where they are. Our role is subversive as we carry the light and love of Jesus into the casinos, clubs, and streets of our city."

The book goes on to report that "radical new frontiers are being explored and old moral and ethical boundaries are being challenged and/or obliterated almost daily within the field of medical science.....modern science is rapidly moving beyond therapy and treatment to "enhancement" and the alteration of human nature itself.... scientific progress [is going] into the morally ambiguous areas of human cloning, nanobiotechnology, and neurosciences [and] has achieved such a level that any hope of stopping it at this point is nearly futile."

So what do we Christians do in the midst of this nighmare 2150 scenario?

Craven writes,
"...like the pastor from Las Vegas,[what the book] argues for is that the current conditions are such that the Church cannot remain in the simple posture of opposition to these issues. The time for preliminary debate has passed and the Christian philosophical contribution was either absent or under-represented. Thus, a new strategy must be considered if we want to have any participation in the discussion from this point forward. Otherwise, we simply will not have a place at the table."

As to the two kingpins of the Christian Right social gospel--abortion and homosexual rights/marriage, the Craven writes that the book says,

"Clearly, we have seen what seems to be the perpetual erosion of morality and ethics in this culture. Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for more than 30 years now and while abortions are down and opposition to abortion is on the increase, there still seems to be little political or popular will to once-again criminalize abortion. Homosexuality is for the most part widely accepted, and if the attitudes of the next generation remain as they are, the present opposition to same-sex marriage will not remain much longer. A higher percentage of children than ever are being born out-of-wedlock in this country and the future of traditional marriage is in grave doubt.

Add to this the growing anti-Christian spirit–much of which emanates from the public battles over these very issues, i.e. the culture wars–and the hope of Christian cultural transformation seems bleak to say the least. More importantly, our present approach to cultural engagement may be hindering the greater mission of Church. Suffice it to say that these factors have caused me to wrestle deeply with my own life and ministry. Am I doing the right thing in the right way? Does what I am doing draw people toward Christ or push them away?.....we must consider the changing cultural context and adjust our approach to cultural engagement."

Then he makes what I think is a fantastic statement,

"I am not suggesting compromise of any kind. I am merely suggesting that the current cultural conditions may be closer to those of the early Church than our grandparents. Our brothers and sisters in the first and second centuries did not labor under a "christianized" culture–quite the contrary–and yet their testimony transformed the world. They did not mobilize politically, they couldn't. They had no voice in government. They did not control the educational institutions of their day. Information was strictly controlled by the Roman authorities and any opposing perspectives were quickly and decisively crushed. The moral and ethical consensus was in stark contrast to Christian virtues. Culturally speaking, the Roman world was brutal and completely lacking in compassion. There was nothing socially conducive to the Church and her mission in the world. Sound familiar? Nonetheless, our first and second century brothers and sisters "lived such good lives" that the unbelieving world could not help but take notice. In the book of Acts we are given some insight into the life and impact of the early Church. What we see is a picture of a "new" people that stood out from the rest of the world and what distinguished them first was their love for one another. They reflected something unprecedented in the Roman world: real and authentic community where people were caring for others and they were of "one heart and soul." From there this love spread to those outside the faith as the Lord "added to their number day by day." By contrast, we often appear indifferent, judgmental, radically individualized and intractably divided."

Absolutely. We are living in a form of a crumbling Roman paganistic Empire (yes, I know it was Christian by the time the empire fell, but the crumbling started early before Constantine).

Now, Craven says what I've been saying for the past 30 years,

"In other words, I don't want to be identified by what I am against but rather what I am for: the kingdom of Christ. I want my apologetic efforts to point people to Christ and not merely the preservation of Christian morality. Preserving Christian morality and ethics will not necessarily lead to Christian conversions but conversion to Christianity will most assuredly lead to true moral perspectives and cultural transformation. I pray I never get this backwards!"


Source: www.battlefortruth.org