Our ultimate trust is not in the Supreme Court, the government, or our capacities to bring about the changes our broken culture needs so deeply. Our ultimate trust is in the Holy Spirit: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
How can we best navigate the anxieties and stresses of these days? Habakkuk’s testimony is one of my favorite paragraphs in Scripture. It begins by describing dire circumstances: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls” (Habakkuk 3:17). In his day, this would mean the loss of every means of sustenance. But the prophet responded: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (v. 18).
Last night, SBC messengers elected as president Pastor Ed Litton of Alabama. He was nominated by Fred Luter, the only Black pastor to serve as president of the largest Protestant denomination in the US. Rev. Luter praised Litton’s commitment to racial reconciliation and told messengers that he has dealt compassionately with the issue of sexual abuse within SBC churches as well. We need a leader of such compassion in these difficult times.
More than sixteen thousand Southern Baptists will begin their annual convention today in Nashville, Tennessee. At the annual meeting, leaders will address Critical Race Theory, women’s roles, how to handle sexual abuse and serious allegations regarding racism and misogyny on the part of denominational leaders.
Promoting God’s version of sexual morality is not the puritanical imposition of outdated legalism—it is showing people how to live their best lives. Imagine for a moment the difference in our culture if every person followed God’s plan for sex. Consider the difference this would make for divorce and broken homes, children born outside of marriage, and babies lost to abortion.
C. S. Lewis stated in a sermon that “Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered.” For Christians seeking to influence our secular culture, this often entails utilizing secular arguments for spiritual ends.
The ultimate solution to the existential alienation that plagues us is to seek healing not from ourselves, others, or our broken culture, but from the God who loves us. To be sure, he uses counselors and therapists as agents of healing, but our greatest need is for intimacy with him.
Yesterday we discussed the crisis of Christian leadership in our day and identified four temptations of the enemy. Let’s respond to each of these deceptive ideas with the truth of God’s word. I see these four steps as a blueprint for engaging our anti-Christian culture with biblical truth.
In recent days, I’ve been asking myself why the crisis of Christian leadership is so acute in our day. Is it that our 24/7 news and social media platforms make it easier to report and read about clergy abuse? Is it that a hostile culture and media amplify every story of clergy failure to reinforce their agenda for replacing Christianity with their secular ideology? Undoubtedly these are part of the answer. But I’m convinced that there’s a deeper story at work in our day, one that affects and can infect every Christian in our culture, myself included.
In a world full of adversity, we must refrain from being anxious. If we follow the call of Philippians 4:6-7, Jesus will protect our “hearts,” referring to our emotions, and our “minds,” referring to our thoughts. So long as we stay connected with our Lord, trusting every problem to him with gratitude for his grace, we can claim his promise in return.
