Are You on the Sidelines?

“Christians are sitting on the sidelines while the culture rots.”  Baloney.

The culture is rotted, that's true.  But make no mistake: studying God's word, preaching God's word, publishing God's word as much as possible, proclaiming God's word publicly and living it out in our lives as we attempt to be faithful followers of Jesus... is exactly and only what the culture needs. 

In other (Biblical) words, “Repent and believe the Gospel!”

But people think,  "It isn't having an effect, things are just getting so much worse by the second!”

What, however, are we to expect by way of results if we are on mission with Jesus?  Adoring crowds and back-slapping congratulations? No! There is such a thing as the “ministry of death.” Christian ministry produces an “aroma of death” to “those who are perishing” (2 Cor 2:14-7, see also carefully 2 Cor 3-4)!

It should be no surprise that the culture has been rotting since the garden of Eden closed. The world's culture doesn't want to hear God's word of grace, mercy, and salvation. Self-serving cultural moral relativism (and its fascist political correctness) is the quite predictable result of scientific materialism an all its incarnations.This includes, by the way, those “ministries” that actively campaign against traditional Biblical Christianity in the name of “embracing” the culture (thereby becoming part of the culture and leaving the rule and reign of God). Christians who attempt to embrace the flatulent winds and grasp the festering waters of our culture in the vain effort to be accepted are finding this only hardens people's hearts against the gospel, which is (all by itself!) “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

The salt of the earth is also the light of the world. People are welcome to congratulate themselves all they want, but the salt may become tasteless and the light may be extinguished one day when the time of God's patience is exhausted (2 Thess 2:6-12)! Take heart, don't panic, the party is already over.  Most of what we hear about is being exaggerated by a tiny minority of Minitrue wannabes anyway.

In the meantime, the Great Commission is still as true as ever, and we are called, imperfect though we be, to proclaim the truth about the forgiveness that God offers.  God is merciful, full of grace, and willing to forgive and transform whoever is willing to come to Him by faith. That is the truth.

So though the world may seem to be nuts, remember that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:12-13).

Christians aren't on the sidelines, the world is playing the wrong game.

For another similar perspective that I just found after writing this:

http://thefederalist.com/2015/06/15/christians-need-to-stop-playing-the-self-flagellation-game/

Now That's Why We Have a Monarch!

It is easy to make the mistake of assuming that there are monarchs in the UK so the rest of us can enjoy big weddings every 30 years or so.  Yesterday we saw another real good reason for the English to keep them around.

The English-Irish conflict goes back a while.  It is hard to imagine the depths of the visceral hard feelings that entire generations of Irish and English have felt for each other.  (By English, I use a common collective term, however inexact!)  Countless thousands have died fighting for various versions of self-determination and tribal honor.  Families on both sides of the Irish Sea have been disrupted throughout modern history because of this mighty struggle between neighbors.  It is hard for us to realize the complexities of this negative relationship, which continued even after Irish Independence began in the 1920's.

A cool war continued until more recent times, when the world became smaller and settling scores from the middle ages seemed thankfully less important.  So cooperation, management of those Northern Counties and their conflicts, economics and modernization brought the Isles closer together.  But no Queen had come to visit.

Well, she arrived yesterday.  In Emerald Green, her Royal Presence pierced the hearts, probably, even of the protesters.  Without precedent, she reverently visited the Garden of Remembrance, and today will visit the site of Bloody Sunday.  Twenty years ago I would have thought such a vision impossible, but it will become a reality today. 

What we are seeing is reconciliation bearing fruit.  Much work and sacrifice has created this opportunity for healing.  There is no way to erase the past, but there is a way to shape a positive future in spite of the bloody past.  We all have a great Queen, one of those rare persons who can carry her office and her duties in a way that is larger than life, and that makes life better- rewarding those who do the hard work with the final healing ointment of acknowledged final reconciliation. 

It is beautiful to see, wonderful to appreciate, soul-stirring to imagine what these acts of a monarch might mean for the children of those British Isles, and in other places in our world that seem beyond hope of reconciliation.

"How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
Tonight, we can be as one,
Tonight..."       -U2: Sunday, Bloody Sunday