The election is over and it looks like we’re in for a continuation of the last four years. What are we (Christians who voted for the side that lost) to do? Do we continue to fight a war to ‘redeem’ culture, or do we give up and concede defeat in the culture wars?
In trying to answer that, I want to begin by asking a different question. Should Christians be battling for the culture, or warring for souls? Where in New testament scripture do we have a single example of believers ‘warring’ for the culture?
I don’t know about anyone else reading this, but what I find in the NT witness of the early church is that 1) Christ will continue to build His church until he comes back and 2) the reason believers remain here instead of being teleported to heaven when they embrace Christ is to spread the message of the Gospel – to proclaim the good news that Christ died for the sins of God’s people.
Face it, the ‘culture’ we would like to see change is part and parcel of the current ‘world’ system and under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19), who has blinded the minds of all unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4).
Therefore, the only way to change the overall culture is for ‘blind minds’ to be opened, the bondage of sin to be broken, resulting in the majority of voters heading toward ballot boxes being Christians voting for Biblical values.
Even then, it’s not guaranteed that we will ever see an overwhelming ‘Christian’ culture in our land. In the last days (which we’ve been in since before the resurrection) lawlessness will abound, according to eschatologists of all flavors and stripes. We also cannot find a lot concerning the role of the good old U.S. of A just before the 2nd Coming, unless we engage in a bit of eisegetical interpretation, reading our nation ‘into’ the pages of scripture.
With that uncertainty in view, as ambassadors entrusted with the precious gospel of Christ, we can still do as much as we ever could to change the cultured by merely being faithful to the ‘evangel’ and proclaiming Good News throughout our various ‘areas of influence’, be they our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces and even in our churches.
Who knows, perhaps if we had been busier proclaiming the Good News of Christ instead trying to ‘save the culture’, the outcome of this past election might have been different.
God didn’t call us to a ‘culture war’, but to battle for the souls of lost men.
Just sayin’. . . .
The Battle Cry 
Reblogged this on Take A Look and commented:
I thought this was a nice editorial. Refreshing to read.
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I think if we focus on the culture war, instead of winning souls, we will lose the “culture war”…but if we focus on winning souls and making disciples, there will be a positive side effect on our culture…(though not thoroughly for the reasons you pointed out that there’s not going to be all believers , and culture tend to be the embedded fabric of the World’s system). What do you think?
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I think you’re exactly right. Whatever lasting effect we can have on our culture rests in fulfilling the Great Comission. I find nowhere in scripture any example of believers trying to save a nation/’culture as a primary goal, but only the gospel. Our weapons are the gospel and prayer offered from clean hearts, from humble, repentant hearts that seek God’s ways and turn from their wicked ways. I have no idea how well the culture will actually be impacted either. I should rather be like Paul who knew only Christ and Him crucified. It’s hard to maintain that focus at times. 🙂
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I should have mentined that I believe we should take ‘piblic’ stands for Godly standards, such as the right to life and traditional marriage, however for their own sake and not as part of a huge ‘take back the culture’ campaign. Just my 2 cents.
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