I am convinced that today we are in a battle for the soul of our nation. We’ve seen the tide rising for years now and brushed it off as a few radical politicians or a few rowdy picketers who wouldn’t be quiet. But that was a poor misjudgment. While we moved forward in our mist of comfort and ease, this movement was growing behind the scenes. It’s never just been about abortion and sexual ethics. For the last 40 years it’s been about silencing everyone who would disagree with them and taking over. 

I began reading a book a few weeks ago by Erwin Lutzer, the former pastor of Moody Bible Church in Chicago, called “We Will Not Be Silenced.” The book connects the dots between all of the divisive activity we are witnessing in our nation today. This is not a book review, but it is a strong statement spurred on by Lutzer’s book. I would encourage you to check it out. The thoughts that follow are my own but know that they are also strongly representative of Lutzer’s.

We have a large contingent in our country today with a mission to erase any part of our history that does not agree with their agenda. And what is their agenda? Complete and total control. They see the Church as a huge obstacle in that plan. They know they cannot win a debate with truth, so they are seeking to just erase us. Let me give you some examples. When it comes to our history, this group refuses to acknowledge any good in our past. They see our past as a nation consumed with slavery, racism, prejudice and injustice. In essence they will say our fore fathers did nothing good or right. All they did was propagate evil and so they are not worth remembering. They say, what matters is what is in front of us, not behind, and there is nothing in our past worth remembering anyway. They will advocate erasing it completely. We see this today in the removal of statues all over the country. We see it as monuments are defaced and destroyed. We see it as the family is dismantled before our eyes; as kids are taught they are victims of abusive parents; as women are taught they are victims of an abusive society; as the underdog is taught he is a victim of the powerful elite. While it is absolutely true that oppression exists and always has, it will not be righted by creating more oppression. We are told racism is reason George Floyd died and that is probably true. But that does not mean more racism is going to fix the problem. That does not meant that every police officer in the country is racist, but that is sure the message that is sent. The defund-the-police movement is not a haphazard, unorganized attempt to make a point. It is part of a well-planned agenda that is being executed in every public arena. 

Let me be very clear. This is NOT a black/white issue. This is not a gay/straight issue. This is not a feminist/chauvinist issue. The issue here is the preservation of truth vs the propagation of lies. We have to say that and things like it and as we do so we must be VERY AWARE of our history in using the Bible as a means to oppress others. It was Christians who kept slavery alive in the US for multiple generations, using the Bible as a means to suppress their slaves. It was Klansmen and the like, masked as believers, who kept racism alive, punishing people for nothing more than the color of their skin. These are the hard realities, but they do not negate the truth. The truth is while some of our ancestors made horrible mistakes, others made wonderful discoveries in the vein of grace. Were it not for our ancestors we would not be here today, literally or figuratively. It was literally their mistakes that allowed us to review the narrative and make an about face. It was in view of their sins that we see our own and repent of them. That history must not be erased. It must be remembered. And as we remember it we take the very selfsame truths they abused, using them to the best of our ability to set people free. This is the only and best option we have. 

This group does not bear one, unanimous name. We see their thoughts popping up in many different organizations across the nation. The ideology they bear is far more concerning to me than any body they might be a part of. This is an ideology, if we are not proactive, that will show up in our own thoughts, responses and even theologies. We have a responsibility to not let that happen. 

I feel a little radical myself saying things like this, but I am convinced they need to be said. This is not something you can just say and keep on moving. These are words that require action. What can we do? What must we do? We must respond faithfully and on the basis of Scripture. We must respond, not as God would but as God does. And how does He respond? Not by flying off the handle, shouting at those who disagree with Him and taking them to court. No, that is their way and it has the fingerprints of the enemy all over it. The way the Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian and Latvian Christians survived the Communist takeover and the formation of the USSR was not by running away or by fighting in court. They survived by confessing daily “the nations are yours, Lord!” He says “ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage (Ps 2.8).

Please take this as a prompt to investigate these things yourself. The goal is to speak the truth openly, gracefully and without fear. This is how we fight. The Bible is our sword. It isn’t a baseball bat. Neither is a document up for amendment. We aren’t here to argue its relevancy, accuracy or legitimacy. We are here to believe and faithfully obey its boundaries. One great place to start is by praying for understanding and speaking that God-gained wisdom to any who will listen. We aren’t out of this game yet. Let’s get to work!