Evangelical Reformation

The virtual Christianity embraced by most American evangelicals constitutes a bubble that is about to burst.

In my previous post, I compared contemporary evangelical Christianity to a nanny state. A majority segment of evangelical radio, television, and books describes a relationship between the believer and God in which God accepts us unconditionally. Therefore, as with a governmental nanny state, we get all the benefits and have no responsibilities.

I further described this arrangement as virtual Christianity, since it finds no reality in Scripture or in real life. Hundreds of passages expose its error. Many of my previous posts demonstrate the error of this perspective.

This virtual Christianity is problematic on any number of counts. One of its major faults is its inability to produce strong Christians, strong men, strong fathers, strong leaders.

Europe provides a graphic display of the inability of nanny states to produce strong leadership. They stand idly by as Muslims take over their countries, either feeling impotent to do anything about it or not caring. Both are signs of weakness.

Feeling impotent is an evident indication of weakness. Standing by, wringing one’s hands, while others invade and take over their supposedly sovereign states, is not a picture of strength.

Not caring represents an even greater weakness. It reflects the deterioration of the soul described by Aldous Huxley in Brave New World, which leaves the inner person caring for nothing by self-gratification. Socialistic Europe is willing to have Islam take over in the future if it can have its state supported short workweek and long vacations in the present.

We find the evangelical church in America, with its nanny state, producing the same weakness of character. It is reflected in our President’s lack of resolve in protecting our borders. It is reflected in the fact that of the strongest leaders on the horizon, most are Catholics or Mormons, and few are evangelicals. It is reflected in many of the characteristics of the evangelical church uncovered by Barna.

Several days ago on a Christian radio program, a man who had been converted from Islam was asked why Christian women marry Muslim men, a good question, especially in light of the many serious downsides of doing so. His answer was that these women view Christian men as wimps, while they find a strength in Muslim men.

Why does a nanny state, be it political or spiritual, produce wimps? The answer is simply this: the stronger ones cause, the stronger ones personality.

Muslims may be misguided, but they believe that they have a cause worth dying for. This gives them a strength lacking in the West, both in secular and evangelical circles. While they are blowing themselves up for their cause, we (both secular Americans and evangelicals) are preoccupied with the latest movie—another expedition into our world of virtual reality.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently pronounced that the United States is a sunset civilization whereas Iran is a sunrise civilization. Judging from the strengths of personality of each, I tend to agree with him.

Many of the experts predict that catastrophe will soon fall on the United States—another 9/11, or even worse. We are like the population in Brave New World, living in virtual reality, both spiritual and otherwise, unaware and unconcerned that the enemy is about to burst our virtual bubble.

The solution must begin with the church trading in the comforts of its nanny state, it’s virtual reality, for biblical reality, for the recognition that God demands righteousness from his people and will judge them if they do not produce it.

I believe that the church in America ultimately will break out of its bubble of virtual reality. The question is what that will take. Will the preaching and teaching of the Word of God bring us to reality, or will it take a horrible disaster?

9/11 woke us up—for about a week. Apparently it will take something far worse than that. That leads to the follow-up question. By the time something sufficiently terrible to get our attention comes along, will it be too late to salvage life in America as we know it?

Glen Beck did a special this past week on the hostility of radical Islam toward the West, especially Israel and America. It depicted Muslims teaching their children from the cradle up the glories of martyrdom for the cause of our destruction.

What makes Muslim rhetoric so chilling are the incidents now spread over more than a decade demonstrating that it is not mere rhetoric. We can expect that their indoctrination will eventually result in the deaths of more American human beings.

The reality is that these Muslims not only have the desire to destroy us but also the resolve.

The variable that correlates most consistently with victory is resolve. The old cliché exhibits a high degree of validity: “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Islam demonstrates enormous resolve in its commitment to annihilate us.

How widespread is this desire and resolve to destroy us?

We are assured that it is restricted to radical Islam. However, we err in our assessment of what proportion of Islam is radical.

Would we call Al Jazeera friendly and reasoned? Can we contend with a straight face that it only represents only a small, radical element of Islam? On 9/11, was it only a few radical Muslims dancing in Palestinian streets and elsewhere in the Islamic world?

The reality is that a substantial segment of the Islamic world is committed to our destruction and has the resolve to carry out that commitment.

Striking in contrast is the apathy and cowardice of the West.

Europe certainly shows itself to be a weak sister. Consider how quickly Spain caved in when the terrorists struck. The reality is that most of Europe and England lacks the resolve to resist the infiltration and inevitable takeover of their countries by Islam.

The last bastions of resistance are the United States and Israel. Israel left to its own devices displays the will to fight. However, their resolve is constantly restrained by American politicians.

And what about our resolve?

As noted in the previous post, it is common knowledge, especially within the Muslim world, that the Democrats lack the courage to defend our country. Do you feel secure thinking about Nancy Pelosi as defender of the West? This is no Joan of Arc we are talking about. Do Harry Reid or Ted Kennedy manifest any resemblance to Sergeant York?

This leaves us with the Republicans to stand against the hostility and resolve of the Islamic world. How do they stack up?

A President lacking the resolve to defend our own southern border inspires little confidence. During the past six years the House has occasionally given us glimmers of hope. However, the reality is that they need the support of the Senate, and the Republican Senate has historically been weak, dousing any embers of House courage.

One might hope that the devastation of the midterm elections might have arrested the attention of the Republican Senate, motivating it to manifest some strength.

The choice by the Senate this past Wednesday of Trent Lott as the Minority Whip takes all the air out of that balloon. Though I am sure that Senator Lott in many respects is a fine person, one quality for which he has not been noted is resolve. We don’t find much of Sergeant York here either.

The selection of Trent Lott as Majority Whip demonstrates that the Republican Party is not equal to the challenge of standing against the resolve of Islam. The last best hope of the West humanly speaking has shown itself to be inadequate to the task.

With the survival of the West at stake, our greatest concern has become the acquisition of PlayStation 3. If the Battle of Tours were fought today, we would all be bowing toward Mecca.

Now, our only hope is a spiritual revival that will produce leaders with sufficient fortitude for the fight. Pray that God will send it and them.

People not in leadership tend to think that leading is easy and fun. However, many aspects of leadership are difficult, for example, the added responsibility, the work required to do a good job, and the inescapable criticism.

One of the toughest aspects of leadership is the ultimate need to confront a child or wife regarding something he or she is doing that is wrong—e.g. putting on too much weight.

You can count on the fact that ultimately your leadership will be challenged. It is human nature. Those under authority virtually always test the resolve of an authority figure.

Therefore, the need to confront will present itself, and when it comes, the husband and father must do it. If he caves in, those under authority will push for more. They will keep pushing until eventually they are in charge or it is evident that no one is in charge and chaos rules.

These alternatives will not work. It is God’s design that the husband and father be the authority in the family. Any other arrangement will fail—will produce unhappiness for all concerned, including the one who has usurped authority. 

Therefore, it is best for a husband and father to take a stand sooner rather than later.

This is tough business. Most husbands and fathers want to avoid confrontation like the plague.

Since the need to confront will come, and not doing so will lead to failure, we need to ask how to make confrontation as easy as possible. The answer is found in following all of the leadership principles described in previous posts. The reason is that in so doing you earn the right to confront. You will know it and they will know it.

• If you have sacrificed as a leader, you have earned the right to lead.
• If you have taken initiative, are assuming responsibility, and are advancing a biblical agenda with wisdom, you are leading effectively, which gives you the right to confront.
• If you have chosen your battlefields carefully, it should be evident to all that the issue at hand is one of significance that should be confronted.
• If you have sought to make your leadership easy to follow by getting into the other person’s shoes, seeking to see life from his or her perspective, and walking down the path with that person as far as you can biblically and reasonably go, then the person you are confronting should recognize that you have done your best to understand and empathize.

Usually by the time you have done all of the above, you and your wife or children realize that you have earned the right to call them on the issue at hand. This does not mean that it will be easy, that they will agree with you, or that they will not respond with hostility. However, laying this foundation gives a husband and father the confidence that he is on solid ground in confronting the issue at hand.

We must confront when the time comes. However, first we need to lay the groundwork so that we will have earned the right and developed the confidence to do it.