Be
Undeniable: A Christian Alternative to Engaging In the Culture Wars
The world isn’t looking for someone to win the latest debate in the culture wars. They’re looking for an alternative to the whole mess.
extract from Karl Vaters
Apparently the church is losing the culture wars. We must be. My Facebook feed says so.
And Facebook never lies, right? Today it’s about bathrooms. Tomorrow it
will be something else. Each issue is presented as ‘The Most
Important Issue of Our Time!’ Until the next time.
Many Christians and Christian leaders, get drawn into these endless debates with two primary responses: we whine and/or we fight back.
Today I’d like to propose a third
option.
Rise above it. By being undeniable.
How Jesus Responded to His Culture
Quit whining. And quit being drawn into
someone else’s fight.
When we do either of those things,
we’re operating in reactive mode. We’re on defense. We’re letting others set
the agenda for us.
Jesus never
allowed others to pull him into their debate.
His enemies tried to bait him with an
impossible question about taxation, but instead of descending to their level he
raised the conversation to his level. (Luke 20:20-26)
Debate over.
When his disciples saw a man born
blind, they wanted Jesus to pick sides in a theological debate. Instead, he
healed the blind man. (John 9)
Debate over.
Jesus was undeniable.
In his actions and words.
He has called us to be undeniable as
well. In our actions and words.
Stick With Jesus’ Agenda
Every minute I spend being drawn into
the agenda of others is a minute I’m not spending on Christ’s agenda.
Is the culture heading in a direction
you think is bad? (No doubt it is, in many ways).
Don’t become just another whining or
angry voice in the mess. And don’t ignore it, either. Rise above it. Stick to
the agenda Jesus gave us instead of being drawn into endless arguments, debates
and unwinnable wars of words.
Be undeniable.
How?
By doing what Jesus told us to do. His
instructions haven’t changed.
It’s still supposed to be about the
Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
Love God, love others and make
disciples.
And remember, no matter how bad things
seem to get and how much you’re tempted to divert from that mandate, Jesus gave
those commands to people living in the moral cesspool of Roman corruption and
persecution.
If it worked then, it can work today.
The Undeniability of Following Jesus
The world isn’t looking for someone to
win the latest debate in the culture wars. They’re looking for an alternative
to the whole mess.
They’re looking for Jesus. Even if they
don’t know it yet.
Don’t follow the crowd, follow Jesus.
Don’t win the debate, change the
conversation.
Be proactive.
Be Christ-like.
Be undeniable.
