Engaging the Culture
Pastor Chuck Vizthum | Whole Life Church, Michigan
The newspaper and cable news stories are becoming quite regular regarding the battle raging in our culture between a biblical worldview and an atheistic/secular worldview. Whether it’s the definition of marriage, LGBTQ issues, right to life issues, substance abuse, societal norms, economic issues (capitalism vs. socialism), second amendment, and many others, the battle is real and it’s not going away. As late as the 1960s, one could still say that America had a Judeo-Christian worldview. We now live in a post-Christian, post-modern culture where “me”, feelings, and situational ethics have become the basis for making decisions, rather than right vs. wrong.
Many Christian leaders have decided to avoid or ignore the crisis and just continue to do church as before and “preach the gospel.” However, what if preaching the full counsel of the Word of God becomes illegal? What if Truth cannot be proclaimed if it offends or hurts someone? I know these things sound far-fetched, but they are closer to reality than you may think.
What are we to do? The last several months, I have been working part time for the Family Research Council, mobilizing and equipping pastors and leaders to engage. I will state it very bluntly: If the church does not engage the culture with a biblical worldview, we are going to lose our nation. If the church is not the prophetic voice of Truth, who else will be?
Here are some powerful and practical things we can do to engage:
Pray. First and foremost pray for those in authority. (1 Timothy 2:2)
Be prophetic on gospel issues (proclaim and act).
Motivate people to engage by:
Hold voter registration drives in your church lobby. You would be surprised how many Christians are not registered to vote.
Encourage your people to vote biblically. Only about 50% of registered Christians actually vote in any particular election cycle.
Establish Community Impact Teams in your churches to keep people informed on important issues and where candidates stand on those issues. These teams consist of 4 or 5 people with defined responsibilities in specified areas. They can be a powerful tool in any local church. (I’d be happy to give you more information on establishing a Community Impact Team.)
Encourage believers to run for office, especially local offices such as school boards, city councils, county commissions, etc. The cultural challenges are occurring most at the local level.
Be a voice at meetings where these issues are being discussed and considered.
These are just a few of the many things that can be done. Jesus has called His Church to be salt and light; to do so requires that we show up! I encourage you to seek the Lord and ask Him what He would have you do. Working together, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can make a difference. We need revival as the ultimate answer, of course, but pray that we will not grow weary in doing good until that day comes!
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