Worldview Made Practical - Issue 3-23

8/14/2019 Worldview Made Practical - Issue 3-23

1/4

1

Introduction

You are no doubt aware that America is deeply engaged in a culture war. Everywhere we look there is evidence to beseen. And the evidence is becoming more prominent every day. We see it in the stores which are unwilling to even usethe word Christmas in their holiday season advertising, the increasingly prominent fight over abortion and homosexualmarriage, activist judges foisting euthanasia on society as a human right, schools not allowing sports teams to pray be-

fore a game and on and on. It is sad to say, but this war is getting ever bigger, and Christians are taking the brunt of it all.

As Christians, the main emphasis of our lives cannot be on fighting the culture wars per se. Our main effort must be onbuilding the Kingdom of God. But here is the rub. Every effort we make to build the Kingdom of God results in us fightingthe culture wars. We must be careful to keep our focus on what is most important while at the same time being aware ofthe full scope of our task. If we are not equipped to deal with the culture war issues, that is evidence that we are notequipped to effectively share our faith. Living a Christian life in an increasingly hostile world is much more complicatedthan it used to be. Todays article helps us to understand this issue.

(Continued on page 2)

America is already much inclined toward a relativistic world-view foundation. Secular Humanism and Postmodernismare now as much a part of the American value system asthe Christian faith. Oh sure, most people still call them-selves Christians, but the label is not nearly as important asthe mindset. And the predominant mindset in American cul-ture now solidly embraces moral relativism. The result ofthis is evident in the culture and is playing out in every as-pect of our society.

We are seeing more and more judges in high positions whomake their decisions based on their own value system rath-er than on the constitutional documents they are supposed

to interpret. This ends up turning traditional morality on itshead by redefining the meaning of the very words of ourlanguage. If a word can mean anything, then people canuse those words to legitimize any behavior.

We are electing people to executive offices who hold valueswhich are contrary to the Christian faith. The most high pro-file person right now is our president elect who has alreadypromised to support homosexual marriage and abortion tothe highest degree possible. He is already putting people inplace who will make these policies pervasive at every levelof society.

We are electing people to legislative offices who hold val-ues which are contrary to our Christian faith. In both the USSenate and House of Representatives, the party whichmost strongly supports anti-Christian values holds verystrong majorities. They willenact legislation which promotes

policies and activities that run contrary to our Christian be-liefs.


MarketFaith Ministries is an equipping ministry which is focused on helping Christians become more effective

in living out their faith in the midst of the increasingly diverse worldview environment of modern society.

Contact MarketFaith Ministries312 Anton Dr.Tallahassee, FL 32312 [email protected]

http://www.marketfaith.org

Toll Free: 888-883-0656Phone: 850-383-9756

Fax: 850-514-4571

Volume 3 Number 23 December 10, 2008

Fighting the Culture War Against the Odds


2/4

2

(Against the Odds - Continued from page 1)

Already for many years people, with anti-Christian beliefs have dominated our news media, our educational institutions,and our entertainment industry. These people have thoroughly indoctrinated our children and pacified those who havetried to speak out against them.

So, what are we to conclude from this? If you are a Christian who truly holds to a Christian worldview, you have beendominated. Not just that, but most Christians dont even know how to deal with those who would put them down.

With that as a starting point, what choices do Christians have? There are actually several possibilities. We can tuck ourtail between our legs and run away. We can express an uninformed point of view and legitimately be humiliated by ouropponents. Or, we can decide that we have been wimps long enough, learn the things we need to know and get our-selves into positions of influence.

The fact is, the Christian point of view is very powerful. It is 100% defensible. Even more than that, it is capable of over-coming the arguments of every other point of view. But no argument is any good if you dont know how to make it. Noposition is viable if you are not willing to stand up for it.

The reality is that we Christians, as a whole, simply have not put ourselves in a position to make our case. That is thebad news. But there is good news. The good news is that we can turn this around. It will not be easy and it will not hap-pen overnight, but we can do it. So, what do we need to do to fight this culture war from the position we find ourselves in

where the odds are heavily stacked against us?

1. Recognize Where We AreWe are very blessed to live in America. We often hear this sentiment expressed and have perhaps even said it our-selves. But it is true in some very tangible ways. You can actually be put in jail by the government for becoming a Chris-tian if you live in Iran or Saudi Arabia. If you become a Christian in some parts of India you are very likely to be hunteddown by a mob, beaten, and your house burned down. If you live in China you can be hunted down and put into reedu-cation camps if you meet with other Christians outside of the officially sanctioned church. And this is only a small sam-pling of the places where Christians are severely persecuted. Yes, we are blessed in America.


(Introduction - Continued from page 1)

MarketFaith Ministries is focused directly on this topic. We are seeking to equip Christians to keep the main thing themain thing while becoming capable of standing strong against beliefs which are increasingly breaking down our society.One effort we are currently preparing for is the upcoming Worldview Summit for Ministry Professionals. This will be con-ducted in January of 2009. The purpose of this summit is to share worldview training with pastors in order to help thembecome better able to equip their own church members. We are working to do this without any cost to the participants.To do this, we are seeking the support of Christians who believe in what we are doing. If you would be willing to help uswith this project, please send yourtax deductible donation to MarketFaith Ministries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL

32312. It is also possible to donate online at the MarketFaith Ministries website at www.marketfaith.org. Simply click onthe donate button. We would deeply appreciate your support.

Please feel free to contact me at any time with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions. It is always a joy to hear fromyou.

God bless,Freddy

Find these books along with other

great worldview resources at

www.marketfaith.org


3/4

3


That being said, there is a huge attack going on even right here in America. There have been numerous cases whereChristians have been arrested or threatened by government or law enforcement officials for sharing their faith on publicsidewalks. Some communities have passed laws which do not allow Christian professionals or business people to declineserving and working with people they disagree with on moral grounds. There are places where Christian social servicenetworks have literally been shut down because they would not place children in homosexual homes.

As good as we have it, Christians are being pinched more and more and the prospect for the future is grim. There is virtu-ally no doubt that it is going to become increasingly more difficult for Christians to live out their faith in the marketplace.This is a reality and we must face up to it.

2. Figure Out What We Need to DoOn a macro level, it would sure be good if Christians could speak with one voice to influence the direction of the moralflow in our country. But to do that requires a significant amount of organization on a massive level. Certainly there are or-ganizations which we, as Christians, can rally around to support our values. There are some very good parachurch orga-nizations, such as MarketFaith Ministries, which try to speak for Christians. And many Christian denominations try tospeak out for their constituencies. But the fact is, Christianity is so divided organizationally that it is virtually impossible tototally depend on this kind of approach. We ought to use the organizational structures we have as best we can. But ulti-mately we must depend on our own personal understanding and involvement to accomplish the things God has for ourlives.

Subscription Information

If you would like to receive Worldview Made Practicalas afree email subscription, simply go to www.marketfaith.organd click on the sign up link.

Past Issues ofWorldview Made Practical are availablefree of charge in .pdf (Acrobat) format in the archives athttp://www.marketfaith.org.

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: If you wish to reprint thismonths article in your own print or electronic newsletter,please include the following paragraph:

Reprinted from Worldview Made Practical; a free e-zineproduced by MarketFaith Ministries featuring practicalteaching and life tools to help Christians become more ef-fective in their faith life. Discover MarketFaith Ministries atwww.marketfaith.org.

As individuals, we are called by God to be stewards, or

managers, of his world. As such, we need to discover ourpersonal calling and move forward to accomplish that forour own lives. Normally we use the word stewardship inChristian circles when we are talking about financial mat-ters. But the concept actually has a much broader applica-tion.

As it relates to interacting with our culture, God has calledus to promote his agenda in the world. He has designedthe world to work a certain way and operate by valueswhich reflect his character. Unfortunately, there are othervalue systems which have become prominent, and whichliterally go against his purposes. Our primary focus is not to

fight culture wars, it is to build the Kingdom of God. Unfor-tunately, one of the side effects of promoting his kingdomputs us right in the middle of the wars. As such, we mustbe willing to stand up for kingdom values as we engage inthe activities which are primary bringing people into rela-tionship with God. If we dont do this, the culture will devel-op in ways which literally hinder the progress of Godspurposes.

There is not just one single plan that can be laid out whichevery Christian can follow. God has a calling for each ofour lives which we must individually discern. But there aresome general categories that we can distinguish. We cer-

tainly need to be active in sharing our faith with others. Wealso need to be aware of the trends in society which areworking against Gods purposes and do what we can tostand against them. This may involve staying informed po-litically and sharing our views with those in political power.It may also mean becoming personally involved with ourchurch or some parachurch organization to promote Chris-tian values. Whatever the specifics, we need to sit downand make a precise plan as to how we are going to individ-ually plug into building Gods kingdom.


Support MarketFaith Ministries

The purpose of MarketFaith Ministries is to equip the Bodyof Christ to become more effective by sharing the practicalapplications of worldview. We are involved in developingtraining and resource materials for that very purpose. Ifyou would like to partner with us in this effort, you maysend your tax deductible contribution to MarketFaith Minis-tries, 321 Anton Dr., Tallahassee, FL 32312.


4/4

4


3. Take Steps to Equip Ourselves to Move ForwardAnyone can engage the culture by standing up for what they believe this includes you. You can get away with being un-educated regarding worldview matters if the people you are dealing with are also uneducated and are at least somewhatsympathetic to your position.

But in our day there are many people who are deeply committed to a non-Christian approach to matters which Christiansfind offensive and contrary to Gods revelation. And these non-Christian positions are becoming more and more promi-nent in society.

If you are serious about standing up for a Biblical worldview, it is absolutely necessary for you to become equipped tomake the arguments. The Christian position is not some fly-by-night point of view which is strictly based on personal pref-erence. There are solid, objective reasons why society ought to operate based on Biblical principles rather than on otherworldview positions. These other worldviews promote lifestyles which degrade individuals and society. They create anenvironment which destroys families and harms the development of children. They promote an ideology which degradeslife itself.

The day is past when we can just argue from our gut. We must understand how worldviews filter information, then learnthe arguments which promote a culture that matches up with the way reality is actually structured. If you are not able tomake these arguments, the train of societal degradation will continue its rampage through the culture.

Equipping yourself involves reading all you can on worldview. It means taking classes about how to deal with the issues

which are destroying our families and our culture. It means learning how to share your faith with diverse individuals. Itmeans taking the initiative to make yourself capable of operating in the arena of ideas to promote a culture which is con-sistent with the ways of God.

4. Enter the FrayThere is one more step that is necessary. Gaining knowledge has no purpose whatsoever if you dont use it. The cultureis rapidly going down hill. It is going in that direction because the people who want to promote the degradation are morevocal and more determined than those who dont want to see it happen. They are backing politicians who support theirviews, they are entering the political arena in areas which allow them to influence the direction of society, they are spend-ing great sums of money to promote their beliefs, they are talking up their position to everyone they come in contact withon every occasion, and they are flooding the media with their beliefs.

If we are serious about promoting our views, we are going to have to do the same thing with the same tenacity. Nothing

less will do. Certainly, there will be high profile individuals who take the lead, but it cannot be left completely up to them.The average rank and file Christian is also going to have to enter the fray. You are going to have to do your part.

ConclusionWe are facing a period of time when the Christian voice is in the minority. As a result, promoting a Christian worldview isgoing to be much more difficult in every way. We will find our views ridiculed, our moral beliefs turned on their head andour ability to influence the direction of society minimized. This does not mean that Christians are in the minority. It is justthat we are in a position where people with other worldview beliefs hold the reigns of power and influence. This has hap-pened because Christians have become silent in the arenas of influence.

There is only one cure for this for Christians to become educated, equipped and active in promoting our worldview posi-tion. This means learning to effectively share Christ in a way which can speak to every contrary worldview. Of course,even if we dont do this, we will still be in a position to share our faith and faithfully serve our Lord. We will just be doing itin an environment which degrades life and persecutes those who hold a Christian point of view. But if Christians, in largenumbers, do what God has called us to do, we can become the mighty force that God intends us to be.

In the Next Issue: The Authority Wars

Documents

Worldview Made Practical - Issue 3-23