Today, in America, we are playing cultural “Whack-A-Mole.” And boy, are we whacking away something fierce. Same Sex Marriage. Abortion. Racism. Big Government. Immigration policy. Religious Freedom. Education. Deficit Spending. Health Care. Gun Control. The barrage of issues seems endless and I meet many people on the verge of throwing in the towel. But there is hope. We can still make a difference.
I think the following questions help clarify where we must focus the bulk of our efforts if we are serious about pulling our culture back from the brink:
- Is same sex marriage a cause or an effect?
- Is abortion a cause or an effect?
- Is racism a cause or an effect?
- Are broken families a cause or an effect?
- Is a broken economy a cause or an effect?
- Are dishonest politicians, judges and reporters a cause or an effect?
- Is a person’s worldview a cause or an effect?
- Is violence in schools or on the streets of Chicago a cause or an effect?
Every item listed above is an effect—not a cause. Each one flows from an underlying view ofGod—including a person’s worldview. Our view of the world is driven by our view of God.
The 2006 Baylor University study on the four views of God in America made this cause and effect relationship stunningly clear. They even concluded, “You learn more about people’s moral and political behavior if you know their image of God than almost any other measure.” They even said they could predict how a person would vote based entirely on their view of God. Wow!
That’s why Bill Bright confidently asserted, “We can trace all our human problems to our view of God.”
Imagine finding out you had cancer, but all your doctor wanted to do was treat the symptoms. It would allow you to function better for awhile and mask the pain, but it would still kill you.
America has cancer. Whacking away at the symptoms has bought us time, but not a cure.
Consider the issue of marriage. It’s simply not enough just to argue for “traditional” marriage because not everyone values tradition to the same degree. However, everyone’s view of marriage flows from their view of God whether they know it or not. According to the Baylor study, if a person sees God as engaged, judging and caring they are very likely to believe marriage is between one man and one woman. If, on the other hand, they see God as completely detached from his creation they are most likely to support same sex marriage.
Helping people view God as he really is will inevitably change their view of marriage, as well as their view of abortion, racism, divorce, sex, hard work, integrity, money and, yes, even their worldview.
The opposition understands this. That is why they fanatically press to exclude God from the conversation. They try to intimidate people of faith into silence. They angrily accuse us of “hate speech” and daily mock us. They have shrewdly redefined Separation of Church and Stateso they can use it as a bludgeon. They know that if they can censor God from the public square they will win. It really is that simple.
So how do we make a difference? The next time someone cries, “Separation of Church and State!” shrewdly ask them why they want to censor religious speech. Ask them why they think God is irrelevant. Ask them what Jesus said that deserves to be censored. Reframe the conversation to make God the issue. That is the one conversation we must have. Be warm, but be direct. And make sure YOU are the one asking the pointed questions.
When someone says there is nothing wrong with abortion or same sex marriage, respond, “You are 100% correct...unless the God of the Bible actually exists.” Shrewdly shift the conversation from the symptom to the cause.Make GOD the watershed issue. Let’s face it, apart from God’s existence, how can “Thou Shalt Not…” compete with “Just Do It!”?
God bless Dan Cathy for saying he subscribes to a “biblical” view of marriage rather than just “traditional” marriage. Like Dan, if we care about the future of our children we must start making God and his perspective the issue in every issue—without apology. “Whac-A-Mole” was fun when I was a kid, but it is a losing strategy in the culture war.
©2019 Brad Bright