Christians sometimes end up guarding God’s foes….

Winger hits one nail on the head here. Churches and evangelists which refuse to address the difficult issues are betraying the witness they proffer. If a man has an idol (which is what Winger describes), the church cannot truly teach the gospel while honoring that idol. And refusing to tear it down is communicating honor towards it, particularly in the mind of the idol’s worshipper. He sees the church’s silence, and he assumes that they, since they do not condemn his idolatry, agree with it. A man cannot come to Christ while still clinging to Moloch.

Some churches offer a different strategy for their engagement with such issues, particularly issues of politics. They say, calmly and even reasonably, that they leave those issues for the Christian to come to on his own, without the church’s teaching. The church teaches the gospel message; that message percolates through the man and teaches him political righteousness. Yet, what is this, except to be silent when Moloch is praised? Many who hold to such a position have no such intent and would be horrified, if they could be brought to see the implication, but they still practice this sinful abstention. The church which does not witness against the world’s sin is heard by the world to commend that sin.

Thankfully, this rationale is often applied inconsistently. We’re perfectly willing to tear into the sin of adultery, for instance. It’s not the culture’s current sacred cow (we’re not France), and so Christians feel emboldened to go after it. The pulpit is happy to offer proscriptions for family life (“Don’t beat your wife,” for instance), even as it refuses to talk about civil life (“Don’t tax your citizens more than God asks in tithe”). The one, it appears, is allowed; the other, because it is politics, is not. The different is unclear. What makes one application allowable? Perhaps it is the culture- but ought we really to bend to the culture’s priorities? Should we quiet the words of Christ because they are hard to hear?

Again, thankfully, many churches and more Christians aren’t consistent, even when they voice agreement with the arguments I’ve condemned. They look at abortion and decry it as evil, demanding the government to conform to God’s law. But if we can call for obedience here, why not everywhere else?

Some still flinch, though, when asked to tell another man of his utter sinfulness, his desperate damnation. If this is mere social anxiety, very well. Making this into a doctrinal position, however, is making an excuse and denying the true gravity of sin. Salvation by Christ is not from merely the little unpleasantnesses of life. Christ saves us from the idols, not just the trinkets. Declaring a sin ‘off limits’ for criticism, that’s a compromise to idols, a declaration that they can live alongside Christ

The gospel means nothing to a people without sin, because they need no salvation. The gospel means nothing, when it still allows idolatry. Churches, Christians, families: we must not be silent on the world’s idols. The secular state, government schooling, academia, evolution, transsexualism, homosexuality, baby-murder, these are all idols the world clings to. A church and a Christian truly standing on His word must assail and topple all these idols, no quarter given.

God bless.