A Christian's Guide for these Times

We live in an age of increasing spiritual darkness.  America has become a post-Christian society, despite statistics that show the majority of its citizens still claim some form of Christian affiliation.  Look deeper at those polls and you will see a steady decline in Christianity across generations.  This cultural shift in belief can be observed in the growing distain and hostility society now shows for those who hold uncompromised Christian beliefs. 

How is a devout Christian to navigate such a society?  If you are my age or older, you grew up in a world where Christian norms dominated culture, though the seeds that would ultimately blossom into the poisonous blooms that now corrupt us were present then.  We are left feeling like strangers in a strange land.  Every day is a battle between the human desire to “fit in” and the persistent conviction of the Holy Spirit to hold true to God’s will.  Prevailing in this persistent battle requires the following: 
 
Do Not Place Your View of Morality Above God’s 
There is a tendency in all humans to create moral justifications for actions that run counter to God’s will.  This is the original sin committed by Adam and Eve and it unleashed all other sins upon creation.  Eve allowed herself to believe that there was knowledge God was keeping from her and that her right to that knowledge was a higher moral imperative than her obligation to obey God. 

Our current society is rife with these perversions of morality designed to entice Christians into disobedience to God.  We have created the “higher” moralities of sexual and gender identity.  Any Biblical doctrines that contradict these invented superior human moralities must be either reinterpreted to affirm these new moralities or discarded.  As such, it has become fashionable among modern Christians to either discard the Old Testament of their Bibles where much of the substance of God’s moral laws are contained or to use Jesus as some kind of spiritual umbrella under which they can shelter all of their pet sins. 

The first step in standing strong in this age of evil is to have a firm understanding of the Word of God and its infallibility and to understand your own fallen nature.  Do not allow your mind to turn the siren song of sin into a moral call to arms to justify something that contradicts Christian doctrine.  Instead, trust in the spiritual compass of the Holy Spirit and let it guide you, even if that means you will have to struggle against the current of changing societal norms. 
 
Do Not Become an Ally to Evil 
The term “ally” has become a badge of honor for those who do not necessarily engage in a particular sinful lifestyle but want to reap the societal rewards for supporting it.  For many who invoke this term it is used as a shield to protect them from the increasing wrath of a culture that now calls evil good and good evil.  Many a Christian has been seduced into joining this alliance with evil through a perversion of the Christian doctrine to love thy neighbor.  We have gone from “love the sinner, hate the sin” to “love is love”.  This shift accepts both the sinner and the sin, for our modern society tells us that the sin is part of an individual’s identity and that to denounce the sin is an act of hate toward the individual.  The twisted logic then follows that the Christian must embrace sin, because love is the highest virtue. 

Do not allow yourself to fall prey to this trap.  In his famous encounter with the adulteress who was about to be stoned to death, Jesus told the woman’s accusers “let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.  But to the woman he said, “go and sin no more”.  Jesus did not proclaim himself as an “ally” of all adulteresses.  He asserted the Biblical doctrine that adultery is a sin, but he showed compassion for the sinner.  This is the model we should follow as Christians. 
 
Be Bold in Your Faith 
The first two steps were about preventing you from joining the ranks of the evil that is permeating our culture.  But it is not enough to merely not engage in evil.  If you cower in your house as the barbarians storm your village, eventually they will set your house on fire.  But if you stand and fight, and encourage others to do so, you can mount a proper defense against the adversary. 

Our society has fallen into this woeful state because Christians became lethargic in their faith.  We have been reduced to cowering in our churches. We hide our cross necklaces under our shirts as we go to school or work.  We put on forced smiles and remain silent as those around us celebrate sin for fear that we might be marked for “cancellation”. 

This fear and silence must end.  The disciples of Jesus had the courage to speak out even as the consequences they faced were imprisonment, torture, and death.  Surely, we as Christians can endure the wrath of a Twitter mob.  That is not to make light of those who have had to endure the loss of reputation and livelihood for pushing against the strengthening tide of modern persecution.  But their suffering is a result of our silence, for the number of Christians in our society is still substantial enough to make any form of Christian persecution politically, socially, and economically untenable if only Christians would stand up for their beliefs. 
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The time to stand is now.  Speak your faith boldly.  Do not be coerced or cowed by evil.  Let your courage inspire others.  The discomforts you experience as a Christian today will escalate into a reality of true persecution for your children if you do not take your place on the wall at this pivotal hour. ​