I have a friend living outside Atlanta that has a problem with “evangelicals” and the “Christian right” in politics. My friend and I once attended church together when he lived in Tennessee. We seldom have a chance for long conversations, but we regularly exchange messages on line.
My friend knows I am politically conservative. He also knows, while politics is important to me, such opinions have no reason to divide believers. His currently says he cannot trust “evangelicals,” because they once used Christianity to justify slavery and deny people looking like him civil rights.
While he is correct that some justified slavery in the name of Christ, I insist that he is making a false judgement. I am not alone in pointing him to scripture. I am not alone in pointing him to historical records that believers were central in opposing slavery and supporting civil rights.
My point in writing about this it to bring up how VITAL it is that Christians behave like Christ. I am not suggesting that we ignore cultural issues, nor implying “politically correct” statements and opinions are inherently Christian. Again, I hold strong political opinions, and I reject political correctness. However, I never want my political opinions to stand between someone and them finding their way back to God. I believe we have an opportunity in these culture wars to draw people to Jesus rather than build a fence for them to climb over.
In Philippians 2:15, Paul described the culture of his day as “a world full of crooked and perverse people.” I do not believe that the world is “worse” now than then. I believe the fallen nature of the human race has made “a world full of crooked and perverse people” in every generation. Does not Scripture speak of murder, prostitution, homosexuality, greed, injustice and more? All the things we worry about in the “culture wars” of the 21st Century were present in the days of Abraham!
We have an opportunity to shine “like bright lights” in this world, lights that will help people see the crookedness and find their way back to God. The best way to do that is also found in Philippians 2:14-15, “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God.” Yes, the church has the light of the world. When we interact with people blinded by the darkness, let’s make sure we are shining the light onto the path and not throwing it in their eyes!
