Turning The Aughts Into Is's
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News ~ March 01, 2010
Now that the Decade of the “Aughts” is over,
Could this be the Decade of the “Is’s?”
Pardon the pun, but while we continue to live in a country called “America,” it is really no longer the “America” in which we used to live. The Cultural Marxists (members of the Political Correctness cult) have taken over lock, stock and barrel, but since 95 percent of us are graduates of the America-hating, anti-God Marxist public schools, we are not discerning enough to realize it. Perhaps that is why upwards of 80 percent of first time voters voted for a Marxist for President.
Now must be a great time to be a Republican. Not that the Republicans legislate any differently than the Democrats, but because the thing that Republicans have always done best is blame everything on the Democrats. So, like you, I regularly get emails from various conservative organizations saying that those mean old Democrats are the cause of our demise, and the solution is to vote them out of office. If anyone ever reads their replys, I will probably stop receiving those messages, because I answer each one with, “If we do vote the Democrats out of office, what evidence can you give me that Republicans will govern any better? After all, Republicans gave us the Patriot Act, the first Bailout, etc., etc., etc.”
George Wallace had it right in 1968 (1968!) when he said, “There’s not a dime’s worth of difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.” So what are we to do as we approach a new decade? Whose got the answers to our cultural issues? And, even more to the point, “Who has the power to bring about positive cultural changes?” If you’re a Christian, which I imagine most Covenant News readers are, you probably won’t like this answer, because it is “Us!” This means that the finger of blame for allowing un-Americans to take over America is pointing directly back at us.
Think about it, solely because of God’s grace, and the work of the Holy Spirit in our heart, we are the only people on the face of the earth to correctly understand God’s counsel on how to live, work, play, raise our children and self-govern ourselves. (Notice that the Bible is not about central government, but about self-government.)
In other words, we know God’s prescriptions for how
we “ought” to live, and how to turn His revealed
“oughts” into “is’s!”
If you are a member of a Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church, praise God. If you’re not find one, and if you can’t find one get with some friends and start one. Still, this is not the answer to turning our culture around, because there are many “good” churches sprinkled across our country. The answer is to make certain your pastor and small group teachers define their terms. For example:
The next time your pastor preaches that our behavior should not be “conformed to the world,” (Romans 12.1-2) ask him to explain what that means.
The next time your pastors says, “my job is to preach the gospel, not political issues,” ask him to explain how members who only hear how to get saved, are going to be equipped to “overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12.21)
The next time your pastors says, “We live in an age of grace, not law,” ask him how Christians are supposed to define “good,” and/or “bad” behavior, if God’s counsel is not relevant to their everyday lifestyle.
The next time your pastor says, “God’s Word is true and contains no errors,” ask him what difference that makes, if it is supposed to be confined to the insides of our homes and churches.
The next time your pastors says, “I feel the last days are upon us and that Jesus’ return is immanent,” ask him if perhaps his “feeling” is indigestion, since Jesus doesn’t even know when He will return. (Matthew 24.36)
Also ask him why he doesn’t believe that God’s Word is “sufficient” for all aspects of our life. (2 Timothy 3.16-17’ 1 Corinthians 3.19)
Finally (if he hasn’t thrown you out of the church for being “divisive” by now), ask him why he doesn’t do a thorough study on the costs of being a Christian, (Luke 14.28-34) and the commanded responsibilities of being a Christian (1 Corinthians 10.31) so that prospective new members don’t mistakenly think that “living a good life,” and not robbing banks and/or killing others is synonymous with being a Christian.
If you take God’s Word seriously, and are interested in beginning this year to turn our “oughts” into “is’s,” by imposing God’s will on others, instead of having them continue to impose their will on you, ask me to send you a free one-page “Ten Steps for Redeeming Our Culture: Turning Beliefs into Actions. I won’t add you to any email list, or ask for a donation. This is purely a resource for you and your family and friends (and your pastor!).
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations, circumstances and decision-making.