Chapter 5: Persevering in the Public Square
Know your Biblical
Authority, strengthen Conviction, and maintain Tenacity (ACT)
-culture refers to the people and institutions who hold the values considered to be in vogue for a given society
-culter functions as a gatekeeper of the ideas society deems admissible to the public square at any given time
-culture is fine with any groups that have no desire to influence public opinion on how society should function = the church = Christians
-Christians should be different as we are a group with values directly opposed to many of those most cherished by culture today
-we believe it’s our God-given responsibility to influence the public square for the common good based on those values
-people don’t hate Christians when they are doing good like feeding people (giving out free stuff)
-Jesus called us to be salt and light and requires the public activities necessary for preserving the world and exposing darkness
-caring about the way society functions is part of following Jesus’s second greatest commandment
“Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22: 37-40).
-it is out of this love for others that we unashamedly advocate for the common good in both the political and nonpolitical realms
-a common good defined by God alone
-culture will inevitably call evil good and good evil
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).
-our pursuit of what is truly good is more important than ever in a world increasingly embracing darkness
-Jesus warned the world would hate us for it, but because we love Him, we persevere in obedience to His commands
“If you love, keep my commands” (John 14:15).
What will it take to persevere on the forthcoming issue: Knowing the culture will hate you for your stand?
-What is the cost?
-What is the Christian’s role of influence in the public square?
-perseverence in the face of hate is not easy
-there is often a significant cost involved
-we cannot be ambivalent or fearful but have all the tools for perseverance
1-Know Your Biblical Authority:
-there is a huge difference in your motivation to persevere through hardship for the common good if you are confident the God of the universe has told you to do so
-Are you willing to risk being cancelled by friends, family, employers, and more to advocate for righteousness in the public square?
-everyone has the authority in their life for determining what’s true about reality
-what’s right or wrong, good or bad, harmful or helpful
-this doesn’t mean that everyone looks at the right authority
-the vast majority of Americans and even those who identify as Christians look to themselves as their authority rather than God–as revealed through His Word
-65% of Americans identify as Christians but only 4% hold beliefs consistent with what the Bible teaches
-beliving in the basic truths taught in the Bible is called having a Biblical worldview
-the Bible is the accurate and reliable Word of God
-the Bible reveals that absolute moral truth exists
-God is all-knowing/all-loving/all-powerful, being “good” is insufficient for salvation
-there is a huge gap between 65% of people identifying as Christians and 4% having a biblical worldview
-this is an authority gap
-it is a gap between those who identify as Christians and those who actually see reality through the lens of God’s authoritative Word
-some people fall into this gap because they intentionally reject biblical authority
-today, there is a group who knowingly identify as progressive Christians
***progressive Christians = secular nonbelievers
-they have no objective basis for knowing anything about Him because they reject the Bible as God’s Word
-if you don’t believe God has revealed Himself in the Bible who will you look to as the authority on what’s true
-progressive Christians look to the same authority as secular nonbelievers do
-the gap believers believe the Bible is God’s Word but hold onto unbiblical beliefs through errant understanding
-this is a problem with biblical literacy
-the functioning authority in a person’s life is still ironically still themselves
-the gap believers believe the Bible is God’s Word and yet knowingly hold to beliefs that aren’t consistent with what it clearly teaches
-gap believers fall under secular pressures on their beliefs
-gap believers say I believe, but compromise on unpopular biblical position
Ex. gender and sexuality
***gap believers have an exception policy
Christians are functional deists:
-a deist God is one who created the universe, never revealed Himself through any kind of Scripture and doesn’t interact with the world in any way
-today, Christians are at least functioning as though they live in a deistic universe of this nature
-one without authoritative revelation
-gap believers are unanchored from God’s unchanging, objectively true Word
-they are in a state of confusion about the issues that matter most
-they choose their way rather than God’s way
Perseverance in a hostile public square:
-first gain clarity on where our authority lies
-the Bible is the unequivocally source for truth
-God has told us what is good for individuals and by extension communities
-build the confidence of knowing we are advocating for what God Himself wants is a powerful driver of perseverance
How can we gain more clarity on our authority?:
-we better understand basic biblical apologetics
-Apologetics is the study of why there’s good reason to believe Christianity is true
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
-Biblical apologetics is the study of why there’s good reason to believe the Bible is true
-church’s hesitancy around persevering in the public square on difficult issues comes from Christians not feeling sure that the Bible is actually God’s Word
-we must have confidence in the reliability of the Bible
We need to regain awe for what the Bible is:
-it is easy to unintentionally trivialize in your mind the significance of the Bible being God’s Word
-the God who created the entire universe in all of its incredible complexity and splendor
Psalm 19:1
-we must hold close to our hearts and minds an active awe-filled reference for the nature of the Bible
-the Bible is an important motivator for continually returning to Scripture as our authority
We need to understand the implications of the Bible being God’s Word
-the Bible is God’s own Word
-it’s instructions are not only authoritative but are also good because they are geven by our perfect Creator
Mark 10:18
-we aren’t in a better position to determine what is true, good, or more beautiful than the Creator of the universe
-truly recognizing the Bible’s authority means being willing to trust what it says over our subjective feelings
2-Strengthen Conviction:
Pastors preaching evil:
***Christians are being compelled to advocate for best transgender care by the pastors
***Pastors are making cases that opposing gender transitions is a violation of human dignity
Ex. Lutheran Bishop Sue Briner and Episcopalian Bishop Suffragan Kai Ryan
“God calls us to meet the needs of transgender individuals and to empower them to flourish through the means of care which medical and therapeutic professionals continue to hold up as the gold standard.”
-these false teachers cause confusion in believers
-they have no authority because what they are teaching in opposition of God’’s authority as the Creator of man and woman
-the Bible is our source of knowing what’s true
-Christians must know what authority they are listening to and if it contradicts God’s authoritative Word then it is time to challenge or leave these false teachers behind
-helping those with gender dysphoria attempt gender transitions is a recognition of human dignity if false
-denying those with gender dysphoria is denying them of the basic created order is false
**Once we know our biblical authority, we strengthen our conviction on the biblical positions we hold
-we must have conviction that what we are advocating for is based on a right understanding of what God’s authoritative Word teaches
-Christians are confused by interactions with non believers who aren’t even making claims about what the Bible teache
-confusion happens because the language that culture uses to discuss controversial subjects is often designed to shame those who disagree into thinking they must be wrong
Ex. people call Christians all kind of —-phobic
-to be phobic means you have an irrational fear of something
-just because you hold the stance (morality on homosexuality) that marriage is between one man and one woman doesn’t make you homophobic as you do not fear them but you have a stance on the moral Word of God on the subject
-Christians are not afraid of gay people
-the language and shaming that comes with being called —-phobic can be a powerful way to shut up Christians from even speaking on the subject at all
-fear can also make Christians question their own positions even when they know the Bible teaches and we are to believe it’s God’s Word
-culture uses emotionally charged language to confuse, intimidate, manipulate, and shut up Christian voices who are speaking in God’s biblical authority
Presuppositions of culture:
-feelings are the ultimate guide
-happiness is the ultimate goal
-judging is the ultimate sin
-God is the ultimate guess
-these presuppositions conflict with Christianity
-Christians have unsuspectingly grafted them onto their biblical worldview even though they don’t belong there
-Ex. People should be happy and feel like their true selves, so I think Christians should support gender transitions
-this kind of reasoning is based on culture’s values and priorities rather on biblical teachings from a biblical perspective
-a person’s subjective happiness is not the ultimate goal of life
-we need to regain biblical clarity in a secular culture and be faithfully different
-confusion can come from Christians talking to nonbelievers
-confusion can come from Christians talking to other Christians
-their language might sound biblical because they refer to Go and use manipulative language like “calling us,” “empower people,” “flourish,” “human dignity”
-it sounds like a show of solidarity with fellow image bearers who are suffering
-But, the bible has a clear position on the creation of biological sexes so there is no second-guessing or misunderstanding God’s Word
-be watchful for those causing confusion who profess to be Christians
-not everyone who identifies as a Christian hold the Bible to be God’s authoritative Word
-they use biblical sounding language that appeals to those who are not strong in the knowledge of God’s Word
-they are attempting to use God’s Word that on the surface sounds like it is a position consistent in the Bible, but they are drawing unbiblical conclusions
***It’s not biblical to conclude that human flourishing and dignity can be upheld by affirming a person’’s feelings over the objective truth of God's created order
-just because a person takes the name of Christ doesn’t mean they hold biblical positions
-social evil is always done in the name of good
***Christians must gain the conviction that comes from knowing our positions are truly consistent with God’s Word
1st-our views must be rooted in what Scripture itself says-not what culture says, not how we feel, and not what other Christians say
-we should be like the Bereans in Acts 17: 10-11, who tested all things against Scripture
“As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Act 17: 10-11).
2nd-we need to understand the culture that surrounds us
–underlying worldview of an entire culture
***unbiblical ideas like happiness being the ultimate goal of life is slipping past the biblical filter of many Christians today
-Christians are being unduly influenced by the the world
3rd-take time to study objections to biblical views on controversial subjects
-Christians are to hold the Bible to be God’s Word and therefore should have conviction on the pro-life position
-Christians are also unprepared to defend their view in light of some specific cultural objections
***Your strategy is in God’s Word: the objections should not necessarily shake their underlying convictions
Perseverance is driven:
1-knowing your biblical authority
strengthening conviction that what you're advocating for is based on a right understanding of what the Bible teaches
***your motivation and confidence weakens when you do on act on them to maintain tenacity in the face of costly challenges
Maintain Tenacity:
-in the past, being a churchgoing person was part of being a good citizen
-in the past, publicly associating with Christianity was a status enhancer
-today, Christianity no longer holds a privileged status in society
-American society has distinctly negative view of Christianity
***A huge transformation shifted significantly around 2014
***Christian morality is expressly repudiated and seen as a threat to the public good and the new public moral order
-we are not to live in the culture
-when we live in moral views we are violating the secular model
-violating the secular moral bring consequences
We must be prepared to navigate the costs in order to continue being obedient to the Lord
-Christians can’t be neutral
***Christians must be prepared to fight against the new negative world reality
-today, the pressures of the negative world are more intense
-secular ideologies are most in conflict with Christianity that are embedded into the cultural as positive
-in the past, the church community proactively addressed cultural topics
-today, the church is a collectively functioning neutral world pocket in the midst of a negative world society
-today, companies promotes social justice ideologies and that Christianity is toxic
-today, Christians have varied levels of exposure to the negative world reality
-today, culture has become increasingly hostile to Christianity
Cost of Relationships:
-in the past, Christians in America rarely faced a pattern of relational costs due to their faith
-today, in the negative world relationships are lost, cut off, even within the family toxic beliefs (gender and sexuality) shatter the bonds of parents and children
-there is more grief over the loss of family and friend relationships due to being a Christian
-Today, social media will “cancel” people over their faith
Jesus warned us that this will happen:
“ Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
The Cost of Financial Security:
-Christians are facing increasing challenges in the workplace
-public school teachers are required to teach and affirm LGPTQ materials
-people working in corporation are required to attend Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings,
-medical and mental health professionals are required to adhere to treatment guidelines at odds with their convictions (ex. Gender transitioning for minors)
-prospective job applicants are required to sign their acceptance to secular ideologies such as equity, social justice, and inclusion practices
entrepreneurs who in any way express their beliefs publicly can expect to be targeted and cancelled by those who consider Christianity to be toxic
***our mindset must change if we’re going to be prepared to persevere through potentially great costs
***maintaining tenacity starts with resetting our expectations, it ends with continually being mindful that we’re accountable to God
Bottom line: man may break relationships, man may take away jobs, man can even take away our very life–but someday we will stand in awe before God and answer for the choices we made during our short existence on Earth.
-we should be spurred toward the boldness needed to push through costly challenges
***highly prominent issues are worth persevering in the public square even in the midst of hate