In a previous blog,
I expressed concern over the ease in which Christ-motivated initiatives to
address societal concerns can easily become secular enterprises. I quoted Dr. James K.A. Smith who eloquently
said it this way:
“What begins as a gospel-motivated concern for justice can turn
into a naturalized fixation on justice in which God never appears.”
The question is, “How do we make sure that doesn’t happen?” “How do we make sure that Gospel-driven
missions stay Gospel-centered?” “How do we make sure that what is profoundly a
Christian endeavor doesn’t become another social reform?” Here are a few things that I’ve learned:
#1. Refrain from unholy alliances.
We should need to argue to comprehensively for those who know
their Old Testament that the major problem that Israel had in all its history
was succinctly described as syncretism. Paul wrote two letters in the New
Testament whereby this was the underlying issues: Galatians and
Colossians. Even morally reputable,
sound citizens can be concerned about causes like abortion, marriage,
education, justice, etc., but recruited unsaved, unregenerate people in mutual collaboration
will erode the Gospel passion and soon it will become a social program.
The addiction program we know as AA
is a prime example. The founders of AA
were men that met Christ at the altar and we spiraled into helping other
alcoholics. They were clearly driven by
Gospel love. Today AA is another social program. Why?
Because the God who saves became “the god as you understand him”.
#2. God’s holy character
is the benchmark.
Our goal is to reflect godliness. Stated otherwise we are to glorify God. Why
do we promote fidelity in marriage? If
it is only to have a nice and happy marriage, any secular institution can help
in that. We promote a faithful,
covenant-keeping marriage, because our God is a faithful, covenant-keeping
God. Even more specifically His covenant
of redemption is mirrored for us in the act of marriage. Therefore the goal of faithful marriages is
not the marriage, but that our relationships would be conformed to the image
and glory of God. One of the concerns I
have for the ministry known as “Focus on the Family” is that this is the wrong focus!
We promote the value of life from conception to the grave
because of a greater goal than the obvious.
We value human life because all human life is made in the image of
God. And even lives that where He image
is eclipsed or marred are then concerns of ours that they might, through the
Gospel be remade in the image of Christ.
“Anything contrary to the holiness of God is abhorrent and
dishonoring to God because it violates his moral character (cf. Prov. 30:9).
God cannot issue, and could never have issued, moral standards in contradiction
to those he gave, not because God’s sovereignty is limited by anything or
anyone other than himself, but only because God can never be other than he is.
He can never cease to be God. And he can never be untrue to his unchanging
moral character.”[1]
When the cause starts to focus on anything less that
godliness and the glory of God, it becomes idolatry.
To be continued ….
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