On a day when I would have been in the heart of the business district of New York City freely sharing how faith in Jesus can change the lives of the power brokers of Wall Street, another ideology was planning to demolish all the “power buildings” of my country, buildings like the Twin Towers, Wall Street, the Pentagon and the White House. In the weeks after that first 9/11, our country came together with a unified zeal, committed to defending our homeland against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But that soon changed. Very shortly thereafter, the mantra was no longer, “Why are they so evil?” Instead, the question became, “Why do others hate America so much?” Why, indeed? Like a battered spouse, we made others’ evils our responsibility and demonized healthy patriotism and respect for the many blessings of America for all. Just recently, I saw a protestor holding up a sign that said, “Religious Freedom is Christian Terrorism.” The men who flew those planes into our buildings could have said the same thing.

Is America worth defending? Is America worth dying for? I point you to an article by Dinesh D’Souza titled “What’s Great About America”^[1https://www.lcms.org/about/beliefs/faqs/lcms-views#same-sex-marriage">said by clicking here.

Be Equipped

Dr. Joel Biermann takes a closer look at voting and the American conscience. Listen to this recent podcast from Issues, Etc. on your way to work!

Be Encouraged

“We should be out in the forefront leading on economics, on trade, on race, on class, on every subject that matters for what our founders called the “general welfare;” because we have a lot to offer, not just to protect our own rights, but for the good of all of our fellow citizens; because as religious believers, we know that serving our fellow citizens—of whatever their religious faith, whatever their commitments may be—serving them, aiding them, working for them, is one of the signature ways that we show a love of neighbor.” – Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri

Help support our efforts to contend for the freedom to proclaim the faith. Click here to learn more or to donate.

^[1https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/whats-great-about-america

Should Christians get involved in politics? Yes, as part of our vocation in God's secular kingdom. The goal should not be necessarily the election of Christian rulers, nor to make America a "Christian nation." Rather, it should be to apply God's law in our social relationships and to establish justice and righteousness in our land. Abortion, for example, is a monstrous crime against the weakest and most defenseless in our society, and Christians are right to work against this evil, as against many others. Christians in politics must play by political rules, whether hard-ball power plays or the arts of compromise and consensus building. The church should be gentle and loving, while never compromising its doctrines. The rough-and-tumble of the political process, however, means that Christian politicians should not be prevented from exercising power or from making a tactical compromise by the charge that to do so is "not Christian." That confuses the kingdoms. Christian politicians, however, like all politicians, must exercise their power justly and in accordance with God's law.

Can a Christian take part in the expressions of the surrounding culture? Yes. Christians are still part of their culture and can be expected to share the tastes of their neighbors. A Christian can enjoy, perform, and get involved in secular art forms; they need not be religious, but they are subject to God's law. Christians need to draw the line at music or any other form of entertainment that violates God's canons of morality by tempting us to sin.

Can a Christian, then, like rock music? Yes, for the most part. This does not mean, however, that Christians should demand rock music in church. The secular kingdom, again, must be kept separate from the spiritual kingdom. Churches must keep themselves distinct from the surrounding culture.

To return to our earlier categories, a liberal would have little trouble accepting any brand of currently popular music and would even import it into the church. By this way of thinking, the church must always give in and conform itself to whatever the culture is doing. A Christian who believes in Christ above culture would reject secular music and try to devise a completely distinct Christian style, to which every subsequent piece of music should conform. A Christian who believes in Christ against culture would allow the world its own music but never listen to it, developing instead a separate Christian musical style.

A Two Kingdoms approach would allow the Christian to enjoy secular music, even, for those with the God-given talent, to pursue a musical vocation. The Christian's standards for this music would be God's moral law, but also God's aesthetic laws, which were built into the created order and human nature by God himself. The Christian musician might express his or her faith artistically, but the work would be assessed not primarily by its theology but by its aesthetic merits, which also come under God's dominion. The music, though, would not have to be explicitly religious at all it is part of God's dominion even in its secularity.

This same Christian musician, whether a rock 'n' roller or a concert violinist, would very likely object to electric guitars or chamber music in church. Art designed to please and to gratify the senses has its place, but worship belongs to the Word of God. Here, theological truth must take priority. The purpose is not to entertain the congregation but to convict them of sin and convert them to Christ. The audience is not the culture but God, whom the entire congregation is seeking to glorify in his terms, not ours.

Ken Myers has said in his brilliant book All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes that the contemporary church has reversed Christ's injunction to be in the world, but not of the world. Instead, he says, we are not in the world with our separate schools, bookstores, music companies, and other cultural institutions, so that we seldom interact with non-believers and yet, we are of the world. Our music, stores, schools, and corporate structures, may be separate, but they are exactly like their secular counterparts.

Recognizing God's double sovereignty over all of life can enable Christians to be engaged in a positive, transforming way, with their culture without succumbing to the deadly, spirit-quenching sin of worldliness. It is a formula for both faithfulness and relevance.

Dr. Gene Edward Veith is the author of some 20 books regarding Christianity and culture. A retired English professor and college administrator, he also directs the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Reprinted courtesy LCMS Life Ministry. 

Be Informed

Listen to Dr. James Rogers discuss whether a Christian democracy is possible with the hosts of Issues, Etc.

Be Equipped

Could you make the case for the importance of parents and their authority? Learn why parental authority should be “upheld by church and state alike” in a recent article from the Public Discourse.

Be Encouraged

“God wants you to vote for the people, principles and platforms that will uphold and advance His justice in the world. In other words, you should vote in ways that will best serve your neighbor and his needs.” – Rev. Dr. Joel Biermann, professor of systematic theology, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Help support our efforts to contend for the freedom to proclaim the faith. Click here to learn more or to donate.

Love is not what the Bible defines it to be: the action of keeping God’s commands, as St. John wrote: “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to [God’s] commands” (2 John 6). Love is simply accepting whatever someone says needs to be accepted because they accept it. Repentance is not returning to the Lord and His will in contrition and faith, but checking your privilege or some other popular thing today.

There are other words, too, that are used in this way. Words like Pharisee and hypocrite. These words have specific meanings in the Bible. The Pharisee or hypocrite is one who play acts, who covers up his sin by a show of goodness or righteousness and pretends and acts as if he has it all under control. But the world uses this against Christians to point out that Christians are not perfect. I don’t know any Christians who thinks he’s perfect, who doesn’t know they are in need of a savior from their sin. Are they perfect in this? No. But that’s the point. That’s why we come to church, why we hear God’s Word read and preached, why we study it in Bible Class and meditate on it at home with our family.

And so when these theological words are used, the Christian automatically agrees because the Christian understands them biblically, and recognizes that it is indeed godly to be a sinner who is repentant and loves. And so the Christian hears them and demurs. The Christian steps back, considers his life in light of the commandments of God, and turns to the Lord in contrition and faith.

And that’s the point of the world using these words. That’s why the world trots out these words and flings them in our face. They equivocate the meanings, knowing that Christians will do just that. So these theological words are not used to further the conversation, to come to a meeting of the minds, to reconcile one to another. These words are used to silence Christians. They are used as weapons to get Christians to step back and shut up.

This is a tool of the devil. The devil wants nothing more than Christians to be silent. He desires nothing more than for our consciences to burdened so that we don’t enter the fray. He delights in nothing else than a Christian who begins to doubt his own place in God’s kingdom because of how the world sees him. For he prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour.

Here’s the point I’m making: The world is not on your side. The world delights in the fall of Christians because the world is the devil’s domain. He has delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son. And so we are not citizens of this world and its kingdom. We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, a better city, up above, not made with hands. We have a hope not of this world, a hope that is never failing and never fading because it rests upon the Word and promise of God, established in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and given to us through Word and Sacrament.

The world and all its might will try to take this away from you. It will try to convince you of its own ideas of original sin, love, and repentance. But God and His Word is your shield and sword. It is your defensive armor to deflect all the attacks of the world and all the flaming darts of the devil.

Therefore, cling to that word and hope. Do not be swayed into silence or retreat because of these attacks. As in the days of Nehemiah, we must rebuild and fight at the same time. Our fight is not an offensive battle. That battle has already been won through our Lord’s atoning death on the cross. Our battle is a defensive battle, one of standing our ground firm in the faith, not giving in, but contending for the faith once delivered to the saints, always being ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, clearly stating what we know to be true because of God’s Word.

Indeed, we are all sinners in need of a savior. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We are all sick and in need of a physician. But this need is not defined by the world. It is defined by God. It is written in His Word, so that it may be definitely known and firmly believed.

So, stand firm, resolute in your conviction. Let your life and conversation reflect the resurrection of Jesus Christ for all sinners, drowning out the rage of this world’s angry mobs. And listen to the Word and promise of God. For this promise is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. And thus do the angels rejoice over you who repent in this way, of real sin as defined by the Bible.

The Rev. Jason Braaten is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Ill.

Be Informed

“Momentous decisions are being made impacting religious liberty. Focus on the Family Vice President and Washington observer Tim Goeglein and moderator Kip Allen discuss the events today on Free To Be Faithful” and you can hear it all by clicking here!

Be Equipped

Wondering why religious freedom is so important, especially today? Check out a recent Issues, Etc. interview with Emilie Kao of the Heritage Foundation.

Be Encouraged

“The peace that comes with such faith is truly freeing. It removes the anxiety of fending for one’s self and frees Christians to focus on their neighbors — both the weak and the strong, both those who love and those who hate. The eye of faith that looks to God in heaven enables an ever clearer and more loving view of the neighbor on earth.” – Rev. Jonathan Lange

But that may be changing, as this icon of feminism and the pro-abortion movement may be inspiring some iconoclasm.

So says Alexandra DeSanctis in an essay in National Review entitled How Long Will Margaret Sanger Last?:

I wonder. . .whether these crusaders will train their gaze on one of our nation’s far more serious offenders of racial equality: Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. She was, after all, a foremost proponent of the eugenics movement — motivated by her particular animus toward poor non-whites — and her campaign to legalize birth control was motivated in large part by her desire to prevent the “unfit” and “feeble-minded” from reproducing.

After several decades of brushing aside pro-life critiques of its tainted history, Planned Parenthood is now fielding similar complaints from some of its own employees. Just last month, more than 350 current and former staffers of Planned Parenthood’s Greater New York affiliate — along with several hundred donors and volunteers — published an open letter condemning Sanger as “a racist, white woman” and arguing that the organization is guilty of “institutional racism.”

Read more from Dr. Gene Edward Veith by clicking here.

Dr. Gene Veith is the author of some 25 books, a retired literature professor, provost emeritus at Patrick Henry College, and director of the Cranach Institute at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Be Informed

A recent survey found “more than two-thirds of American adults agree that keeping the government out of religious organizations’ internal disputes is an ‘important facet of separation of church and state.’” Click here to learn more about the survey.

Be Equipped

Learn how, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Becket Fund “stepped in to defend the Minnesota Catholic Conference and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Minnesota when Governor Tim Walz issued an unjust order, subordinating religion to the economic interests of the State.”

Be Encouraged

“Fruitful conversation can only begin with an eye toward the neighbor. Selfishness driven by fear poisons participation. Self-preservation chokes out selflessness. But love motivates engagement in a completely different frame of mind.” – Rev. Jonathan Lange