Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church

By Dean Merrill

Part One – Fire & Rain

"A contentious people will be a miserable people." – Jonathan Edwards, 1750

What is God thinking?

How do we reconcile the pessimism of our day and the buoyant optimism of the songs we sing in church? ….the more the population grows on our planet, the more complex life becomes. Down here at ground level, horns are honking and TVs are blaring and politicians are pontificating and advocates are arguing to the point that we struggle to integrate it all. It is difficult to sort out which are the big issues and which are the small potatoes. Maybe we don’t have as much of a reliable, informed worldview as we thought. I wonder how this present culture war looks from the vantage point of the One "who sits in the heavens" (Ps. 2:4). How does he see our passions and protest, our campaigns and crusades? What is he thinking these days, these years?

Scorching King Ahab

No doubt God is indeed displeased with America at the turn of the millenium. Whenever innocent people suffer, whenever sin triumphs, whenever his plan and his Son are scorned, he cannot help being saddened. This is not the world, or the nation, as he wants it to be. The years keep passing, and unfortunately, not much seems to improve. In our lifetime we have mounted major efforts to "turn the United States back to God." Is the country becoming more righteous? Are the streets less violent? Is drug use declining? Are national leaders more respectful of the church and morality?

What difference have we made?

People – especially powerful people – do not like to be pushed to do something they did not think of first. They will find a way to save face and their sense of independence if at all possible. A "culture war" model has its limitations. Head-on confrontation is external; it doesn’t make the opponents want to change. If they react, it is out of fear, which soon wears off. Others are too self-assured or too stubborn to bend at all. Their pride makes them hold the line regardless of the merits of the argument.

KEY – "You cannot shout people into holiness." It just does not work. You may win a momentary stoppage of whatever evil you were attacking. You may get people to conform to your wishes temporarily, but the result will not last. And meanwhile, all other kinds of damage will have been done.

Blessings for the Honorable Nero

Jesus spoke of an invisible kingdom, whereas the Jews had labored mightily for centuries to build and then rebuild a tangible nation. Musical play – "The Choice" – "…Jesus is special. He’s different. He’s not changing governments. He’s changing people." Jesus did not beg for his life, defend his honor, engage in name-dropping, or do any o the usual things a man on trial would do. Jesus’ kingdom "was so different in kind, and so superior in nature to any kingdom of the world, that no sort of worldly power could either help or hinder it."

Illustration – Two periods during the time of the book of Acts

AD 37-41 - Acts 9-11

Roman Emperor – Caligula

Brutal tyrant who raised taxes, spent prodigious amounts of money, murdered the prefect who had helped him get chosen as emperor. Announced to the Roman senate his intention to appoint his horse to their body Sexually enjoyed the company of both men and women. Especially attracted to his three sisters. Had the husband of one executed. Why didn’t the apostle Peter write against Caligula? Why didn’t he appeal to his new convert Cornelius who was a member of the Roman military? Why is the book of Acts completely silent?

AD 54-68 - Acts 19-28 and following

Where was the early Christian’s reaction to Nero’s conduct?

Paul – "I urge, then… that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority…This is good, and pleases god our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Peter – "It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men…Show proper respect for everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:15; 17) "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called." (1 Peter 3:9)

James – "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop… You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble." (James 5:7-9)

Paul and the other apostles seem to stand quietly by, wishing we would realize who the real enemies are. The are not flesh-and-blood creatures, however misguided. The real enemies are Satan and his minions, who have won over the minds and values of many who temporarily hold governmental power. We will get a lot further if we focus on the true fountainhead of all sin and rebellion against God. And he doesn’t live on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The early Christians saw themselves the way Jesus had taught them to see: as hope and light in the midst of a vast sea of spiritual darkness. They knew they were a minority group, but that troubled them no the least. Frontal resistance to evil regimes does not always win the day. The view of the first –century church was rather to trust in the All-Powerful One and shed his light upon the hearts and minds of those who have not yet taken him seriously.

"He who converts his neighbor has performed the most practical Christian-political act of all." -- C.S. Lewis

The Christian Stance in a Fallen Society

On any given weekend, about 37 percent of Americans show up in church. (In El Paso County, the number is 22%) 82% of Americans tell pollsters they’re "religious" and 96% "believe in God" Our spiritual claims don’t seem to be strong enough to get us to church. In America today we have a "Christ-Following Minority" – and an "Independent Majority". Independent means that they are their own authority. Sometimes the Independent Majority behaves itself better than at other times. At all times they are constrained only by what they perceive to be their self-interest. There is no "moral majority" in this country; there hasn’t been for a very long time. How does a minority behave?

Anxiousness – people fretting about a world they believe is washing away from underneath their feet, soon to pitch them into overpowering waters.

Apathy – Our only choice is to hunker down in silence and hope the storms don’t do too much damage to us personally.

Anger – With mounting indignation, people declare, "The nation was founded on Christian principles, and we will not surrender to the unbelievers! Stand up for America! Stand up for righteousness! Drive back the forces of wickedness! Fir to the last with every ounce of passion. We’ve got to, for the sake of our children." Note: Whenever Jesus got angry, it was with the religious power structure not the pagan one.

Apologetics – Those who understand their minority status but still want to influence the culture for good engage in reasonable dialogue about the issues. They control their voice level and even keep a smile on their faces while they present common-sense reasons why A might be a better option than B or C for all concerned. The source of their common sense, of course, is God’s wisdom as revealed in the Bible.

"We must defend the truth lovingly, winsomely, letting others see in al we do the excellence of him who has called us from darkness into light." – Charles Colson

"By our activism, often poorly conceived and stridently promoted, we have created an image of rigid, prejudiced people. More and more Americans will feel entirely justified and respectable saying no to the church. They may not be rejecting Jesus, jus the people who profess to follow Jesus." – David Rambo, Past President, National Association of Evangelicals

God has not lost his sovereign grip on the scepter of the universe. He is still Lord of all. The church in China has grown from 1 million in 1949 to 50-80 million today. Sub-Saharan Africa is seeing the church grow by 20,000 converts a day. In Latin America the conversion rate is 10,000 per day. Sadly, in America, we are closing 60 churches a week. In most countries Christ-followers have almost no access to the levers of power. They couldn’t get a law passed if they tried. They don’t even get a tax break for tithing. Yet the kingdom of God is advancing powerfully in their hands, to the point that they are starting to send missionaries to America.

In Defense of a Little Optimism

What should it be like to live next door to a Christian? How should the neighbors feel about this person who follows Jesus? In the workplace, at the PTA meeting, in the supermarket—what flavor should be noticed?

Biblical Examples

What would it take for pre-Christians to begin saying about us, "You know, I don’t understand everything about those people, and I don’t agree with them on some issues. But they’re certainly good to have around. They’re a valuable asset to society. I’d hate to see this town, this country, this nation have to get along without them." Our unique contribution to the world should be an outlook that is affirming, confident, and solution-oriented.

"I love Calcutta. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else." – Mark Buntain, Canadian Missionary to Calcutta for 35 years.

All across our nation, millions of troubled people are trying to find a way to get through another night, another, birthday, another season of life – and assuming the church of Jesus Christ could care less. They think we’re mad at them. They think we despise them. They think we think they’re no good, and we have a big black Book to prove it.

"Let you gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:5)

Part Two – Friends & Enemies

"RESOLVED, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except some real good." – Jonathan Edwards, 1722

Will We See Thomas Jefferson in Heaven?

Jefferson read the New Testament daily. Yet, with his Enlightenment loyalties, he could not stomach the "unreasonable" parts. So he actually went to the work of getting scissors and cutting out the verses that offended him. Out went the miracles of Jesus and the apostles. Out went the Resurrection. Out went all mention of Christ as divine. He pasted together what remained into his own truncated version, forty-six pages "of pure and unsophisticated doctrine," with a title page that read, "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French & English." You can see it in a museum today.

When Betsy Ross helped George Washington put together the American flag, it marked the first time among Western nations that a Christian symbol – for example, a cross – was not included. Just Stars and Stripes. That was because, in their minds, they were not planting an explicitly Christian nation. The founding fathers set religion on its own in a free society to make its own mark, win its own converts, and pay its own bills.

In our time, many Christians are decrying the arrival of what they call a "post-Christian" culture. Books, speeches, seminars, and broadcasts lament the sad state of affairs. The assumption is that since the election of Bill Clinton, or since Roe v. Wade, or since the removal of organized prayer from the public schools, we have slipped into the ditch of a wholly new and dark era in American life. I agree: Our society is post-Christian. But it has been post-Christian for more than three hundred years. If I had to pick a marker date, it would not be 1992, or 1973, or 1962. It would be 1684, when, after much transatlantic arguing, the King of England finally revoked the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter, installed his own governor, and opened up voting to every landowner (white male that is), whether Congregationalist, Anglican, Quaker, Jew, or even infidel. The Puritan leaders were aghast, knowing full well that this meant the end of the "Righteous Empire" they had labored to build and preserve for the preceding sixty-four years.

In 1674, Samuel Torey wrote: "Truly, the very heart of New England is changed, and exceedingly corrupted with the sins of the times. There is a spirit of profaneness, a spirit of pride, a spirit of worldliness, a spirit of sensuality, a spirit of gainsaying and rebellion, a spirit of libertinism, a spirit of carnality."

"Our government makes no sense unless it is founded on a deeply felt religious faith – and I don’t care what it is." – Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1950

"For Christians of all people, no part of the past…should be considered a golden age – on principle. The Christian’s golden age, by definition, is in the future…The pride and gratitude that Christians feel toward the past should be balanced with an acknowledgement of it unfinished work and its darker side." – Os Guinness

Note: Info from Pastor Ted Haggard – CMA Luncheon 4/98

Regardless of contemporary problems, hostile attitudes, and trendy relativism, we are not that much worse off than our forebears, and the power of Christ is more than enough to meet the challenge.

Can Anything Good Come Out of Washington?

Washington bashing has become a national pastime. Politicians all too often waste our money, protect their own careers, and abandon common sense. Some of them forget the values they grew up with – or even the value they preached from the stump during their most recent election campaign. Instead of striving for solutions, they make problems worse. And when they do, we let them know – vociferously. That is part of the American way, we believe. It’s like yelling at the umpire of a baseball game. We reason, "I paid my ticket, and now I get the privilege of hollering about anything I don’t like."

"Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say." (Ecclesiastes 10:20)

"The authorities that exist have been established by God…Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience…Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe…respect, then respect; if honor, then honor" (Romans 13:1,5,7)

While dictators may force compliance and order by raw power, we in a democracy have to talk to each other. We have to come to consensus. We have to reason with each other. When intelligent, thoughtful men and women with enough initiative to run for public office and serve their country end up ravaged and disheartened by citizen abuse are we not all losers? Is this really the way democracy is supposed to work? Are we making the most of the American dream, or are we simply trashing our freedom?

"In...a vindictive culture it is virtually impossible to rally the nation or to bind its wounds. We are living in a time...that strains the connective tissues of many individuals to marriage, family, school, church, nation, job – indeed, to any sense of responsibility." – Mortimer B. Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report.

If we have in the past mainly engaged in scorning, criticizing, questioning, and accusing the government, it will not be effective when we need it. Is it not dangerous, in fact, to teach our children that Washington is a mess, judges are crooked, politicians are all liars, and even the police are dim-witted? Do we really want to go down that road? It leads to anarchy. Without duly constituted authority, imperfect though it may be, we will find ourselves with worse lawlessness than we have now.

"The reason for much of the degeneration of morals in America is not the government’s fault but the church’s – for complaining instead of praying, fearing instead of believing. When the church stops complaining about the government and starts repenting of her own sin, the Lord will begin to move in spite of the most resistant government leaders. Many who may appear to be on the right side of the moral issues have…a combination of unrighteousness judgment, spiritual pride and a spirit of control that will not tolerate differences in others. We must not continue to worship at the feet of political movement, trying to get the government to do the church’s job…It is not the call of the church to legislate righteousness, but to demonstrate, and to preach it from the platform that God has ordained." – Paul Cain, Pastor

God cares what happens in Washington, buy he is not in the least stymied by its machinations. His far greater purpose in the world will be carried out by people who understand Who is truly in charge.

The Clumsiness of Laws

Some things are very hard to regulate by force of law, although the attorneys of the world delight in trying. "There oughta be a law…" goes the popular saying – but in many cases, there isn’t. Why? Because written statutes are too often clumsy at getting to the heart of what society should and should not do. The most brilliant legislative minds simply cannot think up enough laws to make all 265 million of us behave ourselves all the time. Laws are intrinsically ham-handed, failing to get to the motives of the heart. Laws serve a practical purpose in informing the public of what is tolerable in this society and what is not. Like it or not, we live under a system in which law is nothing more substantive than what 51 percent of our elected representatives will vote for, the president will sign, and the Supreme Court will leave alone.

"Politics, in the final analysis, is primarily effective in dealing with administrative tasks. It is not able to deal with the collective search for shared meanings, the formation of public philosophies of public good, or the organic generation of civic obligations, responsibilities and trust among the citizens who inhabit a community or society." – James Hunter

Political edicts are often like boxing gloves on a half-trained gorilla. The animal tries to aim accurately, but he ends up hitting a lot of unintended targets and causing a lot of trouble.

The Noxious, Necessary News Media

One cannot say that the tens of thousands of people who write the nation’s news and feature stories all distort their articles any more than that all carpenters pad their billings or all used-car salesmen lie.

"Complaining about the news seems to be the equivalent of reviling camp food when you are in junior high." – Tim Stafford

Thomas Jefferson believed that if people knew the facts of the day and expressed their views about them, however subjective or eccentric, the culture would somehow get along better than if a government decide everything without outside scrutiny. People would have to solve their own problems and adjudicate their own debates somehow. Without information, our ability to self-govern is stunted.

"Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe." – Charles Yancey, 1816

We must express our opinions in a tone or respect and tolerate our opponent’s in the same vein.

The more we bring the light of good thinking, good reporting, good writing, and good filming to the public square, the less time we will have – and the less need there will be – for complaint.

Where Often is Heard a Discouraging Word

"We are dishing out more alarm than hope." Some conservative Christian families have grown so nervous about their children’s moral environment that they have moved beyond home schooling to "home churching" – that is keeping their kids out of Sunday school classes and church youth groups for fear they might be contaminated by less spiritual peers. The present situation is reminiscent of the 1920s quip about a fundamentalist being someone who "talks of standing on the rock of ages, but acts as if he were clinging to the last piece of driftwood."

If we steer our course according to what Washington is doing or how the mass media are moving, we will only make a mess of things. Soon we will find ourselves wasting time and gasoline. But it we keep our eye on the marker that does not move – the cross of Christ – we will make steady progress in the right direction. Confusion and discouragement will not overwhelm us. And the young generation that follows in our tracks will have a reliable example to follow.

Part Three – What Doth the Lord Require

"And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open." – Jonathan Edwards, 1741

Greater is He

A huge gap exists between the way many Christians think today and the way they sing.

"Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them. O Lord, open his eyes so he may see. Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fir all around Elisha." (2 Kings 6:16,17)

Surely God is alert to the threats we face in modern America, the opponents of all that he has marked as his own. He has our situation under constant surveillance and is prepared to act with overwhelming force if necessary. Not everyone sees God’s heavenly legions at the moment – but we, of all people, should see them. We are far from alone.

"Although our world today is very chaotic, I do not believe that it has slipped out of God’s control. He is using it to do what he intended…Christian often recognize God’s work in small details of life but forget his larger designs." – Fisher Humphreys, Theologian

We are like the disciples trying to row across the Sea of Galilee in pitch darkness, the headwinds topping twenty knots, the howling gale striking terror in our hearts. We are pulling for all we’re worth, sweat pouring off our bodies. We are soaked with the spray of the waves and are starting to growl at the others in the boat for not working as hard as we are to stave of disaster. The squall intensifies, and in the pit of our stomachs, we fear we shall never see land again. There is one person in the boat who is not frantic, however. He is so composed that he’s asleep. His name is Jesus. His power and authority are immediately available. He’s not removed, aloof, or uncaring about our plight. He waits to be asked. Greater is he who is in our boat than all the cultural northeasters.

"The Mennonites…say that we are living in the time of God’s patience. For God’s own good reasons he has not yet ushered in the eternal kingdom. God is presently showing patience toward the human race, providing the unsaved with the opportunity to repent and the saved with the opportunity to learn the ways of obedience." – Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency

How to Truly Change a Culture

Calm Down – If God is not wringing his hands these days, we do not need to do so either.

Major on the Majors – The salvation of individuals and the planting of churches. Anything that gets in the way of someone truly understanding and evaluating the gospel of Jesus Christ deserves serious review. Minorities usually cannot afford to fight all battles at once. Therefore, they should deploy their limited resources and energy to the most urgent fronts.

Appreciate the Difference Between Statute and Stigma – Not everything bad in society needs to be illegal; some of it can be controlled by giving it a bad reputation. (smoking for example)

Keep Looking for Allies – If you lack the votes to propel your values to the top, you’re smart to make common cause with the other people, even those who might disagree with you on half a dozen other items.

Be Prepared to Lose Sometimes; Even Then You Can Win – The Christian apologist is not always able to persuade the independent relativist to do the moral thing. Sometimes the appeal of self-gratification is just too strong. All the logical reasons why the positions of the Bible do, in fact, make good sense can come up short if the hearer's bias is entrenched. This is not the end of the world. It only means that we go on being the faithful minority. And in doing so, we gain a clearer picture of why we believe as we do and live as we live.

Appendix – A Short "To Do" List for Christ-Followers

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