Culture Blend

Has your church joined the chorus of social stances in the last few years, whether they had any proven truth or evidence to them, even if it meant contradicting scripture?

Recently I sat down with a lifelong friend who happened to be in town. We grew up in church together and were discussing the “status” of the today’s church. He talked about, how at this year’s fine arts competition where they live, the winning human video was a group of kids who perpetuated the misinformation pushed out by the media, guzzled in by the church about the incidents in the death of George Floyd, even included a “hands up, don’t shoot”, which referenced an incident in Ferguson Missouri, and after being investigated by the Department of Justice during the Obama Administration was determined to NOT HAVE HAPPENED, yet here a group of young Christian kids, believe it did, and continued telling the lie. Not one person in the group, not one parent or pastor overseeing the group dug just a little to check authenticity or “fact check” it.

These kids went on to perform a skit referencing the 8 mins while a suspect was being detained and subdued, reacting only to the clipped video put out from a bystander. Not one kid cared to check the entire video of the incident, which we only have because the Daily Mail from the UK cared to get a copy. If they had, they would have saw a completely different story, a different narrative any sane pastor/leader/person would have put up the big STOP sign. Does the context reduce tragic results no, but it takes the “hate” narrative away, gives a full understanding, and even still you might find concern and compassion for the deceased, but based on a more complete circumstance, not the main stream false narrative.

The sad part is it is just not this group of kids. If you go back and look at Facebook profiles during that time, you see many who blacked out their profile photos in solidarity, including many pastors and other Christian leaders. The same people who should know the important of CONTEXT. I sat one Sunday and listened to a younger pastor who I respected, even though we had different political views, stand up and regurgitate the lie. I watched many respected people weep, not over truth, but lies. Manipulated facts to fit a narrative, to push an agenda, and they all became swept up in it. Just like when you see a flooded road, you listen to the warning “turn around, don’t drown”. These leaders did not just fail to turn around, they went out rented busses, loaded them with friends, family, congregants, and strangers, ignored every historical marker of warning to be cautious and drove voluntarily into the flood. Doing so, put into question EVERYTHING they have ever taught on, but shame on me for blindly following in the past.

You drive by some of these “churches”, I would really like to call them buildings where people gather to feel good about themselves, but that title is too long, they went out and spent money on banners and signs to let everyone driving by know their stance about certain lives matter, certain lifestyles are welcome. They pushed a slogan that is used by a group of pro-Marxist activists that wants to eliminate the church, but heck, they feel good about receiving their social credit for the signs. Yes, all lifestyles are welcome at church, it is a place for sinners to be redeemed and find grace, not a place to celebrate our sins. We should be celebrating RECOVERY.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because they completely turned from God, chose to blend with culture, and became a place of sinful desires. Do churches glance right past this story in the Bible because it deals with all too familiar circumstances all around us, or because it wouldn’t get good feedback and keep the numbers growing if we were to attempt to hold ourselves and others accountable? I challenge more churches to dive headfirst into these difficult scriptures in the Bible. Scripture that discusses God’s judgement on people who have failed to follow his laws, failed to trust him, failed to heed his warnings about blending with the culture around them. Where is the church going? Will you continue to sit back while the church is slipping further and further away from God’s word? Or will you pick up the Bible dig into the word, pray, and listen to what God has for you?