chapter one

In the meantime, speaking of traditions, there are no pacifist traditions left. All worthy traditions must be militant in order to survive this time of upheaval.

And in such a time, Christians must be conservative when it comes to everything that the Spirit has accomplished in the history of our civilization. And we must be progressive with regard to all the things He has yet to do.

The Sinful Symptoms

It is difficult to make it through the evening news without encountering multiple examples of our contemporary follies—the blood guilt of abortion on demand, the insanity of transgenderism, the idea that more government can save us from the weather, the acceptance of socialist collectivism, the indulgence of snowflakes, the incompetence of modern educators, the epidemic of food guilt, the pandemic of father hunger, and more. The disease lies deep within, but the splotches on the skin are pretty ugly.

Most people understand that something is desperately wrong. Is there any biblical response to it?

THE DISEASE WITHIN

The root of every rebellion (in every culture) must always be identified as pride, and the lust for autonomy. But this central sin manifests itself in different ways in different times, using different methods, concepts, and techniques. Below I have listed some of the ideological tools that are currently being used on us. Please be aware that there are areas of overlap between these.

• Secularism—the idea that a culture can be religiously neutral. This is not a nice but difficult goal. Rather, it is an incoherent concept. All cultures serve their gods, and ours is no exception. Our pretense of neutrality does not make us less worshippers, but it does guarantee that we are most confused about our worship;
• Darwinism—the idea that we somehow arrived here by ourselves, which makes secularism a scientifically respectable concept. A century or so ago, many Christians thought that we could make our peace with Darwinism. But the bills are now coming due;
• Egalitarianism—the idea that blessings for others are tantamount to oppression for me. Egalitarians view everything as a zero sum game—if someone else gets a bigger piece of pie, this necessitates that someone else is going to get a smaller piece. But in the world God made, the pie grows;
• Value/Fact Distinction—the idea that “reality” is divisible, and that science is in charge of the “facts,” while each individual can invent and tailor his own “values” in any way he pleases;
• Relativism, Subjectivism, the Despotism of Feelings—the idea that the world of facts is not the controlling reality. Reality, in other words, is optional;
• Admiration of the Cool Kids—the idea that what really matters is copping a pose.

And so some might worry that I am adding “intellectual” requirements to the simple gospel of Christ. Don’t worry—it is actually the reverse. You generally need a couple years of grad school before you can really buy into any of these mistakes.

Keep in mind that when we answer these challenges in the way we must—in the name of Jesus Christ—we are not supplying Christ as the solution to the problems as posed by these idolatries. He does not give us answers to their questions. He gives us His answers to His questions. Christ is the one who frees us from these idolatries by toppling all six of them, burning them at the Kidron Brook, crushing them to powder, and scattering the dust on the graves of the people (2 Kings 23:6-7).