Success Is… Being a Faithful Presence in the Culture Wars

How can we, as Christians, meaningfully and lovingly engage with the culture wars raging around us? Across society, there’s a disturbing lack of compassion, empathy, and understanding. People are loathe to listen or demonstrate face-to-face kindness. Perhaps, to successfully engage in the culture, we should call people in instead of calling people out.

When Jesus sent His disciples out into the world, He said they’d be like sheep among wolves. To combat that danger, He told them to be like snakes and doves (Matthew 10:16). This might seem like an odd, paradoxical image, but Jesus was teaching them that they’d need tough minds and tender hearts. Following Him means being concerned with social, economic, and political conditions in this world (not simply with growing bigger congregations). Take some time to figure out which social, racial, economic, environmental, or other significant issue you’re most eager to address – and why. Is your church currently doing anything about these things? How could you get involved – with a tough mind and a tender heart?

Society’s needs are enormously overwhelming. When we don’t know where to start, it helps to ‘imagine prophetically’. This works hand in hand with acting justly. As you begin to imagine a more just world, you will find yourself inspired to live and act in ways that see it come about. Start small. Start local. Choose people over problems. In a contemporary culture where individualism leads to tribalism, your generosity and hospitality will become a kind of subversive resistance.

Others may exhaust themselves waging culture wars – spreading fear, creating numbness. Instead, as we seek to dismantle injustice through radical hospitality, today’s passage from Isaiah tells us about the changes we will begin to notice happening in us. No matter how volatile or antagonistic the call-out culture you find yourself in, God promises to light up the darkness and satisfy your needs. The wondrous, counterintuitive truth is that tearing down injustice is God’s prescription for our flourishing.

May God give you the extraordinary strength of mind and heart to strike a balance of toughness and tenderness. May God continuously sustain you like a well-watered garden. May the willingness to pursue what the world might deem as unsuccessful help you play your part in restoring credibility to the church and representing Jesus to the world more faithfully.