After the election: 

As I sit here this morning…Saturday, after election day last Tuesday, still not having a final result of the election, my thoughts are not primarily on who will win. That seems to be, if not a done deal, trending toward a Democratic victory. I hate to lose. But that is not what is stirring my emotions today.

            I’m not going to try to take the “stiff upper lip” approach. This is not a time to just “grin and bear it.” I’m not going to bemoan the fact that not enough people voted “right” (pun intended). Nor am I going to wring my hands in fear for the future of America. The path chosen, if not diverted, is certainly headed toward a suicidal cliff. As I heard just today in a sermon preached before the election, “We are staring into an abyss.”

            A discussion of the cause of this chosen path would reveal many different opinions. There may not be one clear and precise answer. There was not one solitary decision that changed the course of a nation. There is a plethora of causes. It has been a process, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

            At times some have said we, as Christians, just need to get back to the “New Testament” church. Well, we are just about there. When you read the New Testament, you discover that the church of that day lived as minorities. They faced discrimination, ridicule, persecution, and often death. And in the face of it all, they prayed for what?...safety, protection, freedom…NO. They prayed for boldness…boldness to be faithful, boldness to witness to their faith, boldness to BE what they proclaimed to be.

            We are in a time when there are plenty of excuses. We’re living through a pandemic, a demise of morality, and a left rushing government. Some have surmised that all this is the judgment of God. I don’t know if it is or not. The pandemic, who knows? The matters of morality and leftist leanings are very possibly the result of the inconsistency of our profession of faith compared to our actual living of our faith.

            “In God We Trust” is on our money, (even our license plates here in Tennessee). As a nation, that is decidedly untrue. America does not trust in God. America is not a Christian nation. The sad truth is that many proclaiming Christians have let that be the essence of our faith…a slogan…a claim. For a long time in this country it was possible to be a “cultural” Christian. That’s not possible today. We do not live in a Christian culture. The predominant culture is secular. Sadly, many professing Christians are in actuality “Secular Christians.” That may not even be a legitimate term. It seems like an oxymoron to me, but what it indicates is a person who calls himself a Christian but lives by secular standards.

There is a phrase, “a line in the sand.” (I’m from Texas, and I think it may have originated at the Alamo when Colonel Travis drew a line in the sand and asked everyone who would stand and fight to cross the line. But you know how Texans are…) Anyway, the line has been drawn. This is a time to decide. Joshua told the Israelites, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

            What all does that mean? I don’t know. I don’t know how far this country is going. I do know that it’s not going in the direction of following the God of the universe. What I do know is that it means it’s time to stop just claiming Christianity. It’s time to start being Christian…openly, overtly, unashamedly…dare I say “boldly”, which could become dangerously Christian. There is the danger of being thought of as weird, odd, naïve, or, of all things, “religious.” There is the danger of being excluded from the “in” crowd…certainly not being “cool.” For now, at least, it’s not illegal to openly proclaim a faith in the Christ, but down the road, who knows?

             It is time to stand up. The old hymn urges, “Rise up, O men of God.” It sounds like a battle cry. It is. But the battle is not going to be won in the congress or the courts. It not going to be won at the ballot box. It may not even show up there. Our battle is in life…everyday, as we go, living…our relationships, our ethics, our morals, not only in our professions, but in our demonstrations. It’s a “take up your cross daily” kind of battle cry.

            Finally, this kind of battle is not easily fought alone. We need each other. The pandemic has caused many churches to close for a while. Many have now opened back up, but sadly many former church-goers have found it more convenient to just stay home. But there’s more than just a “rule” about going to church at stake. There is a great benefit to communing together, praying together, worshipping together. As the writer of Hebrews admonished, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb 10:24-25)

            Only God knows when that “day” will be. But in the meantime, let us, “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  (Ephesians 6:13)