As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (ESV, 1 Tim 6:12)
The Bible frequently describes Christian living as a war. It also calls us to “stand” under attack (Eph 6:10-19). But does it call us to defend our liberties, oppose cultural change, or save our nation from decline?
“…the claims that ‘scholars’ like Du Mez, Gushee, and Jacob Allan Cook (as we will see) are making are so cynical and unbiblical, not to mention corrosive to constructive discourse, that they merit attention and correction.” - C.Post
By all indications, conservative Christians have strife and conflict on their minds these days. But do we understand what sort of war we’re in, who the enemy is, and how we’re supposed to fight?
I’d love to do some man-on-the street interviews at a conservative evangelical event and ask, “Who or what are Christians at war with?” Answers would probably include “the world,” and “the devil.” Someone might quip, “one another!”
I suspect many would say “the Left,” and many who said “the world” would have the Left in mind.
“If Jesus found it necessary to withdraw from the crowds to pray, how much more do we need those times of silence and solitude with the Lord.” - McKnight
“There are no enemies present. Nevertheless, the sword is drawn, perhaps again without him fully realizing what he’s doing. His passions are in control.” - Desiring God
“I’ve proposed using the Old Testament account of Joshua’s succession of Moses as a pattern for us as we face a rapidly and significantly changing world. I suppose I should justify that.” - Olinger
“Some people feel like we’re accelerating headlong toward a precipice, uncontrolled and uncontrollably. And on the heels of such thoughts inevitably come fear, despair, desperation, rage. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” - Olinger
“As writers like Maryanne Wolf worry, our daily deluge of ‘eye-byte-sized information’ creates the illusion we are well-informed and, at the same time, strangles our critical thinking capacities.” - TGC
“When, like Timothy, you’re facing a challenge that seems too big for you, it’s helpful to know that … our Father has not given us a panicking kind of spirit. But it’s also helpful to know what he has given us. Paul specifies three gifts from an omnipotent, gracious, knowledgeable, and sympathetic Father.” - Olinger
“Education doesn’t make sense in a worldview that is only about survival. … But with a worldview that says that the world itself came from a first cause that is intelligent, reasonable, knowable, and … wants to be known, there is solid grounding for actual knowledge, and therefore education.” - Breakpoint
Discussion