We know who we face (Part 1; we know who we are (Part 2). We now move into the more difficult area: how are we to respond personally to the efforts to radically alter our society?

At the outset I have to admit that when writing this I was very conscious of my own failure to live the life of Christ whilst urging others to do so. I too am a work in progress and know how hard that progress can be.

Grasp Realism

We must be realistic and grasp that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:12). We see what is happening in society and instinctively recoil from it. As Christians we know that we do not live in a purely material world: there is a spiritual reality which is the grounding of all that happens. There is something deeper going on than the changes in the culture which cause us to shudder.

Discipleship

Our first step is perhaps the most difficult, and that is consciously to take our place outside the shallow self-help Christianity widespread in the church at present. Today requires a rediscovery of discipleship in the midst of therapeutic Christianity.

We might rightly reject the absurdity of the ‘prosperity gospel’, the idea that God’s purpose in our lives is to make us happy and prosperous. Unfortunately, the teaching in today’s church is too often a sanitised version of this. The therapeutic church has stressed making friends with Jesus rather than being disciples of Jesus. Al Mohler describes much of today’s preaching as “weightless”. He argues: “Issues of the self predominate, and the congregation expects to hear simple answers to complex problems.”

Our Christian faith is not about us and what makes us feel and do good, it is about God

We come to Christ for help, as we should: who else can answer our problems like Him? But we must move on to the realisation that our Christian faith is not about us and what makes us feel and do good, it is about God. We have to let God be God, and realise that sometimes He will take us into uncomfortable or difficult situations. In a society where it does not cost much to be a Christian, it is easy to consider church as a choice of personal lifestyle. The church is much more than a therapeutic community.

We see reported what happens when Christians stand out. From Ashers Baking Company and Stirling Free Church to Cornerstone Fostering and Adoption as well as numerous instances of arrest and harassment of street preachers, we can see that if we speak out in Christ’s name we stand out, and if we stand out we inevitably encounter opposition. “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse” (Prov 9:7). Being visible Christians can carry a penalty. Believers are called to a life of discipleship, and as Bonhoeffer reminds us, true discipleship is not without cost: “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.”

Biblical Discipleship

Biblical discipleship entails being different. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). It is allowing every facet of our lives to be shaped by the life of Christ. It’s more than attending worship or serving on church committees. It’s to live, to walk and talk and act as Jesus would have us do, whatever the situation. Biblical discipleship is such that if we even approach it in our daily lives, we will stand out. Such discipleship is grounded in the ordinary disciplines of the church, Bible study, prayer, fasting, worship and sacraments. As we commit ourselves to these disciplines we find that our growing trust in Christ inevitably leads to the practice of both private and public faith: the two inevitably go together. Our light is to shine in the open, not be hidden away in private (Matt 5:14-16).

In our determination to follow Christ the importance of fellowship cannot be overemphasised. To know that there are others on the same journey, meeting the same problems and temptations, helps immeasurably in our growth in Christ. We sometimes need accountability for when we get distracted or stray from how we should be acting. When we have a fellowship of believers around us, we can grow. People in the fellowship gain advice and knowledge from those around them.

The Manner of our Opposition

When we engage in cultural action or criticism we have to ask, do we act as Christ? Do we confront others in the right spirit? We must be clear about whether we are seeking to defeat or to rescue our opponents. When we correct or oppose or reprove, is it with the goal of winning the argument or winning a neighbour.

When we correct or oppose or reprove, is it with the goal of winning the argument or winning a neighbour?

Jonathan Edwards tells us that the Christian who engages with those who oppose us should do so “with politeness and without bitterness . . . without angry reflections or contemptuous language . . . [and] as seeking his good rather than his hurt; [and] more to deliver him from the calamity into which he has fallen than to be even with him for the injury he has brought”.

In this, Edwards echoed the teaching of Paul about how to treat our enemies: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom 12:1f) When Paul wrote this he was not just virtue signalling, speaking nice-sounding words. Faced with an angry mob wanting to destroy him, the apostle addressed them as “Brothers and fathers” (Acts 22:1).

This goes against all our natural instincts: when attacked we tend either instinctively to shy away from confrontation or respond in kind. To encounter those attacking us and do what we know to be right and respond with compassion requires that we move on from ourselves and focus on Christ. This requires a radical discipleship to Christ.

It is important to remember that we are not at war with our ideological opponents, we are at war for them.

The Rev. Dr Campbell Campbell-Jack is a retired Church of Scotland minister. Check out his many incisive articles on his blog, A Grain of Sand