Ministries must have the religious liberty to hire and fire according to doctrinal convictions. Churches need to expect and enforce standards of discipline. Sexual perversion must be frowned upon so that fewer souls take it up. Sexual depravity is a social contagion, and children increasingly take the brunt of these upsetting trends. False teaching must be cast out from the Body of Christ and torn down through argument and godly example in the public square. Otherwise, we find chaos and destruction that hurts the neighbors we are responsible for and affronts the God we worship.
Pastors and parents alike are starting to realize that apostasy and sexual depravity must be fought politically, theologically, devotionally, and socially. They want clarity rather than coyness on these issues. However, the world of Big Box evangelicalism, its conferences, and its academic institutions do not always provide that clarity.
And so many of the faithful are demanding it. Christians are starving for leaders with the courage to say, “This is wrong. This is despicable. This error doesn’t stand to reason and contradicts the Bible. This needs to stop. For those of you caught up in this, repent and believe the gospel. Turn to Christ to find forgiveness and restoration.” In other words, what our society needs are Christian voices that don’t budge an inch on sin while also heralding the sure hope of salvation in Christ.
Christians are clamoring for this, and I think some influencers in evangelicaldom resent it. After all, the appeals are often made in low-status ways and derail certain projects and conversations. While some of those frustrations are understandable, they are increasingly baseless. People’s lives are getting destroyed by the chaos. Those who refuse to comply or speak out get punished, from the company man who keeps getting passed over for promotions to the baker getting sued and harassed. Do Christianity’s leaders show that they see, care, and seek to do something about it? Increasingly, believers must require that they do.
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St. Jude's Anglican Church
We are a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church. We have been worshiping together in the greater Richmond area for over a decade. We’d love to have you join us for Christian worship in the rich Anglican tradition.
