Matthew 16.3
“And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them,a “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Public trust in the core institutions of America is at an all-time low, which is having a devastating impact on our society. If our nation is going to heal and establish sustainable liberty, diversity, and productivity, we must renew the health of our institutions and rebuild public trust.
The Church must see America’s culture-shaping institutions through a Kingdom perspective. By culture-shaping institutions I mean:
- Government
- Business
- Science
- Healthcare
- Media and the arts
- Education
- The Church
- Family
Our views of these culture-shaping institutions will determine our involvement in them. The lens through which we look is critical. We cannot and must not be indifferent or lazy in our engagement with our society and its key structures.
The church should have a strategy for impacting and transforming the institutions that shape culture. Christian influence on culture occurs not primarily by human design (although human designs are involved) but by God’s supernatural use of obedient and effective Christians in their spheres of influence in all domains of American society.
The gospel does not call us to stand on the periphery and protest the culture, nor does it call us to copy the culture. Rather, we are called to be agents of change in society. Through our character, competence, and connection we must fully engaged with American institutions and push for change.
Right now the secularists build and develop the people who lead the institutions that shape our society. As a result, the institutions promote secular things. Until that changes, American culture will be dominated by secularism, and the church will be relegated to the margins of culture. It is time for the church to build and develop people who will influence and lead the institutions that shape our society.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
If we do not build effective, obedient Christians who can penetrate and impact culture-shaping institutions, there is little hope for sustainable transformation in our nation.
God is calling us. Trust Him and do the work.
Coram Deo
