Compromise of any sort begins with an assault on the truth. Relativism is but one weapon that pounds away, day after day, on the notion of absolutes. As America’s new religion has been dubbed by some as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” one understands that for most people, God is a nice idea but He’s not someone they want to be bothered with on a regular basis. Of course, when there is no God, or when we can’t be bothered with God, there is no truth; when there is no truth, there is no authority – but oneself. Perhaps the single most destructive source of compromise in our culture is the marginalization and/or rejection of the authority of Scripture – not by unbelievers but by professing Christians.

Yet, all is not lost. The church still has her calling, message, and Lord who is in fact building that church. Three affirmations come to mind here.

First, in a culture of compromise, it is the authority of Scripture that is rejected by evil men who are deceived. We must never forget that one’s commitment to the authority of Scripture for his life is a spiritual issue. The true believer is one who is increasingly committed to God’s will as given through the Scriptures while the unbeliever is one who increasingly rejects the truth and its authority. Paul says to Timothy, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:13).” The issue is not intellectual or rational. People without Christ are deceived. They cannot understand the things of God apart from the work of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14). No one can be forced, enticed, or even manipulated into embracing the Bible’s authority. The issue is spiritual and God alone can cause submission. Of course, when we believers reject Scriptural authority from time to time, and we do, we are mimicking those who are deceived. We must be confronted with this staggering reality often.

Second, in a culture of compromise, it is the authority of Scripture that is our only rule for faith and practice. In other words, what we are to believe and what we are to do in any circumstance is revealed to us in God’s Word. With reference to what we believe, Paul declares that it is the Scriptures that are “are able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 3:15).” It is from the Scriptures we get our doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16). This principle relates to what we believe about ultimate reality, politics, ethics, relationships, and so forth. In terms of what we do, Paul asserts that it is the Scriptures that are “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).” This principle relates to what we do in terms of our attitudes, actions, vocation, the way we treat others, our worship, or even the way we carry out the work of the church in ministry or evangelism for example. We must search the Scriptures daily to get our doctrine. We must be reproved, corrected, and instructed constantly by the Scriptures. Only then will the Scriptures be our practical authority. Otherwise, all we will be doing is paying lip service; and that is hypocrisy.

Third, in a culture of compromise, because it is the authority of Scripture that is rejected by evil men who are deceived; while at the same time, it is the authority of Scripture that is our only rule for faith and practice; it is the authority of Scripture that is underneath the Lord’s solemn charge to us. That charge is straightforward: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2).” We are to preach the Word whether it is popular or not; whether it is received or not; whether people like it or not. It is authoritative. And, it is the Word that God uses to change the hearts and minds of guilty sinners. We must not ourselves reject the authority of Scripture when it comes to our method of evangelism. Sinners cannot and will not be saved by fleshly means. Further, our culture cannot and will not be changed by fleshly means. We are in a spiritual battle and the weapons of are warfare are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:4). God Himself commands: “’And he who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?’ says the LORD. ‘Is not my word like a fire? says the LORD, ‘And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’” This command affirms both that which we are supposed to do (preach the Word) and why we are to do so (it is the Word that breaks the rock in pieces). The Lord Himself says we must preach the Word.

Every now and then someone asks me what the vision of our church is. I usually say, “What do you mean,” when I know exactly what they mean. They want to know how we are going to go about building the church. Because the Scripture is my authority, I simply say, “Preach the Word; no compromise.” If the church doesn’t get hold of this reality, we will continue to lose our savor and be trampled upon by men in this culture (Matt. 5:13). On the other hand, if we do get hold of it, the fortresses of this culture will crumble before our God.

 Dr. Paul Dean is a pastor, cultural commentator, and author. He hosts a live, call-in radio broadcast every M-W-F at 1:00 pm Eastern. You can access archives or join the conversation by logging onto www.callingfortruth.org. You can also sign up for “The Dean’s List,” a free news and Christian worldview e-letter. Check out his new book, Disciple Like Jesus for Parents. To schedule Dr. Dean to speak, simply e-mail him at pauldeanjr@juno.com.

Social change is a constant need due to the reality of the inexorable encroachment of sin in a culture. A civil society must have the rule of law or the sinfulness of man will go unchecked. Justice provides a sense of fairness and redress. Liberty keeps the government and citizens from controlling the lives of others. People are free to make their own way in the world, worship as they deem best, and the gospel is allowed an entrance into the market-place of ideas. Of course, the gospel is the only message that is the power of God unto salvation and the resulting society ordered by limited government, the rule of law, liberty and justice for all, an exalted work ethic, and personal responsibility.

Those who see social change as necessary don’t all agree on what that social change should be. One need simply scroll through a number of social issues in the news every week to affirm that state of affairs. Moreover, not all agree with how social change should be brought about. For example, the Washington Post is reporting that President Obama is making empathy a requirement for service on the Supreme Court. “Obama, preparing to nominate a successor to Justice David H. Souter, has often said that the best judges take note of the real world. By making empathy a core qualification, he is uniting his own eclectic experience as a community organizer and constitutional-law professor while demanding what he has called ‘a broader vision for what America should be.’”

It is this “broader vision for what America should be” and how to get there that is of concern for the believer. With reference to the Supreme Court, “Obama has said that 95 percent of Supreme Court cases pose no great controversy, and that rulings typically result in no great divisions. ‘But it's those 5 percent of the cases that really count,’ he told the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2007. ‘And in those 5 percent of cases, what you've got to look at is: What is in the justice's heart? What's their broader vision of what America should be?’” Further, “Obama connected his worldview to the bench in 2005 when he opposed the nomination of California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He said Brown was trying to create ‘a version of America’ by siding with the powerful.”

In his comments concerning his looming first appointment to the Court, the President would have the Court ignore current law deemed to be unfair. He cited a case involving Lilly Ledbetter, “the former Alabama tire company worker who learned through a furtive note from a colleague that she had long been earning less than her male counterparts. When her discrimination case reached the Supreme Court, five justices denied her claim, ruling that she sued too long after the pay decision was made. Many conservatives welcomed the ruling as a strict and proper interpretation of the law: The statute of limitations had expired. But Obama considered the ruling heartless and said Ledbetter had been treated unfairly. ‘The court has to stand up,’ he said, ‘if nobody else will.’”

On the other hand, Obama has often described his version of America. “He said people of all backgrounds ‘want a nation where we share life's risks and rewards with each other.’ ‘And when they make laws that will spread this opportunity to all who are willing to work for it,’ he went on, ‘they expect our judges to uphold those laws, not tear them down because of their political predilections.’”

There is a glaring contradiction in the President’s statements: “The court has to stand up if nobody else will,” and “they expect our judges to uphold those laws, not tear them down because of their political predilections.” The President is actually urging the Court to tear down laws based upon political predilections. Such contradictions are not uncommon for President Obama. On numerous occasions he has stated that government decisions will be based on science and not ideology with reference to embryonic stem-cell research, the Swine Flu, the environment, etc. The glaring reality is that his decisions are based on ideology. Further, Charles Krauthammer noted with reference to one such occasion, “Obama's address was morally unserious in the extreme. It was populated, as his didactic discourses always are, with a forest of straw men. Such as his admonition that we must resist the ‘false choice between sound science and moral values.’ Yet, exactly 2 minutes and 12 seconds later he went on to declare that he would never open the door to the ‘use of cloning for human reproduction.’” Krauthammer pointed out that Obama’s last statement was a choice of ethics over science.

The point here is that social change is always rooted in ideology. The question then becomes two-fold: how do we determine whose ideology is right and whose ideology will prevail? Of course, ideology that is not rooted in a source of authority outside of oneself will always be filled with inconsistencies and contradictions as the President’s is. Ideology that is always changing will lead to a society filled with self-focus, a demand for government assistance, injustice, and a waning commitment to liberty and the rule of law. Government is viewed as the savior for a while but the true result is tyranny. That reality is why a biblical ideology, more specifically, a New Covenant ideology of civil society, must drive our civil society. It is the only ideology that leads to liberty and justice for all.

The larger question for the Christian then is how do we go about affecting social change? There are thousands of Christians active in the political process of our nation. Consider this encouragement from a Christianity Today article entitled, “The New (Evangelical) Mainline: “We enjoy a significant position of authority — contra Meacham — in moral and political issues. Pastors Rick Warren and Joel Hunter, both of whom have had access to President Obama, exemplify this kind of standing in the culture. Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family notes that the existence of laws or constitutional amendments opposing the redefinition of marriage in 43 states would be hard to explain absent the massive presence of pro-family evangelicals. Facing little competition from the old mainline, growing and dynamic megachurches, Pentecostals, and immigrant churches also have a great opportunity to appeal to the spiritually curious and open.”

However, part of the point of the Christianity Today article is that according to the American Religious Identification Survey, those who claim to be atheist, agnostic, or have no religious preference have doubled in eighteen years. Mainline denominations and even the Baptists are declining in membership. Yet, the author’s of the survey note that other trends “suggest a movement towards more conservative beliefs and particularly to a more ‘evangelical’ outlook among Christians.” Christianity Today suggests that evangelicals are becoming the new mainline. If the old mainline is now the sideline, as some are calling it, the question raised is “how do we, the new mainline, avoid becoming like the old mainline and present an authentic faith to our American neighbors?” How do we keep from becoming the sideline?

Christianity Today notes that “theological compromise in a misguided pursuit of relevance at all costs played a major role” in the sidelining of the mainline. A “rigorous and public recommitment to the unchanging truth of the gospel is essential.” Further, “spreading the gospel, not seeking social or political relevance, is the heartbeat of evangelicalism. More often than not, cozying up to the culture has been a ticket to later embarrassment. To be sure, we also must remain engaged in the larger culture. . . .Our future as a movement depends on that which is in our name, the evangel, the good news of Jesus Christ.”

The point is that Christians should be involved in the political process and indeed every area of civil life. But, we must never see the government as our savior. If the gospel does not permeate a culture, not only are people not saved, but political victories will be fewer and farther between until they are gone completely. Political victories are rooted in worldview as President Obama demonstrates. At the same time, if we focus on political victories apart from the gospel, what have we gained? We have gained a temporary victory based on what we want America to be. That’s all Obama wants: an America how he wants it to be. So, we go back and forth trading victories without really affecting change at the heart level both in terms of political ideology or salvation. If we continue on a course of political activism divorced from the gospel we may win a few victories in the short term, but the overall victory in the long term will be lost both in terms of the nation and the souls that need to be saved for eternity.

“Politics and legislation are the main engines of social change in Obama's view, said University of Chicago law professor David Strauss.” Sadly, many Christians and indeed Christian leaders hold the same view.

In the much talked about Newsweek story, “The End of Christian America,” Jon Meacham noted, “While we remain a nation decisively shaped by religious faith, our politics and our culture are, in the main, less influenced by movements and arguments of an explicitly Christian character than they were even five years ago.” In that statement, Meacham has unwittingly done us a favor. He is right. And, the solution is in the statement. Believers must realize that social change ultimately comes about by “arguments of an explicitly Christian character.” We battle in the realm of ideas. Paul said, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5).”

Let’s go one step further than Christianity Today’s proper assessment. The reality is that our future not only as a movement but as faithful representatives of Christ and the advancement of His kingdom in America depends on that which is in our name, the evangel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

To schedule Dr. Dean to speak on Christian Worldview or to schedule biblical counseling training for your church through the Southern Baptist Association of Biblical Counselors or the International Association of Biblical Counselors, e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com.

Sign up free for “The Dean’s List,” a news and Christian worldview e-letter highlighting relevant news stories affecting Christians. The e-letter is sponsored by "Calling for Truth," a live, call-in radio program hosted by Dr. Dean. Simply e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com to receive your first issue.

To listen live to "Calling for Truth" each M-W-F from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Eastern Time, go to www.callingfortruth.org and click on the "Listen Live" button. You may listen to archived shows as well. They are uploaded each day after the broadcast.

Spiegel Online International reported that “Michael Jackson is considering having his body ‘plastinated’ by Body Worlds founder Gunther von Hagens. The controversial doctor says he could give the wacky pop star ‘the gift of immortality.’” The process would preserve Jackson’s body after his death. “Von Hagens said that his patented plastination process could continue the process of reshaping Jackson's body that the self-styled King of Pop has pursued through multiple plastic surgery operations. ‘I could give Michael the gift of physical immortality -- he has already achieved this with his music.’”

Aside from the sad sideshow Michel Jackson has become, his desire to preserve himself beyond the grave is something that God has put in the hearts of each one of us (Ecc. 3:11). The problem lies in the fact that we have suppressed our knowledge of Him so that our hearts and understanding are darkened by sin apart from Christ (Rom. 1:18-21). Jackson’s desire is but one among a myriad of ways that human beings attempt to somehow gain immortality apart from Christ. Despite what the naturalists tell us, we know in our hearts that there is more to life than what we have now. Persons search for meaning in their lives, want to make a difference in this world, long to leave a legacy, and hope for something hereafter. When people seek to have themselves “plastinated” or do similarly foolish things, it is owing to our sinful nature coming into contact with the knowledge of God within us. Suppression of that knowledge manifests itself in many forms.

At the heart of seeking immortality apart from Christ is a denial of the fall of man into sin and a failure to recognize its affect on us. It is sin that causes us to seek satisfaction in anything apart from Christ including self-attained immortality or even the way we look in the here and now. “Plastination” is simply the logical conclusion to Jackson’s ongoing efforts to alter his appearance. The booming business of cosmetic surgery, tummy tucks, implants, collagen injections, lip plumping, etc., has its root in the same dynamic: an idolatrous failure to find satisfaction in Christ. It is pride and self-worship that drives persons to find their joy in themselves in any form.

“Plastination” is also a patent denial of the resurrection. Our bodies are subject to decay by virtue of the fall. They do not last. Even those present at the return of Christ will experience a bodily transformation. Because we place so little emphasis on the resurrection we fail to understand its significance as a major part of the hope we have in Christ (Phil. 3:14).

Certainly we need to take care of our bodies as good stewards of that which God has given us. Moreover, the bodies of those who know Christ are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Christians need to present their bodies in appropriate ways in public for God’s glory. At the same time, Christians need to accept God’s providence for them in the aging process. That does not mean that we cannot avail ourselves of medical care when needed. God gives us the gifts of life and intelligence. Preserving that life through medical advance honors God’s gift of life and His command to subdue the earth.

But, cosmetic surgery is in a different category. While it may be biblically warranted in certain cases, we must check our motivation. If the issue is rooted in pride or an attempt to slow the outward appearance of aging, heart issues are involved and must be brought before the Lord.

At the same time, consider the fact that one can advance the gospel by accepting the aging process. Aging visibly displays the affects of the curse and the need for redemption. When we accept it gracefully, we openly declare that satisfaction is in Christ and that our hope is in the resurrection, not the mythical fountain of youth, plastic surgery or “plastination.” And, in the end, only God can give the gift of immortality.

  Yahoo News offered a revealing story on churches in the midst of the 2009 economic crisis. “Foreclosures and delinquencies for congregations are rising, according to companies that specialize in church mortgages. With credit scarce, church construction sites have gone quiet, holding shells of sanctuaries that were meant to be completed months ago. Congregants have less money to give, and pastors who stretched to buy property in the boom are struggling to hold onto their churches.”

The Scriptures declare that economies will always change. Above all others, the people of God should not be caught unaware of such a reality. Yet, while some churches that have acted wisely have been caught unaware in the downturn, other churches have been caught because they have acted unwisely. Other factors can contribute to the problem including the fact that some churches have experienced a drop in donations due to congregational rifts. Some are renegotiating mortgages and some are closing down. Other churches are attempting to survive through additional funds provided by congregation members who have mortgaged their homes. Such a move can make a church’s position that much more precarious. If the bank is unwilling to loan more money, the church is deemed not to have the means to pay. By borrowing from its members, the church is simply going deeper into the hole and making longer and more difficult the road to recovery.

Yet another reason the church has so little impact in contemporary American life is that her pursuits and the way she goes about those pursuits is not unlike the world. While the gospel of Christ is the only means of saving souls, while the church has been given a commission to take that gospel to the nations, while a focus on others and self-sacrifice are vaunted values in Scripture, many American churches spend millions of dollars on massive campuses littered with buildings and equipment to serve themselves. At the same time, the culturally bred appetite for such is so insatiable that churches are willing to violate biblical principles to obtain what they want. While borrowing money is not strictly forbidden by Scripture, it is clear that wisdom must be exercised in such an endeavor. Overextending is presumption in the face of clear teaching that wealth is uncertain (1 Tim. 6:17).

Even more serious is the fact that God’s reputation and the gospel’s power are on the line when churches default on their loans. Their witness is ruined. Make no mistake: the world takes note when churches don’t pay their bills. Neither is it lost on them when the church values its own wealth and earthly glory.

At issue here is not whether local congregations can have physical facilities. The issue is what type of facilities does a church have and for what purpose. It’s difficult to talk about personal stewardship and a denial of self for the sake of the gospel if the collective church is not setting the example. How many churches have been burdened with debt because of the pastor’s ego? How many churches have suffered financially in the aftermath of a church rift or economic downturn because of massive debt?

Christians must also think carefully before co-signing for a church or borrowing a large sum of money against their homes. Not only might they be joining in something that is not honoring to the Lord, but they could be doing something that is unwise. Note Prov. 22:26-27: “Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge, one of those who is surety for debts; if you have nothing with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?” God is essentially saying “Don’t be stupid. You might lose your house if things go south.”

Further, with reference to church facilities, it is true that God’s glory is on display in beauty and architecture. But, other biblical principles must come into play when determining what type of facility is appropriate for a New Testament church. Some will site Old Testament examples of God’s displeasure over the Temple lying in ruins (Hag. 1:1f). However, we should keep in mind three critical facts: 1) The Old Testament temple is a picture of the true temple which is Christ and His body (1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 21:22). 2) The true temple is that which has the true beauty. That beauty has nothing to do with a physical building but the beauty of God’s wisdom and God’s people who come together from different backgrounds to form one body in Christ (Eph. 3:1-10). 3) The true temple of God is no longer confined to one location but is now scattered throughout the whole world. The type of building the true temple (God’s people) worships in is irrelevant in terms of adornment. The people are its adornment.

In the end, the question is always the same. What is your focus? What drives you? Is it worldly wealth and comfort? Is it extravagance? Is it a monument to man? Or, are you driven by satisfaction in God and His glory and the resulting wise stewardship of the things He has given you by grace? Money and financing are viable tools for accomplishing certain ends. Yet, those tools must be used properly and the ends must be submitted to the scrutiny of God’s word. May God give us His focus. May we commit to avoid buying into the value system of the world that we might avoid failure.

To schedule Dr. Dean to speak on Christian Worldview or to schedule biblical counseling training for your church through the Southern Baptist Association of Biblical Counselors or the International Association of Biblical Counselors, e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com

Sign up free for “The Dean’s List,” a news and Christian worldview e-letter highlighting relevant news stories affecting Christians. The e-letter is sponsored by "Calling for Truth," a live, call-in radio program hosted by Dr. Dean. Simply e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com to receive your first issue.

To listen live to "Calling for Truth" each M-W-F from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Eastern Time, go to www.callingfortruth.org and click on the "Listen Live" button. You may listen to archived shows as well. They are uploaded each day after the broadcast.

Family matters, and makes a difference. Baptist Press reported that “Children living with both biological parents or adoptive parents who attend religious services regularly are less likely to exhibit problems at school or at home” according to a 2008 analysis of national data.

“The study by psychologist Nicholas Zill, the founder of Child Trends, and statistician Philip Fletcher found that children in such a situation -- when compared to children not living with both parents and not attending religious services regularly -- are 5.5 times less likely to have repeated a grade and 2.5 less likely to have had their parents contacted by the school because of a conduct or achievement problem. Additionally, intact families who have regular religious participation (defined as at least weekly or monthly) are less likely to report parental stress and more likely to report a ‘better parent-child relationship.” Further, “The authors said that children in an intact religious family ‘are more likely to exhibit positive social behavior, including showing respect for teachers and neighbors, getting along with other children, understanding other people's feelings, and trying to resolve conflicts with classmates, family, or friends.’”

It should be no surprise that children from religious, intact families fare better. Sensible circumstances lead to better results than chaotic circumstances. Such a dynamic is owing to God’s common grace and the natural law He has built into this world. At the same time, special or saving grace is necessary to truly understand God and ourselves and implement His will in our lives in a way that pleases Him and produces the genuine, peaceable fruit of righteousness.

In God’s economy, the family plays a specific role. God calls human beings, and indeed Christians, to populate and subdue the earth for His glory and the good of man. The family provides a stabilizing force in an otherwise frenzied society. It is in the context of family that men and women learn the absolute necessity of being responsible adults and the onus upon them to train their children. It is through the family that the gospel is propagated in a visible way as Christ’s commitment to His church is magnified in loving relationships and as children are taught to fear the Lord.

There are some tremendous implications for your family in God’s command to take dominion over the earth. God has a role for you and your family to walk the road of life together and to subdue the earth together in some sense. It is the individualism of our culture that militates against such an understanding. And yet, God has a specific purpose for families together as families. Certainly we all have different roles within the family. But, those roles must mesh into this dynamic of togetherness if we are to honor God and find maximum fulfillment within our family life.

Above all others, Christian parents must see the significance of the family and bring their full attention to bear upon it. Too many of our children suffer for a lack of biblical focus in that context. While they generally do better than those in “dysfunctional” families as the survey indicates, in the end, they end up making shipwreck of their faith. As Christian parents you must learn the imperative of discipleship with particular reference to your children. Other research has revealed that ninety percent of evangelical youth walk away from Christ upon graduating high school. You must embrace and apply God’s admonition to you regarding your children: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deut. 6:6-9).” Only then will your children fare better in an eternal sense.

Parents, you must learn that television, your own busy lives, and even working long hours rob you of time with your family. You are robbed of a growing and vital relationship with your spouse and children. Husbands and wives, you need to have a relationship apart from your children that you might enjoy your empty-nest years to the full. You must also prioritize the personal discipleship of your children that they might honor God, that your children might do the same even as adults, and that they might be filled with joy as their children grown in grace, again, even into adulthood. Let us not be committed to the world’s priorities but to God’s priorities. Such a commitment is the only path to true, temporal happiness and eternal fruit.

To schedule Dr. Dean to speak on Christian Worldview or to schedule biblical counseling training for your church through the Southern Baptist Association of Biblical Counselors or the International Association of Biblical Counselors, e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com.

Sign up free for “The Dean’s List,” a news and Christian worldview e-letter highlighting relevant news stories affecting Christians. The e-letter is sponsored by "Calling for Truth," a live, call-in radio program hosted by Dr. Dean. Simply e-mail pauldeanjr@juno.com to receive your first issue.

To listen live to "Calling for Truth" each M-W-F from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Eastern Time, go to www.callingfortruth.org and click on the "Listen Live" button. You may listen to archived shows as well. They are uploaded each day after the broadcast.

On today's show: Discussion concerning the recession and how it can be good, or, how God can use it for good.

www.callingfortruth.org

Disconcerted is too mild a word to describe the feeling a majority of informed Christians had the day after the 2008 Presidential election. Fears continue to revolve around social issues including abortion and homosexual unions; economic matters related to wealth redistribution and class warfare; domestic policy questions connected to religious freedom and the new definition of tolerance; foreign policy concerns linked to present war and looming potential threats to national security; the increasing marginalization of Christians and the erosion of the Christian worldview in our culture; and so much more. How should we react to these things in the coming days? What should our response be in light of a new president and a new year?

First, as those who know the One who actually raises up and removes kings, we must be thankful. We can thank God for civil rest with a clear winner in the presidential election. With the animosity some felt toward the establishment, with historical implications concerning race, and with emotions at a fevered pitch, we can thank God for a peaceful transition of power. Such a dynamic goes unnoticed by those of us who live in America. Yet, throughout history and across the globe the transition of power is often bloody. God is the One who continues to bless us with domestic peace every four years and we must recognize His kindness and grace toward us in that regard.

Second, we have an opportunity to examine our hearts. Not only do we have a tendency to take God’s good providence for granted and fail to offer Him praise, we also have the tendency to complain when circumstances don’t go the way we would choose. Do we really believe that God causes all things to work for our good? Do we really believe God is in control? Do we really trust Him? To complain is to express dissatisfaction with God and His plan for us. At the same time for example, if we speak to our children of God’s wise governance of His universe and indeed the circumstances of our lives, we send them a contradictory message when we complain. We must bow our hearts to God in His good providence for us and convey that commitment in our every day talk before our children and others if we are to live in such a way as to witness to His faithfulness.

Third, consider the tremendous prospect of putting presidential elections in proper perspective. We must not look to Washington for answers. Too many Christians really believe if we can simply get our candidate in the White House, gain political control of Congress, and get the right individuals on the Supreme Court, then all will be well. Of course, such a notion overlooks key biblical issues. The myriad problems America has are not merely problems of law or behavior; they are spiritual. Not only can the government not change hearts but such a dynamic is not even the government’s role. Christians have no desire to coerce others to do what we want. Our goal is to declare the wonderful grace of God in Christ that truly changes lives. Only when people are changed for the better will a culture be changed for the better. To focus on government solutions to spiritual problems is to miss our calling as the church and to relegate ourselves to failure. We must look to the only One who is the answer and in so doing proclaim the real message of hope and change to a hurting world. Christ is our Savior, not the government.

Fourth, with the realization in mind that the government is not our savior combined with the moral and spiritual slide we find ourselves in as a nation, we have a clear occasion to speak to the church and as the church. We may admonish our brothers and sisters to embrace the Savior afresh in their lives. Those believers who are fearful can still worship the Lord. They can still witness of His grace to others. None of that has changed. And, we may speak together as the church to a world in darkness. The church is in a unique position to point the way forward in Christ. We alone have real answers to real questions.

Fifth, we can rejoice that our citizenship is in heaven and that we serve a king who has established a kingdom that shall never end. When Daniel was called upon to reveal and interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he uttered the profound reality that should be the constant focus of our attention, the driving force in our lives, and the anchoring hope in the midst of all our circumstances: “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever (Dan. 2:44).” The God of heaven set up that kingdom by sending Christ into the world. America is but a temporary player on the world’s stage. The good news is that we serve the King of kings and Lord of lords and His kingdom shall stand forever.

Again, while many are disconcerted, the truth is that we as Christians “in all these things…are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom. 8:37).” Be encouraged. It is not despite these things but in all these things that we are more than conquerors. Thus, with a new president we have hope for a new year not because of that president, but because of the King who loved us.

Paul J. Dean

President Bush has some interesting things to say about the Bible.

We'll follow up on Lisa MIller and her Newsweek article concerning what the Bible says about homosexuality. She added her voice to the debate and comes out, strangely, for biblical support of homosexuality. Dr. Albert Mohler responded with an article correcting her. Dr. Mohler and Miller were to be on The Laura Ingraham Show together but Miller said she did not want to deal with Mohler on this issue.

We'll talk briefly about the Gov. Rod Blagojevich issue.

If we have time, we'll discuss the Oxford Dictionary for Children and their removal of Christian references in the latest edition.

Visit callingfortruth.org to listen to the archived broadcast.

On Q&A Friday callers set the agenda.
Additionally, top news stories are discussed from a biblical worldview.

Teen Commits Suicide while People Watch on Live Webcast
The View: Some Homeschoolers are Demented

Listen to the archived broadcast: http://www.callingfortruth.org/cft/content/view/832/10/