There’s a line in the new film Babies Are Murdered Here that has gotten me to thinking. First of all, if you haven’t seen the film yet, honestly, what are you waiting for? Please watch it, then come back and read this blog; you may have a different perspective on what I’m arguing for.
R.C. Sproul, Jr.’in an interview with plenty of golden nuggets’gives an admonition to the Church that I’ve not heard phrased in such a way before. As a way of telling the American evangelical Church that she needs to step up and truly bring the gospel to bear upon the national sin of abortion, he says’
We (the Church) need to be willing to not look like respectable members of society.
That statement truly cuts to the heart of who we are as American evangelicals. Radical two-kingdom theology running rampant in major Christian denominations have effectively shut Christians’for the most part’out of the public square, which comes up on the bad end of the sacred/secular divide. As opposed to living as a Christian in the realm of one’s chosen profession, Two-kingdom Christians and rapture ready Christians have decided that Satan runs everything except their own homes and church buildings and’in an explicable twist of logic’have decided to save the salt and light stuff for Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights. After all, what point is there in rocking a boat that’s sinking?
The result? The need to be respectable members of society Mondays through Fridays, and maintaining that respectability factor when they walk into church Sunday mornings.
I personally have nothing against respectability in general. Being respectable is one of the qualifications listed for officers in the local church (1 Timothy 3:2). In the context of church life, having the respect of one’s covenant community is most definitely a good thing. But what about respectable members of society? Does R.C. really have a point? Shouldn’t we as Christians and shouldn’t we as local covenant communities really desire to look like respectable members of society?
That would actually depends on how one defines the term respectable members of society. In a recent sermon, Douglas Wilson has made a very accurate observation that every society loves to honor its living conformists and honor its dead troublemakers. That ought to immediately give Christians pause who would wish to honor our Lord come what may. To conform to society is to’as Wilson again rightly states’color within the lines. To conform to society to nod with tacit approval what society approves of’namely in this case abortion, which society would deem a dirty yet necessary business. Can we’as Christians’seriously desire to conform to such a standard, or does our conscience inform us that we must’if we are to seek glory from the right Source (John 5:44)’decide that troublemaking must rule the day?
That’s why R.C. correctly admonishes the American Church to be willing to look un-respectable. As it stands right now in American society circa 2014, folks are not willing to get upset that babies are murdered here. Children are sacrificed every day on the altar of convenience, finances and reputation. Those preachers who preach loudly against death and those Christians who act out publicly against death will not appear to be conformists and’thus’risk losing their respectability with the public at large.
Honestly, though, do we care? Should we care? When Paul asked the question for am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God (Gal 1:10), was he somehow confused as to which course of action was the right one?
God has spoken. Humans are created in the image of God.
Abortion is murder.
If calling out sin as sin and making certain everyone knows that what I’m saying cannot simply be dismissed as one man’s opinion but rather the prophetic word more fully confirmed’if doing this makes me appear to be substantially less than respectable’
I’ll own it.
This is God’s world, and babies are murdered here.
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