“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand again the deviI’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world…Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6: 10-13).
These past couple of weeks have been worrisome, starting with the wild applause and cheering in the New York state legislature over a new law, permitting killing of unborn life up to the time of delivery and apparently beyond birth. Soon afterwards, the governor of Virginia, a pediatric neurologist, unwittingly confirmed the horror of newly sanctioned late term abortions, by giving a cold, dispassionate description of a “problematic” birth, where a newborn is kept comfortable while the mother, consulting with her doctor, decides the fate of the baby, with the potential of committing infanticide on the baby. Our worst fears are being realized.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media remained quiet, and had no problem with the governor’s frightening description of death outside the womb, but reacted strongly to the revelation of a 30+ year old yearbook picture. The media and many others expressed alarm, proclaiming that the disturbing matter of the governor in blackface along with a hooded KKK person in the photo called into question the capacity of the Virginia governor to credibly continue in his role as state leader. As the media pundits called out his lack of sensitivity toward the dignity of a historically oppressed people, this somehow didn’t extend to the life of a baby, now to be killed up to the time of birth, and potentially as a newborn, per the governor’s description. I am sure many believers were thinking, as was I, “where’s the outrage?” with the governor’s disregard for human life.
Early last week, there was the story of the CEO of Amazon, who was reportedly involved in an adulterous relationship, dramatized by sexually explicit text photos of the CEO which were acquired by the tabloid media. You would think that this poor judgment and crass behavior would cost the CEO his job at Amazon. Perhaps not, according to the mainstream media, as stories have been written about the sexting of photos in general as being not so much a big deal with people these days. Instead, the media chose to be indignant on the alleged blackmail of this CEO by tabloid news organization, pointing the finger of accountability at the tabloid folks. The CEO, showing the worst kind of disrespect to his wife, now became a “victim” of tabloid intimidation.
The sad truth is that our culture continues to desensitize, promoting outrage against anything that undermines the dignity and value of certain oppressed people, which obviously doesn’t extend to new life. This culture also ignores the importance of personal integrity, except when it is expedient to claim the moral high ground in supporting a certain political narrative. Another way of describing this phenomenon is “selective virtue”, where the proponents of evil declare their own righteousness and even invoke the name of Jesus when necessary to bolster their political position.
Consequently, some Christians have lost their way, wanting so badly to embrace the caring, compassionate veneer of the secular culture, while losing their sense of sin, accepting the culture’s moral failings, and calling out the reliable bromide of “Who am I to judge?”. The apostle Paul warned about the power of people and institutions, instructing believers to put on the “full armor of God”, to deflect the evil one who permeates deliberations and actions in support of the culture.
As we read in Scripture, Jesus would reach out to the culture, offering love and unfailing mercy, but not turning a blind eye to sin. He would want to address all social injustices, while always offering solace and hope of salvation to the repentant sinner. After all, Jesus said that He came not for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance, to save their souls, and not to condone their sins (Luke 5:32).
We should be as bold, always leading with love.
Have a Blessed Week!
Joe
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