Folks who pay attention to what is happening in our society understand that there is conflict raging between two elements in American life. On the one hand are those citizens who take their Christianity seriously. These folks are described as Evangelicals because of their belief in the Bible and their desire to live by the standards set forth in the Bible.
Evangelicals oppose abortion on moral and biblical grounds. They cherish tradition marriage as superior to co-habitation and the only marriage known and approved by God. They view homosexuality as sinful and dare to teach their children that such behavior is wrong. They promote soberness and try to rescue those who are enslaved by drugs and alcohol. They view sexual indulgence outside of marriage as sinful and encourage their children to remain virginal until marriage. They stand for personal responsibility and honest labor. They view laziness and dishonesty as bad and do not think the lazy, unproductive person should be rewarded with welfare. They not only worship God, they seek to recruit others to the way of Christ. Obviously we of the churches of Christ fall in this general category.
On the other side are a wide array of hostile, anti-Christian combatants. Leading the charge are atheists and infidels. By their side are groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. In their ranks are Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Rights Action League, and other promoters of and providers of abortion. Militant feminists are determined combatants. Such groups a the National Organization of Women and eager to engage us in battle. There are the many groups who champion the rights of homosexuals and demand their acceptance by all. Representing them is the Alliance of Gays, Lesbians and Transgender people. There are the pornographers, and the promoters of prostitution.
There are the secularists who have gained influence in our educational system and are busy indoctrinating our children against traditional Christian values. In their ranks are the promoters of godless evolution who want our children to see themselves as highly evolved animals. There the Marxists who have infiltrated our colleges and universities and are freely promoting their failed system. There are writers, producers and directors of the television and movie industry who exhaust themselves filling their viewers with moral filth and corruption. There are the hip-hop "artists" whose vile music corrupts the minds of young people.
There are the drug pushers whose product has destroyed hundreds of thousands of young lives. Beside them are the makers and sellers of liquor. The hedonists are in their ranks. They live for pleasure and indulge themselves in every sin. They want to recruit our young people into their circle of playmates. There are the anarchists and the people whose occupation is to sow hatred in the hearts of their neighbors. They promote racial and class hatred. They encourage people to hate America, churches, schools and all things good.
Last year, a gang of homosexual thugs invaded the Mount Hope Church in Lansing Michigan on Sunday morning and disrupted their worship. Dressed in normal attire, the invaders quietly entered the worship service and on signal they stood and began shouting obscenities, throwing propaganda sheets, confetti and condoms into the audience. Some of them clamored to the balcony and hung a profane banner. Two lesbians mounted the pulpits and began kissing. One of them pulled the fire alarm and then the invaders quickly left before the police could arrive. The thugs represented a gay group called Bash Back. Interestingly, the thugs notified the local paper who sent a reporter to get the story, but did not forewarn the church.
The evil allies of the Culture War see us as their enemy. They are actively working to drive us from the public forum and into the backwoods of life. Will you fight for that which you know to be sacred (I Tim. 6:12), or will you hide, hoping they will not come after you? Given time, the war will come to us. Are we prepared for that day?