Introduction
In the book of I Corinthians, the Apostle addresses cultural compromise in the Corinthian church. There is probably no modern century that looks more like Corinth than the century between the mid-nineteenth and the present. The mid-nineteenth century has been referred to as the Roaring Twenties, and the 1950s through the 1960s have been referred to as the Sexual Revolution. From the 1970s to the present, could be called the Gender Revolution. Paul’s instruction, referring to Ancient Israel, “Now these things happened (were recorded) for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved,” were instructive regarding cultural compromise for the Corinthians, as Paul teaches elsewhere, the Word of God is enduring for all generations (II Tim 3:16-17).
Consider the following exploration from the book of Judges, which is famous for a repeated phrase that describes those times, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25). This phrase encapsulates the prevailing situation in Ancient Israel, where there was a lack of centralized authority and people acted according to their own understanding.
As one reads the Old Testament, it becomes unmistakably clear that human beings will either worship God or idols (which come in many forms, including self-worship, which is ultimately the idolatry of the atheist and the agnostic, both of whom set themselves up as God to declare “there is no God” or “I cannot know if there is a God.”
What Happened in Israel?
Judges One paints a summary picture that explains how Israel became a nation embracing relativity. They begin well after Joshua’s death by saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” The Lord responds by appointing Judah to lead (1:1-2). They charge forward as the Lord commanded (3-15) but then begin a series of compromises with the enemy (16-36).
In verses sixteen to thirty-six, I count ten compromises with the culture. Several look-like acts of kindness in conducting their warfare. However, they were direct compromises of God’s very specific commands. Here is just one compromise. “The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day, the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.” This reminds me of Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since such a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.” This principle of spiritual warfare continues to be valid.
What Happened in America?
We have repeated the pattern of Israel as summarized in Judges 2:11-13, “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.”
This has become a generational process since the generation following our Founding Fathers, with each generation spiraling downward, and like Israel, with occasional upticks of revivals. Hence, like Israel, the conclusion of Second Kings seventeen forty-one has characterized America, “Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day, their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.
What Is the Hope in History?
There is hope if Ryan Burge is even close to correct, but it will take a ginormous effort and corporate guts to make it possible. Otherwise, it takes Jesus to return.
(https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/evangelicals-surprise/) He proffers this, “But after looking at the data for the last 10 years as a quantitative social scientist, I can say with certainty that although there are clear reasons for concern, evangelical presence in the United States is stronger than ever before.”
It will take the mass of this population to repent and wholeheartedly advocate and employ the biblical technique (see Deuteronomy 6:1-10) of passing the faith to the next generation. Without this page, the king’s common page, the Constitution, as our Founding Fathers intended, will give way to the page of “every man doing what is right in his own eyes.”
One Example of Contemporary Compromise
Recently, a large evangelical ministry (CRU, formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) has adopted an official policy of recommending “pronoun hospitality” to accommodate the cultural trend of transgenderism. Cru also accepts the term “gay Christian.” ( https://commonwealthpolicycenter.org/cru-pronouns/) One might argue that if they took a hard stance, they would eliminate the opportunity to minister on campuses. Yes, that might be true. But, as Samuel told Saul, it is better to obey than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22, Hosea 6:6, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 9:13, 12:7). This is a consistent message from the Lord.
[All Scripture quotes NIV unless obviously paraphrased]
Implementation
- First, be determined to live a consistent Christian life model.
- Second, be determined to resist cultural trends at every point.
- Teach individuals, teach in classes, and preach the importance of practicing Deuteronomy 6 (and other passages that extrapolate it).
- Third, be determined to advocate for the Constitution to be interpreted contextually, not by contemporary Critical Theory Law.
- Fourth, be determined to be a good Christian citizen—God has given you the privilege and responsibility to participate in self-governing. If you do not speak up with your vote, the culture will speak up and suppress righteousness.