Despite what Russell Moore says, the Cross of Jesus does not compel us to stop fighting the Culture War.
For the first time in memory, conservatives are winning the Culture War. The sexual grooming of our children via school teachers and in our entertainment by corporations like Disney was exposed. It now stands under justifiable opprobrium. Likewise, Race Marxism being taught in our universities and practiced in our schools and workplaces was rebuffed.
All these successes were not due to the Church.
In fact, we might be justified in saying that these pivotal moments in the Culture War were won by atheists like James Lindsay and secular political forces like Chris Rufo and Tucker Carlson. (I am not saying these men are not Christians or are Christians—only that their platforms are secular not religious.)
These wins in the Culture War came despite the church and its leadership.
For over a decade, leadership of our churches demanded Christians surrender the Culture War. Men like Russell Moore, the cheese-eating surrender monkey of Evangelicalism, told us to stop fighting because fighting is not Christ-like.
However, some did not stop fighting. Some Christians kept on fighting while their generals retreated and penned op-eds to please the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic.
And Christianity Today. Especially Christianity Today.
Russell Moore’s new essay published by CT declares that The Cross contradicts the Culture Wars. Moore’s latest is more pietistic nonsense.
Outraged about sexual grooming of children? That’s alarmist.
Incensed about racial identity politics? Stop fearmongering. You are just insecure!
Moore wants Christians not only to suffer defeat in the Culture War—he dwells on a theme of humiliation. After all, Christ was humiliated on the Cross; therefore, it follows to Russell Moore that we should suffer humiliation too!
Nonsense.
We are not to seek martyrdom or for that matter seek persecution. We are commanded to pray that we might have quiet and peaceable lives. Persecution and humiliation may come. Yet, courting it not only for ourselves but our wives, children, families, friends, and neighbors is the pinnacle of arrogance. In fact, we are told to pray for our leaders with the goal of having a quiet, peaceable life. (I Timothy 2:1-2).
As Christians, we should only court humiliation and suffering in the Cause of Christ. Moore seems intent on it as some masochistic goal—an end in itself to judge one’s holiness. Moore’s theme for years is that any Christian desire to exercise power is a sinful urge of the heart. This seems absurd. How is the desire to protect the life of an unborn baby evil? How is it arrogant or prideful to believe teachers should not teach sexual ideologies to kindergarteners?
What Russell Moore is doing is conditioning the church to accept every command of the Cultural Elites.
Russell Moore and others inside Big Evangelicalism have conditioned the Church to accept government tyranny (lockdowns are loving!) and the crazy Disney grooming scheme (don’t be alarmed, that is sinful!).
Moore is the John the Baptist of the Great Reset. He has prepared the way for the Mark of the Beast more surely than any other Christian of our generation. He gets almost everything wrong.
Moore even draws the wrong lessons from the biblical text.
According to Moore, “A cross not only ended a life but did so in the most ridiculing way possible—by magnifying Caesar’s domination over the one gasping for air on a stake. With Roman soldiers standing around and crowds screaming in rage and laughter, Good Friday looked like the triumph of Babel, right down to the signs in multiple languages over the head of the crucified King.”
Moore seems confused. The cross was not an assertion of Roman power. Read the Gospel narrative—it was a display of the power of the mob.
The Roman power found no reason to charge Jesus. According to Luke 23:4, “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.”
Yet, Pilate caved, and Roman authority despite all its love for law and rhetorical commitment to legal process, failed in its duty to justice and crucified a man the magistrate said was innocent. Perhaps, the lesson here is not in the danger of political power but rather the lesson might be that power can be corrupted when it gives in to the culture—as personified by the worldview of the mob.
We might face martyrdom or persecution; however, as mentioned earlier, we are told to pray and therefore seek a quiet and peaceful life. The best means of having a peaceable and quiet life is through the legal protection of life, liberty, and property.
In America, God in His mercy and wisdom granted the individual Christian a say in our government. It seems reasonable to exercise the power and duties God gave us. Right? To fail to do our duty as citizens would make us bad stewards—who carelessly waste the resources (talents, Matthew 25:14-30) the Master entrusted to us.
Moore’s error is that like so many other political theologians he confuses (perhaps intentionally) the individual commands (humility, etc.) with how the citizen must engage public duties. In America, the citizen straddles two spheres. The Christian citizen must always be peaceful in his personal dealings; however, the Christian might serve on a jury ordering the death penalty or serve as President and send millions to fight and die for their country.
Likewise, the Christian citizen may engage in the Culture Wars by voting, debating, and even mobilizing resistance to the will of Secular Elites in DC, New York, LA, San Francisco, and even Davos.
Christianity is not a suicide pact. Christianity is the promise that Jesus saves and will return again to rule. Christians serve a risen, victorious savior who will smite the nations and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15-16). We look forward to that day, not with cowering and surrender but robust and brave action—to do our duty to Christ and Country and Family and Friends.