Bowing to Ungodly Pressures

I am concerned that some churches and Christian institutions have grown timid in their stand for truth. They believe their silence is based on wisdom, but it is not. Their reticence may help them avoid social pressure for now, but in the end, they are merely kicking the can down the road. It will likely be worse later. I think the best way to describe what I am getting at is by contrasting churches behind the Iron Curtain with today’s churches in North America.

Around 1955, churches in communist and socialist countries like Czechoslovakia were under intense pressure to comply with ungodly government dictates, which was also compounded by the social pressures from large groups of young people pushing communism. Here is some of what these churches faced.

First, only a few people had access to a Bible. The government had made the Word of God scarce by restricting all printing of Bibles until a new promised translation could be produced. The new translation was then continuously stalled by regulations, so it could not be approved or printed. Second, for the local churches, a minister had to undergo a license renewal process every two months, and they would often be denied without explanation. Third, each church had to register its leaders with the government; if they did not, they would face sanctions. Finally, every sermon had to be written and approved by authorities before the pastor could preach it. From there, it only grew worse over time.

All of these regulations suppressing the church were put in place because communism saw belief in God as the opiate of the masses. God was a construct of the oppressor class to control the oppressed. The pressure on churches was applied in the name of progress and equality.

In this situation, the church needed to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves as it worked to subvert the lies controlling the government and the culture. In the end, when freedom is lost, the church must defy the government in a way that brings as little persecution as possible. However, no matter what they do, to obey God in situations like this, suffering will be part of their lot.

Today, in the United States and Canada, lies have also taken hold in our culture and governments. Of course, the lies promising us progress and equality still come wrapped in the language of oppressed and oppressor, for Marxism still controls much of the narrative. However, in the United States, at least, churches still enjoy freedom of religion and speech. The social pressures used to silence many Christians and churches today are issues involving sexual identity and gender. No doubt, the church must be wise in its response, and there have been occasions when we have not done this well.

My concern, however, is that some Christians and churches have already begun to bow to these lies while we still have the freedom to speak the truth openly. Many have started to do this because they want to avoid the social pressure and inconveniences that telling the truth in love will bring.

Here is a scenario. A church is teaching through a passage of scripture where biblical views of human sexuality are presented, and it is pride month. The church members cannot watch a TV show or go to a store, and kids cannot go to public institutions of education without the celebration of sexual sin bombarding them from every side. Yet, the church wants to be wise. So, in the name of not wanting to sound like they are singling out a specific sin as if it is worse than any others, the elders decide to tone down the teaching and not address the lies facing the congregation daily. To top it off, the church also streams its services on Facebook and YouTube, which have a significant following. They are concerned that the sermon will violate the platform’s community standards, so they think it would be wise to back off even further so they will not lose access to their accounts and hard-earned followers. After all, these platforms can deny your right to preach on their services without explanation. Do they not have the authority to review sermons and decide which ones they will allow or reject on the free services they offer? These elders may even believe these sexual and gender issues are a hill to die on, but why visit boot hill prematurely? It all seems wise, but it is short-sighted.

In the end, in the name of wisdom, little is said to the congregation to address the celebration of sin that comes at them from every direction. Those who need to hear the clear teaching of scripture on this issue are left thinking the passages on sexual purity have nothing to say about today’s sexual revolution. Worse than that, those struggling in these areas never sit under the loving conviction of their sin and, therefore, never have the Gospel of Jesus applied directly to their wounds. Finally, those who know the truth and are concerned about the state of society are left unbolstered by their leaders in their biblical views. If the church does not affirm them, who will? The examples they need in such a time are silent and unhelpful.

If we bow to cultural pressures while we still have the freedom to speak the truth, how will we ever stand if we lose those freedoms? When working with Brother Andrew, the Czechoslovakian church handed him a pin for his lapel. The pin was of a silver cup which they called the cup of suffering. It symbolized the cost of discipleship as they followed Jesus in an anti-Christian culture.

I know there are many solid churches standing firm. Still, the next time we think we should remain quiet so as not to upset anyone as the darkness advances, perhaps we should remember that being a Christian involves facing resistance from a fallen world. We should also recall that God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. Instead of waiting until the darkness has a tighter grip, maybe we should put on the pin of suffering now and speak the truth in love while we still have the freedom to do so. If we are willing to face the opposition before us today, maybe the Holy Spirit will bless our efforts. Perhaps the light will push back the darkness so that the lost will come to know our great Savior, and the Christians in the future might not have to face the jail cell. We will never know if we hide our light under a bushel in the name of wisdom.

-D. Eaton