Is The Truce Over In The Culture War?

I was browsing the internet last week and found a provocative video by Dennis Trainor Jr. (aka Davis Fleetwood) commenting on a pro-life ad produced by CatholicVote.com. The ad, which shows an ultrasound graphic of an unborn child, states that the child, who will come from a broken home and will be abandoned by its father, will eventually become the first African-American president. The ad was rejected by the NBC for airing during its coverage of the most recent NFL Superbowl game. Mr. Trainor's desire was that the ad had been aired because of its potential to "reignite the culture wars that have been simmering under an intellectual ceasefire since 9/11." Mr. Trainor is apparently not a professing Christian since, at the end of his piece, he supports relegating the Bible to the mythology section of the library.

It's easy to become upset with Mr. Trainor for his views about this ad, religious faith in general and the Christian faith in particular. But, the question that must be answered is, are we on the verge of a new outbreak of the culture wars? If so, how are Christians going to respond? My concern is that we will repeat the strategic and tactical mistakes of the past.

The last twenty-eight years of Christian political activism in the Republican Party have been, well, a categorical failure. The glory days of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition were the Reagan years. Since then, there has been one disappointment and defeat after another. Today, it is difficult to see daylight between a Republican and a Democrat. I cannot perceive a substanstial difference between the two parties. They differ very little in terms of their political goals and agendas.

As the administration moves further away from sound governance (economic bailouts, inflationary fiscal and monetary policies, the Freedom of Choice Act, Hate Crimes Bill, etc.), Christians are going to become motivated to act. I am all for political activism by Christians. But how? By using the failed methods of the past, which leave men's hearts unchanged?

Christians have to decide whether they truly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord (and not Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, or Sean Hannity, et al.) over all the nations, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, and that all men live and move and have their being in Him. Either Jesus has overcome the world, or Christians should have enough integrity to tell Jesus no He didn't. We must act boldly accordingly with our belief.

The truce will soon be over. But if we respond to the opposition on their terms using their methods, we will surely die. No. We must respond with the weapons that our Christ has given us: worship, prayer, evangelism, and discipleship. We must respond to opinion with Truth.