On "Keeping it in the Church"

Stay! Stay here and like it!

That (in the title, up there) is one of the favorite phrases used by liberals to silence Christians.  They say we should keep our faith out of the public square, behind our church doors and in the pews.  It should be "private."  They tell us that Jesus and God wouldn't approve of our engagement in the general discourse.

Were it not so dangerous, these kinds of comments and demands would be funny.  Let's use an example.

Let us go back in time and recall the Civil War again.  Ulysses S Grant attacked Robert E. Lee in 1864, he pushed the Confederate army back to Richmond and Petersburg.  Unable to abandon the capital, Lee dug in to prepare for Grant.  However, the Union did not attack, as the positions were well fortified, and instead besieged the cities.  Lee's forces began to dwindle.  He had dug into a strong position, but lost the ability to maneuver or resupply effectively.  The Confederate army grew weaker as the winter wore on, spelling doom for Johnny Reb the following spring.

Now, why do I bring this up?

Because, according to liberals, that's what we, as believers in Christ, should do.  We should dig into our churches and stay there, never moving.  Instead of going out into the world to preach the gospel, we should remain where we are with our "private" faith.  This idea appeals to some; it's not easy to leave our comfort zones.  Of course, what would happen to our churches if we were to do that?

Much like Lee's army, they would wither on the vine, unable to grow, and ultimately die, like so many houses of worship in Europe.

We are commanded to spread the gospel all across the Earth.  How can we do that simply sitting in our church pews?  If we sit idle in our houses of worship, how do we spread the message of Christ's love and redemption?  Obviously, we can't.  The faith cannot spread without evangelists going out into the world to bring people to Christ.

We are to be movers and shakers, transforming hearts and minds that are broken or mired in sin. We are to come to them so that they may be healed in Christ's love.  We can't wait for them to come to us.  Some may be so stubborn, they'll never be moved to approach a church, even at their lowest point.  We must go to where they are, no matter where they are, so we may minister to them.

Because Christ transforms.  Transforms our hearts, minds, opinions, and the very way we think.  However, to bring the message to others we must leave our pews and represent Christ in all we do.  And all we do includes politics and the culture at large.  It would be two-faced to behave one way in private and another entirely in public.

Simply put, Christianity is the antithesis of a "private" religion.

Whether they realize it or not, the leftists advocate for the slow destruction of Bible-based churches with their claims that faith should be kept in the pews on Sunday morning.  Instead of seeking robust debate about our faith or our values, they desire to silence us.  Whether we do it voluntarily, allowing ourselves to be shamed into staying in church, or involuntarily through the legal system does not matter.

This is something we should all be wary of.