One reason focusing on social issues can become tricky is because our cultural views on social issues change frequently – and often radically – and yet Scripture does not change. Truth does not change.
Just fifty years ago, for example, our culture was firm in the belief that God is real and should be worshiped, that homosexuality is a sinful practice that should be avoided, and that gender always has been and always will be confined to a simple binary of male and female. Those were the majority views in American culture by huge margins. It also happened that those views aligned with the truth contained in the Bible.
Now, of course, our culture’s views on those issues have shifted radically. Unfortunately, many of our religious leaders have chosen to follow what culture believes rather than anchor themselves to what Scripture says is true.
And this shift points to a final way that faith in America has been eroded from within – namely, the fact that many religious leaders and institutions value cultural relevancy more than they value carrying out the Great Commission. Many denominations have chosen to make compromises rather than make disciples. Many religious leaders prefer to stand with the crowd rather than stand on Scripture. This is why we have churches encouraging no-fault divorce, blessing homosexual weddings, and ordaining pastors and bishops whose lives openly defy the message of God’s Word.
One technical term for this phenomenon is “mission drift.” Many churches and faith organizations have allowed tertiary priorities to become the main drivers of their ideas and actions, which has resulted in huge swathes of faith communities losing their way. The blind are leading the blind.
I know this is a difficult truth to swallow, and even a frightening reality to accept. But I’d like to end with a story I hope will offer some inspiration.
In my first year at Yale University, I had a particularly bad experience in my chemistry class. As a high schooler, I had developed a poor habit of slacking off during the semester and then studying very hard at the end to achieve high scores on midterms and finals. That strategy carried me through even my most difficult classes as a junior and senior, but it was not working well for me as a college freshman.
As my freshman year drew to a close, I knew I was in serious danger of flunking my chemistry class. In fact, things were so bad that I poured out my heart to God in prayer, asking what He wanted me to do with my life. I had always planned on a career in medicine, but failing chemistry would surely sink my chances of getting into medical school. So, I asked God for guidance on other directions I should pursue.
As it turns out, my chemistry teacher was either very magnanimous or very sadistic. He had a policy that any student failing the class could get double credit on the final exam. If I scored well on that exam, I could not only avoid failing but might actually achieve a good grade. Of course, I jumped at the chance.
The night before the exam, I decided I would stay up and read the entire chemistry textbook from front to back – all 800 pages. Obviously, that was a stupid plan, but I was naive. Less than an hour after I started reading, I fell fast asleep.
During that sleep, however, I had a vivid dream. I was alone in the chemistry lecture hall. I saw a somewhat nebulous figure appear and begin working out chemistry problems on the blackboard at the front of the hall. I watched, entranced, for what seemed like an hour. When I woke up in my dorm room early the next morning, I still remembered every detail of the dream. In fact, I was able to look up each of the problems the figure had solved in my textbook.
Somewhat bewildered, I made my way to class. When I opened the test booklet for the final exam, I was stunned to discover that the first problem on the test matched the first problem from my dream. The same was true for the second – and the third and the fourth, all the way to the end.
In short, I aced the test! I passed chemistry with a solid B, and I made a firm resolution to become a much more diligent student – a promise I kept as I finished Yale and progressed through medical school with distinction.
I tell that story because I learned a secret in my chemistry class that sustained me through all my years at Yale: God was there. God was with me.
By that time, Yale as a university had drifted far away from its initial founding as a divinity school for training pastors. It was a thoroughly secular institution and, in many ways, antagonistic toward the realm of faith. Yet even in those halls, God was present, and He possesses the power to change lives.
It’s true that many facets of the church have drifted away from God’s plan and God’s truth. There are even aspects of the church that seem to exist and operate in direct contradiction to His will as expressed in Scripture. Yet even so, God is here. God is still present in the church, and He is still mighty to save. He is still fully able to restore faith as a primary foundation, not only of our nation, but of our families.
Therefore, don’t be discouraged. Don’t give up hope. Instead, choose all the more to follow Jesus and join Him in this perilous fight.
Dr. Ben Carson joins James and Betty this Tuesday on LIFE TODAY. Excerpted from The Perilous Fight by Dr. Ben Carson. Copyright ©2024 by Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. Published by Zondervan, a subsidiary of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Used by permission.
