British entertainer Elton John and his husband (I’m not kidding) recently announced the birth of their child, delivered by a surrogate mother in California. News of the birth was celebrated by the audience where the announcement originated and was favorably reported by news outlets.
Jim AustinWe as biblical Christians hear such news in dismay and wonder how much further a civilization can separate from its Christian mooring and still remain viable regarding its moral authority in the global order. There was a day not so long ago when such “announcements” not only would not be made but, if known, would cause great shock, outrage, and embarrassment! Now the world applauds and prides itself in its latest announcement of what used to be deemed scandalous and abominable and is now held up as something to be celebrated.
Our challenge as Bible-believing Christians remains the same: to proclaim the good news of Jesus our Lord in a world that no longer knows Him or even remembers Him. Likewise, not only must we affirm our covenant to live by the witness of Holy Scripture, but also we must proclaim the whole council of God, regardless of whether it is deemed politically correct and acceptable to the modern mind. God’s approval always trumps man’s approval – and our ultimate joy as Christians is found in experiencing the pleasure of our eternal Father, not the approval of temporal man. In a way, our currently distressing cultural situation is not so dissimilar from that of the ancient Israelites who found themselves living as exiles in Babylon. God spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah and instructed them to be a blessing to the Babylonians. Jeremiah 29:7 (NKJ) states: “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” Part of our challenge today lies in our need to unwaveringly and uncompromisingly stand by our biblical convictions, yet at the same time seek to reach the new Babylonians with the gospel of Christ who know not our God. They need Jesus just as much as we do.
As we begin the new year, 2011, many issues confound us denominationally that require much prayer and godly discernment as we seek to effectively address them. An even greater issue in our midst, requiring even more biblical understanding, is how we must reach our modern-day Babylon with the good news of Christ, proclaiming His Word in a compassionate yet uncompromising way. As Christians, we must be both verbal and visual in our witness.
Borrowing a term from Elton John and the Wizard of Oz, “the yellow brick road” of the Christian contains all that we need for life and godliness. Let’s covenant to appropriate the divine power already available to us through Christ to ensure that even in our new Babylon we experience His fruitfulness in our personal lives and His power in our public witness.
Happy New Year!
– Austin is executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.