Being Salt and Light
by: Tom Atwood - Sep 1, 2006 - comment
As a pastor in suburban Atlanta some years ago, I was searching for effective ways to reach the area’s mushrooming population. Our local association held a seminar on church growth, where a prominent pastor shared the “growth” elements he had learned and was incorporating in his church.
A basic principle, he asserted, was to stay away from anything that might be “offensive” to potential members, including preaching or writing on moral issues. “You turn people off,” he said, “when you address issues like abortion, drugs, or homosexuality.”
While this pastor’s church growth strategy might be construed as extreme, the reality is that many church leaders purposely avoid addressing these issues for fear of making parishioners “uncomfortable.” Those who buy into this philosophy decline to stand for truth or conviction and lead churches that are neither “salt” nor “light” in a decaying culture.
Pastors are mistaken when they conclude that biblical preaching and personal ethical applications “turn off” the unchurched.
In Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (Zondervan, 2001), Thom Rainer informs us that churches who are effectively reaching unchurched people typically have strong doctrinal teaching in the pulpit, take uncompromising stands on moral issues, and commit significant resources to their causes.
Rainer, now president of LifeWay Christian Resources, found the formerly unchurched are not attracted to churches that reflect uncertainty or ambiguity. Rather, these individuals visited and rejected those churches and, instead, chose places of worship that offered substance, certainty, and clarity in their message and method.
In the book, one respondent stated rhetorically, “Why should I waste my time being a part of something that does not really make a difference?” Finally, “In a world of relativity,” says Rainer, “many seekers desire to know that a black and white reality does exist.”
A theological crisis already has emerged when a church determines that the ethical application of God’s truth is a hindrance to the power of the Gospel. How strange to believe that the Holy Spirit’s work is blocked by His inspired Truth!
A related issue within the contemporary church is centered in the belief that the biblical perspective on cultural issues has standing only within the faith community. The idea that any discussion of moral and ethical issues from a faith perspective should take place only within the comfortable confines of the church walls is simply wrong.
Some with this mindset simply lack the moral courage to carry their scripturally informed views into the culture, but others are the victims of a dangerous and twisted teaching on the separation of church and state. The framers of our founding documents were zealous for a state that neither creates nor controls the church, but they were equally zealous that people of faith be free to influence and inform the state.
While a single reason for silence on the issues in many churches is not easily ascertained, one thing is obvious: there is little difference between the lifestyles of the churched and the unchurched. The failure to teach and apply the whole counsel of God has led many church members to hold onto a paper-thin theology that results in a murky morality. Uncertainty in the mind and heart of the believer is at the core of unleashed relativism in the lives of many, who recognize the “what” of a particular social issue but have not a clue of the “why” (i.e, what God’s Word says about the matter). These half-informed believers easily become confused, compromising, and even questioning of the absolute truth of God’s Word.
As Christians, we are clearly instructed to “walk in the light as he [Jesus] is in the light” (1 John 1:7), instead of holding onto our first love, the darkness (John 3:19). Any emphasis on moral and ethical living is doomed without an understanding that Jesus is Lord and without an appreciation for the power of God’s Word.
What does a church that is addressing moral and ethical issues look like?
Real disciples must know that the stance of their church is the stance of their Bible, and the teaching role of the pastor is essential (Eph. 4:11-14). Expository preaching builds foundations for ethical applications. It teaches the flock not only what to believe and practice, but also why one should do so. Doctrinally vacant sermons may prompt listeners to remark on the greatness of the speaker. But solid exposition will cause them to remark on the greatness of their Savior, and they will seek to do His will! Preaching through longer sections of the Bible, such as chapters or books, allows the preacher to address a wide range of issues without being perceived as getting on a “soapbox.”
Studies on moral issues are essential to a relevant curriculum. In churches that are salt and light, moral instruction permeates every learning group. The best programs train in sound Bible interpretation: commands are to be obeyed, warnings are to be heeded, principles are to be observed, and admonitions are to be received.
In morally solid churches teaching is reinforced with consistent action. Some effective churches utilize a “Christian Action Team” to help gather relevant information and encourage members to be involved intelligently in public policy issues. Others utilize a “Concerned Christian Network” to gather, analyze, and disseminate appropriate information.
Practical action ministries also help everyone to understand that moral values are to be an integral element of Christian living and are to be openly and boldly affirmed. “Safe Family Sunday” has been a good tool for tightly focused, one-day events. In these, one or more speakers lead the church in special studies relating to critical moral issues.
Our words confronting sin are not credible unless we show love to the sinner, so ethically effective churches not only stand against evil but also minister to those who are profoundly damaged by evil. These churches support crisis pregnancy centers as well as programs for drug rehabilitation, homosexual recovery, abstinence education, and the like. These actions set an example to all and help raise the level of expectations for less mature members. Our first and sometimes only witness—both as individuals and congregations—is our moral witness.
Tom Atwood is a minister living in Oxford, Mississippi.
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