Striving for Reformed Truth in a Changing Culture

I would want to argue passionately, and I think it is a big part of what Ligonier Ministry is about is that the more we approach the Reformed ideal, I think the more biblical we are and therefore the more stable we are, the stronger we'll be. Again, I don't want a Reformed triumphalism, even though I sound very triumphalistic, but I am so passionate about believing that the Reformed heritage has such insights into the Word of God that will strengthen Christians for the difficult time in which we live. [00:01:38]

America is pragmatic where the Reformed are principled. I am going to go through this quickly; we could spend a lot of time trying to unpack all of this, but I just want you to have some sense. America tends to be anti-intellectual. Only America could probably have a political party called the "Know Nothing Party," whereas Reformed Christianity is confessional and doctrinal and committed to the whole counsel of God. American culture tends to be very individualistic, and Reformed Christianity at its best is very communal where we are connected. [00:02:41]

American culture is focused on the extraordinary, what is new, what is exciting, what's different, and Reformed Christianity focuses on the ordinary. Michael Horton has a new little book out on the ordinary, an important theme. American culture tends to be democratic, and Reformed church life has structure and authority and office. American culture tends to be emotional, and Reformed Christianity tries to surgically remove all emotions…now that's not true. It only appears to be that way. Reformed Christianity wants to control emotions. [00:03:35]

I think we are seeing now what may turn out to be a third American Revolution, which will be radical and secular in its individualism. I think some of the moral issues that are going on in the country right now illustrate that. It's not enough apparently for the Left in this country that homosexuality be declared to be normal and homosexuality to be protected in law. It now must be true that no one may criticize homosexuality. [00:05:28]

We as Christians have to be prepared to live a world like that, which may mean we have to suffer. Things have changed dramatically. In 1960, homosexual activity was illegal almost everywhere in the United States, and the American Psychological Association said homosexuality was a mental disorder. Fifty-five years later, homosexuality is fully legalized, and critics are being silenced far and wide. [00:07:57]

One of the strengths we need of course comes from the book of Revelation. I am always intrigued with the way the book of Revelation begins. "The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants the things that must soon take place." That is the first verse. Then the third verse is, "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy for the time is near." [00:09:55]

What he studies there is how over the course of two centuries, ethics-dominant attitudes towards sexual ethics in the late Roman Empire moved from being pagan to being Christian. Christian ethics wasn't a perfectly biblical ethic, and I don't want to romanticize this or overstate it, but what I found so intriguing was that Christians came along as a persecuted minority, challenging a profoundly perverse pagan sexual ethic, and in the course of about 200-300 years, they were largely able to turn ethical thinking about sex around. [00:12:37]

I think sometimes today we get so discouraged as Christians, we think the whole thing is hopeless. What is point of even speaking up? You know why they were able to do that? They were able to figure out the ways in which pagan sexual ethics undermine the image of God in man. Pagan sexual ethics said, "We are all just determined by the stars as to what we are like sexually. There is no point fighting against it." It was profoundly deterministic, and the Christians came along and said we are not controlled by the stars. [00:13:40]

I think we need to be renewed, and this is another great witness of Reformed Christianity. We have to be renewed in the centrality and the importance of preaching to the people of God. Reading books is important. An educated laity is a great thing, but God has appointed preaching as a means of grace. He has appointed preaching as a way in which he operates amongst his people, and we need to again exalt preaching. [00:16:40]

The problem is preaching has really been debased in many places in our time. Preaching has become happy, clappy stories, or preaching has become the preacher's personality. Preaching has become clever illustrations. What preaching is with power is opening the Word of God and applying the Word of God to the minds and hearts of people. Preaching even that appears to be fairly good can descend into just instruction. [00:17:17]

The only way we are going to have strong Christians is if we have strong churches where the Word of God is ministered and fed on and believed and built into the heart. So, I think this can be an exciting day. I think in the last 20 or 30 years, we have seen a significant renewal of interest in Reformed theology, and certainly the work of Ligonier has been phenomenal in providing resources for churches to advance the cause of knowing Reformed theology. [00:21:04]

We need that community, that congregation where brothers and sisters support us and encourage us, pray for us, provide for us, are with us through the joys and the sorrows of life, and in a world that may more and more turn against us, more and more the church is going to have to be our family. [00:22:21]