God needs people.
God needs people with strong hearts and backbones.
God needs people with strong hearts and backbones to stand up for him.
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.”
C. S. Lewis was saying that many people betrayed the fundamental values of not only the West but also the East. He knew that many secularists were raising children without teaching them the great moral truths, particularly many of those found in scripture. And they were witnessing the consequences.
That was 80 years ago.
I would say he was prophetic.
Things have only grown worse.
We see it in entertainment. We see it in culture. We see it in the political process. And it’s not just the “pagans from Hollywood”; sadly enough, people who claim membership in churches are guilty of the same things.
Everyone has a platform with social media, whether they have earned it or not. Because of that, whether it is addressing issues of sexuality or race, politics or religion, much of our opinion leadership is provided by extremists on the fringe. That is not simply me saying that. That is The New York Times, Dr. Phil, Bill Maher, First Things, Ben Shapiro, etc.
I am not advocating the cancellation or even limitation of free speech. I am encouraging those of us who are Christians to possess the right kind of heart—what Lewis called having “chests.” We should live life in the way God’s word calls us. We should not allow the minor fringe to sway us. And we should not fear proclaiming the right, moral, and virtuous way to live.
One other note about this topic. If you’ve ever heard recordings of C. S. Lewis’s speaking, you know he was no stem-winder. He was calculated, systematic, and dispassionate. I guess for a typical speech or sermon, those could be qualities of public speaking that would be a detriment to someone else. However, I can think of no better manner of offering one in the subjects that are deeply emotional and very controversial. Many of these subjects today reside in those categories. We do well to take a page from Lewis’ book and offer our thoughts judiciously, freely, and carefully in nonverbal and verbal ways. But we stand up for what is right.
The prophet Isaiah wrote these words, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Is. 5:20.) Remember, it is the fringe who is driving the culture.
P. S. Next weekend (March 10), I will be presenting a seminar on my new book Holy Chaos to the SLO NAZ Church in San Luis Obispo, California. Judy and I will follow that with some vacation time with my sister and her family. So, I will take a break from posting and rejoin the conversation in a couple of weeks.