I recently heard a faith based movie podcast that reviewed the new Bonhoeffer movie. The podcaster explained that we need to be like Bonhoeffer who fought to push nazism out of the Christian church. He concluded that it is our job to push the LGBTQ, Marxist, and Feminism agenda out of the church like Bonhoeffer did with nazism. He believed the situation was dire.

This got me thinking about that kind of mindset for faith: Us Versus the World. It’s the mindset that our religious beliefs are in a tug-of-war and if we aren’t pulling hard enough then we are getting taken advantage of.

I can see where people affirm this view with scriptural evidence. Jesus tells us that the world will hate us because we follow him (John 15:18). 2 Corinthians 10:5 urges us to destroy any idea that is not of Christ. Other scripture verses explain that the world will get farther away from holiness as time progresses.

When we follow Jesus, it is ultimately saying we believe this, but we don’t believe this. As a church there are some obvious things we agree on (salvation, scriptural authority, Jesus’ supremacy, the Ten Commandments). If the elder of a church were to walk into the offices and say “I think we need to follow the tenets of Zionism mixed with Buddhist beliefs,” then it would be up to the pastor to remind said elder that biblical beliefs don’t support that and the church’s goal is not found there. We shouldn’t shy away from those conversations. When Jesus said the world will hate us he was thinking about those conversations and how they would anger outsiders.

On the other hand, we have added some of our own context to John 15:18 and 2 Corinthians 10:5 that requires us to be militant, We don’t read “The world will hate you because of me,” we read “The world will hate you because of me so you better defend yourself and keep them from winning.” Or instead of “we destroy arguments raised against the knowledge of God,” we read “We make it our goal to attack and destroy every argument that is presented.”

This raises a few questions and I hope to answer them. What is the prize if we win? What are the stakes if we lose? Is there a better way to present the biblical truths than through winning?

What is the prize if we win?: The point of a war is that you deter an enemy from doing their offensive agenda. You win the ability to keep them from ever doing it again.

When we fight against the LGBTQ group, we are hoping that their ideas stay underground and far from public consensus. If a church makes a ruling that anyone who agrees with the beliefs of the LGBTQ group is not allowed to be a member of the church, it’s considered a successful attack against a warring enemy. If we convince the government to make a ruling that disagrees with the LGBTQ, it’s considered gaining ground. The hope is to exhaust the resources and energy of the group and force them to quit.

What are the stakes if we lose?: Losing is unthinkable in a war. It means you are admitting that you are not strong enough, smart enough, or prepared enough to stop a threat. It means you MUST accept the new ruling. If the Feminism movement declares that every church must have one woman pastor and it passes then that is our new reality. It’s a black mark on our record.

Is there a better way to present our faith without having a winning mindset?: This is where we get confused about the purpose of being a Christian. Instead of being the ambassador of Christ that represents a different world, we are the warrior of Christ threatening other worlds. Instead of going out into the world baptizing and teaching, we go out into the world dismantling and shutting down. Jesus calls us salt and light, a city on a hill, a servant. When you go to war you don’t send handmaids, messengers and butlers and that is exactly what we are. When you want to share how gracious and rich your world is you send handmaids, messengers, and butlers.

In our modern times there is no such thing as winning. Winning teaches others to hate your philosophy, be bitter against your people, and fight harder. We are also making the side we disagree with look like a martyr. You could argue that America won World War I and II, which was a necessary war for the goodness of the world. But there had to be repentance from Germany or it was all for nothing. Repentance comes from the Holy Spirit that replaces a worthless and worn out view with a rich truth.

If the Marxist movement won over the church, would that lead us toward repenting for our freedom views? No, we would fight harder. If the church forced America to follow its marriage and family values would the losers run to us looking for mercy? Probably not.

I believe the win or lose philosophy is built on harmful “If then” statements. If we don’t reclaim (institution) then we are not being faithful/responsible/loyal. If we don’t eradicate (belief) then we are surrendering/losing/admitting failure. I believe that kind of thinking causes more stress (even if you win).

Jesus never asked his followers to come up with a battle plan that would reclaim values, principles, and beliefs. He did say that the world hating you would be inevitable. In fact, a successful argument in the New Testament earned you a free trip to the guillotine. Paul was not gearing up the church to hunt for bad philosophies and destroy them. He was talking about the unity within the church not bringing outside beliefs into the faith. This was in the context of a mentor correcting his disciples and not a general waging war against the world.

I read a tweet once that summed up this philosophy: “We will drag secular America against its will onto the altar and force it to be baptized.”

That is a view that doesn’t want hearts to change. That is a view that wants to waste its resources on a never-ending war. That philosophy will kill any evidence that God is loving, forgiving, and good. This view thinks, “If we lose this powerful influence then God loses.”

I will gladly tell a thousand church members what following Christ looks like in the Bible, but the other institutions must see me as a butler, messenger, and a servant.