This verse speaks of how Christians will be deemed foolish by the world, and in the United States, we've escaped much of this. Our nation has long been a stronghold of Christian belief and religious freedom, regardless of what the rest of the world might think.
But it is all changing.
Yesterday, Louie Giglio withdrew from participating in President Obama's inauguration. The popular pastor of Atlanta's Passion City Church, as well as the founder of the Passion Movement, felt that it was for the betterment of everyone involved if he backed out from the great honor of praying before a presidential election. Why would he feel this way?
Approximately 15-20 years ago, Louie preached a sermon in which he clearly stated the sinful nature of homosexuality. Bear in mind, he didn't rake homosexuals over without stating that everyone sins and that we are all in need of a Savior; from the view of a Christian, this shouldn't be any different that stating the clearly sinful nature of murder or lying. All three actions are sins, and all three will equally deem one worthy of Hell.
Apparently some liberal watchdog group found out about this sermon, and started causing an uproar about how no one should be praying at the inauguration that maintains that homosexuality is a sin. Later, the Obama administration put out a notice that they were sorry for any offense taken to their choice (Louie was chosen to pray due to his work with the President on the abolition of slavery all over the world, and not on any other grounds), and that they would never want to go against the "strength and diversity" of this nation.
Yet, having a scenario where Louie felt the need to step down from this honor is also going against diversity. Now, due to this precedent, no evangelical pastor who holds to Scripture (1 Timothy 1:10) and believes that homosexuality is a sin is eligible to pray over the president's inauguration. As the president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, Albert Mohler, stated:
"The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited. Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just four years, the rules are fully changed."
There are many times when I am not a huge fan of President Mohler, but his post on this issue was spot on. Religion, particular evangelical Christianity, is being pushed out of the way in this nation. No longer is a biblical worldview the norm, or even acceptable to many.
Now is the time, Church in America. Now is the time to figure out where you stand. I believe that the next 20 or 30 years will change the religious structure in this nation completely, as the "wise" continue to ostracize and mock the people holding to truth of Christ. If you look at Europe, and the fall of religion there, it isn't unlikely that we will follow suit.
During the time that Paul wrote the words of 1 Corinthians, the Greeks were considered the wisest people around. Their use of logic and knowledge of the world made them a brilliant empire, and one that we still follow after today. Interestingly (and sadly), the United States is becoming much like the Greeks: arrogant in their knowledge and prideful in their logic. Much of this country, particularly young people (my generation) believe that the ways of religious orthodoxy are obsolete, ignorant of the world, and even hateful towards the rights of others.
To all of this, I simply say: "Yet, to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."
You may mock us, disregard us, and call us whatever you like. My Savior died for me and I will reign with Him forever, regardless of what the world calls wise.
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