A Christian Call To Arms

The WWII era generation had an enemy that was easy to identify. The Japanese attacked us and the Nazis were just plain evil, trying to take over the world and killing millions in the process. Everyone in America pulled together, even kids led recycling efforts. Everyone rationed for the war effort, even bacon grease! Factories were retrofitted to support the war effort - from refrigerators to aircraft. The enemy was defeated, we won. But you know, the Nazis and the Japanese weren’t the only enemies. The biggest enemy was unseen, crafty and insipid. Satan. After it all ended, he launched an even larger attack on us all. A slower, more diabolical attack, one that is completely insidious. Think about the word insidious for a minute. Its definition is; intended to entrap or beguile: stealthy treacherous or deceitful: operation or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.

Who did Satan bring about as our new enemy? The Russians? The Chinese? No, the new enemy is US. The qualities within us, that are as old as mankind: greed, envy, lust, gluttony, wrath, sloth, and pride. This attack began right here at home in the good ole’ U S of A., right alongside Mom and apple pie. Along with our success in WWII came great prosperity and that is right where the enemy launched his newest attack. Oh he has been patient and insidious, ever so sltealthly creeping into our culture. Look back through the ages at all the civilizations that rose to great heights only to crumble and fall into dust. This story, this attack from within, is not new, just look at ancient Rome.

Look at our society within the context of the seven deadly sins. The insidiousness of the enemy's attack, has caused much of this moral decay to go unnoticed. Why? Because our society has become masterful at justifying our actions. A sin? No, we say, times are just changing. Many people, myself included, have been saying it is political correctness, but it is more than that. The term for it is called ‘social engineering.’  I recently learned of this discipline in social science that refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale by governments, media or even private groups. Basically it is psychological manipulation. I truly believe many progressive minded people sincerely feel that their right-mindedness is driving their behaviors for the good of us all. However the result is, I’m okay, you’re okay, everybody and everything is okay. But we know it's not. God long ago marked out a path of right-living for us to follow, and it is not a wide path of acceptance for anything and everything.

We must stand up and speak up for our Christian beliefs and not allow ourselves to become victims of social engineering. Christians are being persecuted around the world, as we've all heard, but I thought persecution meant something more serious like torment, torture, tyranny, physical maltreatment, being jailed, or fed to the lions. I thought Christians were truly persecuted in other places, not here. However, I looked up the definition and was surprised that it is more regular, more everyday, like a boy’s persecution at the hands of bullies at school.

Persecution: 1) hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race, political or religious beliefs. 2) a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate people based on their membership in a religious, ethnic, social, or racial group.

Persecute: 1) to harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict; specifically:  to cause to suffer because of belief.  2)  to annoy with persistent or urgent approaches (as attacks or pleas):  pester agonize, anguish.

Some synonyms are: persistent annoyance or harassment, oppression, victimization, ill-treatment, mistreatment, abuse, ill-usage, discrimination, harassment, hounding, intimidation, and bullying.

We must break out of our comfort zone and stand up against the insidious attack on our culture. We need not follow the PC edict and be silent about what we know the Bible teaches us. We can treat all other people with kindness and respect without agreeing with their actions. Jesus calls us to love one another, but he does not want us to ignore his teachings. The more we read and study scripture, the more we see just how far we are moving away from living the way Christ taught us. We need to fight the enemy, but not with guns and tanks as the WWII generation did. We need to fight a war of wills against the depravity and sin in our culture.

2 Corinthians says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”