As I’m writing this I am sitting in a high school classroom. I am sitting in my chair listening to conversation between students as they talk, while doing their work. Last week I started substitute teaching some. It is crazy how things have changed since I was their age. The way they believe about current social issues, their thought on drugs, the way they dress, talk, and live are so different. At the same time though things are just not that different. Teens are dealing with the same issues teens have always dealt with. They are trying to figure themselves out. They are trying to find out if the girl likes them. There are trying to act and talk like adults. Things are changing but they aren’t at the same time.
I have had people tell me certain issues don’t need to be addressed in the church today because it is not an issue any more or because it has already been addressed before. I have even heard that a certain passage or subject should not be taught because it did not go over well when someone dealt with it before. I do believe this mentality is what has landed today’s church in the position it is in. What position is the contemporary American church in you may ask. We are at a time where the over all church in America is in a liberal drift and slowly dying. If something does not change the majority of churches will either fully give in to liberal theology or will close their doors within the next thirty years.
Within the Southern Baptist Conventions and within baptist church many would argue that liberal theology and a woke drift is of no concern. Those issues have been addressed and we affirm the scriptures. My question is what are we comparing our condition to? Are we comparing ourselves to the individuals classified as liberals today? Are we comparing ourselves to those from thirty years ago? Are we comparing our theology to the puritans? If one was to compare current issues in Christianity and current stances to what they where thirty years ago, one would find that issues of today are very different than they were then but they would also find that the root issues are the same. Thirty years ago, as southern baptist, we decided that the scriptures are our stay. The Bible is our one and only authority. It is our measuring stick and it is perfect.
Today we find ourselves in this same fight for the scriptures. The scriptures speak plain to issue of today. There are many around us who say the bible is not clear on many of hot topics of today. Often these individuals who claim conservatism and faithfulness to the scriptures seem to ignore plain teaching the the Bible. Where the scriptures speak, we speak. Where the scriptures take a stand, we must stand.
The truth of the mater is we must continue to teach, preach and address the issues which the Word of God does. We must do this even if it seems to be a subject that has already been dealt with in the past. There will always be those who have not heard. Paul says he counted it not grievous to address subject again. Brothers and sisters I challenge you to stand yet again, teach again and preach it again. Let us stand by the stay of the holy scriptures. Just as high school students deal with the same issues in different forms, so does the church.