Don't Cave. Don't Panic. Proclaim the Gospel.

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How Christians Should Respond to Political and Cultural Upheaval

In June 2015, following the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, I wrote an article encouraging Christians to remain faithful in the face of a rapidly changing cultural and political landscape. More than a decade later, in the wake of another disappointing election, I find myself returning to many of those same thoughts.

The political issues and cultural controversies have changed, but the fundamental questions remain the same. How should Christians respond when our nation increasingly embraces what God condemns? What should we do when those who reject biblical truth gain greater cultural and political influence? How do we remain faithful without surrendering to either compromise or despair?

The answers haven't changed because neither God nor His Word has changed. Political circumstances may change dramatically, but the mission of the church remains the same. God Almighty still reigns on high. He is not sitting on His throne in heaven wringing His hands, wondering what He is going to do as America continues to shift away from biblical values. In fact, Psalm 2 reminds us that God laughs at the nations as they conspire against Him and His Anointed King. Their rebellion does not threaten His authority, frustrate His purposes, or jeopardize His kingdom.

That doesn't mean the direction of our country is unimportant or that Christians should withdraw from public life. It does mean that we need a proper perspective on what government can and cannot accomplish and what God has called His people to do.

Acts 4:1–31 provides a particularly instructive example. Peter and John were arrested for preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ and commanded to stop speaking in His name. Their response demonstrates three responsibilities that remain unchanged, regardless of our political or cultural circumstances.

1. Don't Cave.

When society increasingly rejects biblical truth, Christians will inevitably face pressure to accommodate the prevailing culture. Sometimes that pressure is subtle, promising greater acceptance and influence if we will simply soften our convictions. At other times, the pressure is direct and accompanied by threats of exclusion, hostility, or even legal consequences.

But truth is not determined by popular opinion, election results, or the decisions of the Supreme Court. God's Word remains true whether it is embraced by the culture or rejected by it. His design for marriage, sexuality, human life, and morality does not change with the political winds. And because God is the author of truth, Christians have no authority to revise what He has revealed simply because the world finds it offensive.

The religious authorities in Acts 4 could not deny that a remarkable miracle had occurred through Peter and John. Nevertheless, they were determined to silence the apostles' message. They commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:16–18).

Peter and John refused to comply with a command that required them to disobey God. As they explained, "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). They understood that obedience to God was more important than the approval of men. When human authorities demand what God forbids or forbid what God commands, Christians must obey God rather than men.

We must demonstrate that same conviction. The church does not strengthen its witness by compromising biblical truth to gain cultural acceptance. Quite the opposite. The power of the church's witness is not found in its similarity to the world but in its difference from it. The church's holiness, not its worldliness, is what is weirdly attractive to a lost world.

Of course, standing firm does not give us permission to be cruel, arrogant, or needlessly offensive. We must speak the truth in love, treating those who disagree with us as neighbors to be loved rather than enemies to be defeated. We must be uncompromising in our convictions without becoming unloving in our conduct.

We must not change the message God has entrusted to us simply because the world no longer wants to hear it.

2. Don't Panic.

Compromise is not the only temptation Christians face in a hostile culture. We are also tempted to panic.

Political setbacks can produce anger, fear, bitterness, resentment, and despair. We may begin to speak and act as though the future of the church depends upon winning the next election, securing a favorable court ruling, or placing the right people in positions of power. But our hope has never rested in any of those things.

Notice how the early Christians responded when Peter and John were released. They gathered together and prayed. Their prayer began with an acknowledgment of God's sovereign authority as the Creator of heaven and earth (Acts 4:24). Then, quoting Psalm 2, they recognized that the opposition to Jesus had unfolded according to God's predetermined purpose (Acts 4:25–28).

They understood that opposition to Christ was neither surprising nor beyond the sovereign control of God. This is the same perspective Christians need when considering the political and cultural circumstances of our own day. God is not threatened by the decisions of earthly rulers, and His purposes are not dependent upon their cooperation.

Governments nevertheless have a legitimate role in God's design for human society. Romans 13 describes the responsibility of governing authorities to restrain evil and reward good. We should care deeply about whether our leaders fulfill those responsibilities, and we should participate in public life as far as possible for the glory of God, the good of our neighbors, and the future of our families.

A just law is a genuine good, even when it cannot make people righteous. Protecting the innocent, punishing wrongdoing, and promoting justice are worthwhile responsibilities of civil government. Christians should therefore neither idolize political power nor dismiss the importance of using it rightly.

Nevertheless, governments are composed of sinful people and are themselves susceptible to corruption. Rather than restraining evil, they may promote it. Rather than rewarding good, they may punish it. Political power can be commandeered by wicked people and destructive ideologies to accomplish the very opposite of God's good design.

And even at their best, governments are profoundly limited in what they can accomplish. Government can restrain sinful behavior, but it cannot redeem sinful hearts. No election, legislative accomplishment, or judicial decision can regenerate a sinner, reconcile a person to God, or produce genuine righteousness. Only God can do that through Jesus Christ.

This is why we must never place ultimate hope in political institutions or leaders. A nation may adopt better laws without becoming more godly. A political victory may accomplish genuine good without solving the underlying spiritual problem.

When Christians forget these distinctions, we become vulnerable to both misplaced confidence and unnecessary despair. We rejoice as though God's kingdom has arrived whenever our political preferences prevail, and we despair as though His kingdom has been defeated whenever they do not. But God's kingdom is not dependent upon the fortunes of any political party or nation.

The apostle John reminds us that "the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). Our future and our hope are bound up with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the ultimate Judge of all the earth. He has the final word. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

So we have no reason to panic, even when we have good reason to grieve.

3. Proclaim the Gospel.

If the fundamental problem confronting our nation is spiritual, then the ultimate solution must be spiritual as well. Our country needs more than better politicians, policies, or laws. It needs hearts transformed by the grace and power of God.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation. Through its proclamation, God transforms sinners into saints and raises the spiritually dead to life. What political institutions cannot accomplish, God accomplishes through the message of Christ crucified and risen. This is why the church must never lose sight of its central mission.

Consider again the response of the believers in Acts 4. When Peter and John reported the threats they had received, the church turned to God in prayer. Yet they did not ask Him to remove all opposition or guarantee them a more favorable political environment. Instead, they prayed, "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence" (Acts 4:29).

Their concern was not to secure more favorable political conditions but to remain faithful in proclaiming Christ. And God answered their prayer. Acts 4:31 tells us that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the Word of God with boldness. We can become so consumed with securing favorable cultural and political conditions that we neglect the work Christ has actually commanded us to do.

In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul describes the church as the pillar and support of the truth. God has entrusted to His people the very message that can bring forgiveness, reconciliation, new life, and eternal hope to a world hopelessly lost in sin. What a remarkable responsibility and privilege!

We must not withdraw from public life. Christians should continue to vote, serve, advocate, and work for what is right. Faithfulness to Christ should make us better neighbors and more responsible citizens.

But political engagement must never displace gospel proclamation. Political action is one way Christians can seek the good of their neighbors, but it is not a substitute for the church's responsibility to make disciples.

Our neighbors need more than the right laws. They need reconciliation with God. Our communities need more than cultural reform. They need the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

And that means the church's responsibility today is fundamentally the same as it was yesterday and the day before.

The early church knew what it meant to live in a society that opposed, marginalized, and persecuted the people of God. Yet through its faithful witness, the gospel spread, lives were transformed, and the world was turned upside down. The same God is at work today. The same gospel still has power to save.

Our Responsibility Has Not Changed

Political and cultural developments may bring genuine sorrow. We should not pretend that evil is good or that the rejection of biblical truth is inconsequential. But neither should we allow those developments to distract us from the mission Christ has entrusted to His church.

Stand firm in the truth, regardless of the pressure to compromise. Trust in the sovereignty of God, regardless of the apparent strength of those who oppose Him. And above all, proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, because it alone can address the deepest problem facing our nation and our world.

We may not be able to control the direction of our country, the decisions of its leaders, or the changing attitudes of our culture. But we can remain faithful to the One who has called us, confident that His truth has not changed, His kingdom cannot fail, and His gospel remains the power of God for salvation.

Don't cave. Don't panic. Proclaim the gospel.

Our country has a spiritual problem that needs a gospel solution. And the church has been entrusted with the message that can change human hearts. Won't you proclaim it with confidence and boldness?