“And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter” (Isaiah 59:14, KJV).

The longer I serve in full-time Christian ministry, the more convinced I am that most professing Christians don’t believe in the Bible and don’t really embrace moral Truth.  Whether it be on matters pertaining to the church, family, politics,  sexual lifestyles, or even salvation itself, most Christians rely on personal experience, tradition, feelings, or individual preference to make decisions or form the basis of their philosophical outlook or ideological compass.  

In anticipation of those, who upon reading this, will accuse me of judgmentalism or perhaps even “hate,” let me share my heart in saying that I do NOT consider myself better than anyone else. And I believe, with all my heart, that God loves every single member of the human race. God loves everyone that has ever lived and that ever will live! God loves everyone, regardless of health, race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, geographical location, sports team preference, or any other factor. God loves everyone! God’s very nature is Love. And His love is so great that He was willing to send His own Son (a part of Himself, as Jesus is very much a part of the Trinity) to die a cruel and undeserved death on the Cross for the sins of the whole world (John 3:16; I John 2:2).

It’s because of God’s love, though, that we must also confront the nature and reality of Truth. For without truth, love is meaningless. Please read that again…

Love without Truth is meaningless.

And yet society is increasingly rejecting the very conception of Truth. 

That the United States of America is increasingly turning away from Truth is obvious by the direction our society is taking with same-sex marriage. The most recent victory for gay rights activists is the admittedly landmark ruling in California, in which U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker struck down California’s Proposition 8, thus clearing the way again for same-sex marriage in America’s most populous state. Several states now allow same-sex marriage. And few doubt that America overall is trending that way.

While most of the rhetoric over this issue deals with tradition vs. choice, “hate” vs. tolerance, etc., I’d like to call your attention to a line within Judge Walker’s ruling. In it, the judge astonishingly writes: “Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals.” Really? Think about how presumptuous and audacious that is!  The use of the phrase “no longer” shows the judge is acknowledging a break with the past and a change in definition. What gives a judge, who is supposed to be a referee with no personal agenda (at least according to our Founders’ vision of the judicial branch) the right to change the definition of marriage — an institution that’s been around for thousands of years!?

It’s bad enough that a growing number of Americans, including a United States federal judge, believe that gender is no longer a relevant factor in marriage. It’s bad enough that we’re taking it upon ourselves, as a society, to literally redefine marriage – an institution that is thousands of years old! And that we’re doing it on the basis of no external authority or basis, but simply on our wishes, feelings, and aspirations. (Of course, even THAT isn’t true, since a majority of Californians voted for traditional marriage. So, this is really about the wishes and aspirations of only some people). But, what’s more disconcerting about all this is that even many professing Christians are likewise embracing postmodern “truth-is-relative” nonsense and thus applauding this kind of definitional change and social “evolution.”

**For more on Christian beliefs and attitudes, see “Barna Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Over Last 13 Years“

Author Anne Rice, who publicly converted to Christianity about ten years ago, has recently announced an apparent reversal of that decision, saying she has “quit” being Christian. In a statement on Facebook, the author wrote: “I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life.” Okay, let’s set aside debate on Rice’s characterization of Christianity as being “anti” this and “anti” that. Let’s agree that Christianity (at least biblical Christianity) is indeed opposed to homosexuality, opposed to abortion, opposed to extreme feminism, and opposed to secular humanism. For Rice, this is not acceptable, so she’s turning her back on “Christianity” and instead prefers her own version of Jesus.

The United Church of Christ, one of the most theologically liberal denominations around, has reached out to Rice. “I am certain that Anne Rice’s public repudiation of Christianity has been a difficult, but seemingly necessary step for her to live authentically as a person of faith and reason,” wrote the UCC’s general minister and president. “Many in the United Church of Christ can understand and appreciate her insistence that she must follow a God of love, justice and inclusion.”

Former Anglican bishop and liberal activist John Shelby Spong has likewise turned his back on most of the Bible. He’s written that Jesus didn’t bodily rise from the dead, that much of the Bible is sexist, bigoted, and hateful, and that Christianity “must change or die.” Spong, a bestselling author, has built up quite a following around the world.

Several of my former students (I used to teach at a Christian school) and, it would seem, a couple of my former colleagues have likewise renounced or at least distanced themselves from parts of the Bible and Christianity. Here’s my question…

Who are WE to decide that Christianity “must change”?

Who are WE to decide what’s true or not or what’s right or wrong?

When it comes to establishing that which is true or that which is right, one can’t simply appeal to personal feelings or preference. To do so is, at best, a sad and pathetic case of delusional, wishful thinking. At worst, it is the height of audacity and arrogance!  

It’s not our place or role to determine truth. It’s rather our  job to DISCOVER truth.

It’s not our role to decide what God says (or what the Bible teaches). It’s rather for us to DISCOVER what God says – and then to OBEY and FOLLOW Him. 

Once again, I must reiterate that I’m not trying to be unloving or judgmental here. God loves everyone. And I don’t consider myself better than anyone else. But this is common sense, ladies and gentlemen. Truth is not relative and it’s not based on my preferences and desires. I really, really wanted the Washington Redskins to do well last football season. But, they did not. I really didn’t want to have to spend close to $2,000 in car repair bills in the last couple months, but I’ve had to do so! I really would like there to be world peace right now, but there isn’t. Reality and truth are not determined by our wants, wishes, preferences, or opinions.

Thus, if you profess to be a Christian, then I call on you to stand with Christ, who declared: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” I call on you to believe, act, and speak in a way that glorifies God and honors your Savior. Christianity is NOT a buffet, where you can pick and choose what parts to believe and what parts at which to turn up your nose. So, if God says that the marriage is between one man and one woman, then that’s the way it is! If God says sex outside of marriage is wrong, then it’s wrong. If God says that lying, stealing, pride, covetousness, etc. are wrong, then they are wrong. We don’t get to change the Bible or ignore God’s revelation, simply because we dislike it or are uncomfortable with it.

Yes, God is a God of love. But God is also a God of Truth and Justice. The Bible, which is His revelation, makes this abundantly clear. And without Truth or Justice, Love is empty and meaningless.

We didn’t create God. God created us. And that means that God doesn’t change to accommodate us. WE are the ones who must submit to God. Thus, it’s not Christianity that must change. It’s Christians that must change. For if there ever was a time that the Christian community needed a revival…it’s now.