Asking the Right Questions:: Christians and Boy Scouts of America

If you have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, you may be unaware that in that time--a bit less than the time span of a single generation--the moral climate of nearly the entire western hemisphere has experienced a seismic shift.

Conversely, if you have lived anywhere near a TV set and are of average intelligence, you've noticed!

The most recent evidence of this shift was made known to us recently, when the Boy Scouts of America reversed a decades-long ban that kept gay boys and men out of the scouts.  As could have been easily predicted, social conservatives from nearly every corner of our culture came out with guns blazing, along with those from the far left, who added their own fuel to a very hot, and very unclear debate.

As followers of Jesus, Christians are to contend for the truth.  But contending for what is right often requires far more light, and far less "heat" than is often contributed, especially when the discussion surrounds moral issues in the 21st century.  Various understandings of what it means to be "gay," coupled with vague understandings of this recent decision by BSA have clouded the issue, and together with the immediate response of "culture warriors" from both left and right, have made this conversation nearly impossible to have.

Enter my friend Marty Duren.

One of the reasons I'm thankful for Marty's recent post is that it doesn't contain the usual flare of "culture war" propaganda.  Instead, he takes aim at the church.  "My critique," he states, "is not toward the BSA's decision as much as toward how followers of Christ might understand it."

Marty has written a superb post that I highly recommend, and I cannot improve on what he says, so I will merely point out the basic questions he contends believers should ask surrounding this issue:

1. "Are we more concerned about the loss of Americanism than finding an authentic expression of a Christ-bought church?"
2. "If we are more concerned with an authentic expression of the church, why are we so afraid of a faltering culture since the church has usually shone brightest in the rubble?"
3. "Will we ever grasp that 'reclaiming America' is not the same as revival?"
4. "Will we ever grasp that there is no Biblical mandate--or even a suggestion--that 'reclaiming America' is not a call on God's people?"
5. "Have we misrepresented the fall of Christendom as the work of Satan, rather than considering it could be God destroying our most  grand, safe and preferred  idol?"

There are many other questions in this post as well--questions designed to get under your skin in a sanctifying way, and as you can tell just from the ones I've listed here, this post is only for those who like their coffee strong.  Of course, maybe a good dose of caffeine would help the 21st century American church awaken from a stuper of intellectual laziness and spiritual lethargy.  Read the rest of my friend's post here.