Making a Difference

I remember years ago attending one of the Promise Keepers gatherings. There I was in Angel Stadium with 50,000 other men seeking to keep their promises made to God. They were there to become "men of integrity", to transform the world. And one would think with that many men in this Christ-centered ministry that we could not fail to have an impact.

As I watched, however, I knew immediately that my optimism was misguided. In this particular event, there was an ongoing problem. The guys on the upper tiers decided that it would be fun to see if they could make paper airplanes that could sail all the way to the field. Now, the men running the event made repeated requests and instructions that this would stop. They warned that it was a problem to the stadium and a problem to the ministry and a problem to their testimony. But the practice continued without abatement. So much for "men of integrity".

I use this only as an example. It seems to me that Christianity in America today -- genuine Christianity -- is suffering from the same problem. We ought to be making a difference. We ought to be transforming our world. We ought to be impacting our neighborhoods and our towns and our cities and our states and our country. And yet, as the election of Barack Obama to a second term illustrated and as current events show, we're practically a nonentity on the public stage, except perhaps as a nuisance or a pariah. We're not really making much of a difference.

Why is that? Robert Woodberry published The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy in 2012. Woodberry (a sociologist) wrote about how "conversionary Protestants" (CPs -- Protestant missionaries) impacted their environs by improving health, infant mortality, decreased corruption, greater literacy, and higher education (especially for women). Interestingly, he said that this was only true of Protestant missionaries. Roman Catholic missionaries and clergy from state churches did not have the same effect. What was the difference? Well, the CPs¹ weren't seeking to change behavior; they were seeking to bring people to Christ. In other words, they didn't seek to change the community; they sought to make disciples.

Why, then, are we not seeing the same sort of effect in America today? I mean, we have enough Christians around. They are certainly seeking to make converts. What's up with that? I would suggest that we're largely missing the point. We are not seeking to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:20) as Christ commanded. We are seeking to improve our world. We're trying to vote in a better world and legislate in a better world and argue in a better world. The Bible speaks instead of walking in a manner worthy of the calling (Eph 4:1), of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance (Matt 3:8). We are seeking to make the mind hostile to God a friendly mind while Scripture requires that people obtain a new heart. We're looking for reform in all the wrong places.

We're headed down a path of inconsequence. We're being relegated to the "right wing" which is just inside the Exit door. It's not that we don't have something to offer. In ancient Rome when Christians were being tortured for their faith, the people were amazed by their love (you know, like Jesus said). And we can expect similar treatment by society at large (2 Tim 3:12). But let's not take the hits for trying to do what God did not tell us to do. Let's do it for living godly lives, for letting our light shine before men so they can glorify the Father, for bringing Christ to those who need Him. Scripture and history suggest that the rest will take care of itself.

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¹ Woodberry writes that CPs "(1) actively attempt to persuade others of their beliefs, (2) emphasize lay vernacular Bible reading, and (3) believe that grace/faith/choice saves people, not group membership or sacraments."