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I took a deep breath. I sank into the scruffy couch. The conversation died down, and we began to pray, soaking in a comforting, empowering silence. Then we talked about their church's abundance of ministries and shortage of finances, the dizzying array of needs to be found just by going a few blocks in any direction, and the biblical stories of God's people in exile, agents of peace in the midst of pagan cities.

I left that night feeling a tremendous sense of hope, the hope I have found over and over again in the most unlikely places, in war zones both figurative and literal where Christ's followers worship and serve. There is nothing that can break your heart like the church, but neither is there anything that can so restore your heart as being among a few people whose love is transparent, tenacious, and utterly not their own doing.

I do not know how, or whether, the culture war can be won. Human culture, like human nature, is too incorrigible, too intractable, for unambiguous victories. I suspect we have consigned our armies to a conflict that is unwinnable by definition, and by making disciples into warriors, we have risked robbing them of the hilarious high calling that is the new birthright of every Christian: to be an agent of improbable, impossible life in the midst of the world.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Andy Crouch is editor of the Christian Vision Project.

Earlier Andy Crouch columns for Christianity Today include:

Learning from Fools | The safe thing to do with power and possessions. (Feb. 1, 2006)

It's Not About Power | A unique and proven strategy for changing society. (Dec. 12, 2005)

Of Wardrobes and Potters | A story about faith and fairy tales. (Sept. 20, 2005)

Environmental Wager | Why evangelicals are—but shouldn't be—cool toward global warming. (Aug. 8, 2005)

Visualcy | Literacy is not the only necessity in a visual culture. (May 31, 2005)

Compliant but Confused | Unpacking some myths about today's teens. (April 12, 2005)

Stonewashed Worship | Churches are striving to appear 'authentic'—like the rest of consumer culture. (Jan. 28, 2005)

When Backward Is Forward | Christmas may be the best argument against genetic enhancement. (Dec. 23, 2004)

Salt-and-Pepper Politics | Choosing between candidates whose consciences are too clean. (Oct. 04, 2004)

'Live More Musically' | The difference between Christian practice and a Starbucks purchase. (July 29, 2004)

The Cruel Edges of the World | There are some places that bring the distant biblical text closer to our lives. (June 07, 2004)

Pilgrims to Nowhere | Freedom isn't much good if you don't have a sense of direction. (March 30, 2004)

Glittering Images | A profound Christian rethinking of power is overdue (Feb. 17, 2004)

Before the Deluge | All of us have a sexual orientation that bends toward the self. (Dec. 03, 2003)

Two Weddings and a Baptism | It's still impossible to predict what will advance the gospel in Hollywood. (Oct. 15, 2003)

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April 2006, Vol. 50, No. 4