Evangelical Responsibility in a Secularized World

Evangelicals have failed to articulate, except in broad generalities, the positive requirements of a Christian civilization. Here, perhaps, lies our greatest failure. So often we have concentrated one-sidedly on purely spiritual activities and have left social problems, politics, education, and other important areas to their own fate. In other words, we have neglected the broader aspects of the Christian message. Undoubtedly this is one of the major reasons, if not the main reason, why evangelicals count for little in modern society. Often we think only in terms of personal witness, of winning individual persons for Christ, and neglect the many burning social problems of our time and the broad and difficult questions of culture in general.

Fortunately there are positive signs of change. Evangelicals in the United States show a growing awareness that they must tackle these problems. In recent years several leading evangelicals have written books on social ethical problems. I am thinking of such works as Aspects of Christian Social Ethics, by Carl F. H. Henry, and Inasmuch: Christian Social Responsibility in Twentieth Century America, by David O. Moberg. In England, too, there is an increasing interest in these matters among evangelicals, as seen in such books as The Christian in Industrial Society and the Christian Citizen, by H. F. R. Catherwood. Billy Graham has also increasingly emphasized the social responsibilities of Christians. As early as 1953 he wrote: “Jesus taught us that we are to take regeneration in one hand and a cup of cold water in the other. Christians, above all others, should be concerned with social problems and social injustices” (Peace with God, p. 190). In 1964 he wrote: “I lay a great deal of emphasis on the social applications of the Gospel. For a Christian to ignore the social problems around him is a tragedy” (quoted in Moberg, op.cit., p. 16).

Very significant is the fact that the recent U. S. Congress on Evangelism, held at Minneapolis, strongly emphasized this aspect. Time magazine’s report on the congress carried the heading: “Evangelicals Moving Again.” It records that Leighton Ford in particular stressed this point, attacking evangelical apathy (if not active opposition) toward social action in the United States. “Christians have a stake in preserving historic truth,” he said, “but since sin infects every man and institution, we need a holy discontent with the status quo. The Gospel calls for constant change. We cannot identify our Gospel with the past.” He also said: “There are too many churches with impeccable credentials for orthodox theology.… They are ‘sound’—but they are sound asleep.”

Such clear and challenging statements are welcome. It is more than time that evangelicals wake up to this broader task. Some may object and ask: “Is it really necessary today? There is already so much social-gospel preaching going on. Many leaders, especially ecumenical leaders, seem to equate Christianity with such things as world relief, hunger campaigns, help for Biafra, and anti-Viet Nam demonstrations. Must we as evangelicals really go in the same direction?”

The answer to these questions is twofold. On the one hand we must say no. We should never equate the Gospel with a social gospel—only. To do so is to rob the Christian Gospel of its central message. Christianity then becomes a Christian form of humanism, or perhaps even more accurately stated, humanism overlaid with a thin veneer of Christianity. And yet we must also answer these questions with yes. We must tackle these social problems, because they are related to the Christian Gospel. True, the Christian Gospel is deeply interested in individuals. Often our Lord dealt with individuals, such as Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the man born blind, Peter, Thomas. But the Gospel is also much wider. It also deals with the community. The Great Commission tells us: Go and make disciples of—yes, of what?—of all nations. Not just individuals only, but nations!

What then must we do?

The first thing is to develop a comprehensive Christian life and world view. Such a view is implied in and given with the Gospel itself, for according to Scripture, Jesus Christ is not only our Saviour but also our King. Everything, literally everything, must be put under his authority. In this respect too he is the second Adam.

The first Adam was God’s vice-regent on earth. In Genesis 1:26 we read that man was created in the image of God. But this statement is immediately followed by the words: “And God blessed them and God said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ ” Here we have what has often been called the cultural mandate for man: he is to subdue the earth and to have dominion over all that lives.

Because of the Fall, man is no longer able to do this, at least not perfectly. He himself has lost his freedom and has become a slave—of sin. Yet his kingship is not completely taken away from him. Through God’s common grace he is still able to have dominion in many ways.

Think of the technological developments and advances of our day. Think of the amazing feat of the moon landings: after a flight of so many hundreds of thousands of miles through space, the astronauts land only a few yards away from the spot previously selected for the landing—and are only a little over a minute behind schedule! And yet man’s kingship is vitiated by sin in many ways. Our present world is also full of evidences of this. Again and again man uses the very same technological progress for self-destruction and the destruction of others. The war in Viet Nam and in many other places of this small globe is a constant reminder that in many respects man is a caricature of a king.

Only in the second Adam is kingship really and fully restored. He himself said before the ascension: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). In First Corinthians 15 Paul writes: “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” These words are a quotation from Psalm 8, the well-known creation psalm, which speaks of man’s greatness and his smallness. The psalm is an echo of paradise and a promise of the new earth. It also maintains the reality of man’s broken greatness today. Above all it is a promise of the world to come, as the author of the Epistle of the Hebrews interprets it (Heb. 2:5). Then he adds: we do not yet see it. It is still a promise. But—“we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor …” (2:9). The psalm therefore is more than a promise; it is a reality that has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the second Adam.

All who belong to him should openly recognize and confess this kingship of their Saviour, who is also the Lord. They should realize that they have a worldwide task. Evangelicals usually do see this on the mission field. They not only preach the Gospel by word-proclamation but also build schools and hospitals, help the people in agriculture and technology, and so on. All these matters are seen as part of the preaching of the Gospel. But in their own environment evangelicals often seem to ignore these implications of the Gospel.

One of the main reasons for this neglect, I think, is that as evangelicals we have not developed a comprehensive Christian life and world view, a comprehensive Christian philosophy. Fortunately more and more evangelicals are beginning to see this task. I am thinking of the work of such men as Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer is doing this mainly for students and other young people, and indeed, they need it badly. Carl F. H. Henry wrote in this journal: “The important issue for the future of Christianity is not how many graybeards we hold in the ranks but how well we communicate Christianity to the oncoming generation. The critical concern is the truth and power of evangelical Christianity … to captivate and enlist the youth” (CHRISTIANITY TODAY, Sept. 9, 1968, p. 14).

From all sides young people are offered philosophies that embrace the totality of life. There is, for instance, existentialism, with its largely negative approach and yet very enticing call: build your own future by realizing your own freedom. There is Communism with its utopia of a secular and social millennium in which all people will be equal. Both systems offer a complete, all-embracing life and world view. What do we offer? Certainly, we offer the Gospel of salvation, and this is the most important thing for every sinner. But how is he going to live with this Gospel in our modern world? What does this Gospel mean for the broader issues of life?

Again we need to refer to the Great Commission, in which Jesus says of nations, “Go and make disciples of them.” This is followed by two clauses, each beginning with a participle and each indicating a specific aspect of discipleship. The first is: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”; this refers to the proclamation of the “pure Gospel,” the message of salvation. The second is: “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”; this refers to the second aspect, the life of obedience. But it should not be narrowed down to a reference to personal sanctification only. It means nothing less than a total life and world view with all its implied commitments.

A few years ago W. Stanford Reid pointed out that the main characteristic of our time seems to be the predominance of a nominalistic existentialism that leads to cultural despair and disintegration. He further stated that in this respect we have returned to the situation of the late fifteenth century, the century before the Reformation, when the medieval world view was breaking down. But then he continues:

What the modern world needs … is not merely evangelistic preaching, but the setting forth of a full-orbed world and life view that gives twentieth century life and cultural activity meaning. The so-called hippies, finding that existence according to modern thought has no meaning or purpose, have risen in revolt and wish to separate themselves from contemporary society. [The only proper answer is] to present a relevant cultural alternative to contemporary irrationalism [International Reformed Bulletin, Oct., 1967, p. 10].

The social and political sphere demands our attention. Unfortunately we must immediately admit that it is one of our weakest spots. Sometimes we say with a certain feeling of pride: “Look how much we have done in this field in the past.” Undoubtedly this is true. Even Time began its article on the U. S. Congress on Evangelism with the words:

Until the end of the nineteenth century evangelistic Christianity nearly always meant a heroic dedication both to spreading the Gospel and to helping one’s fellow man. In England, philanthropist William Wilberforce typified that spirit, when after his conversion, he led the fight for abolition of slavery throughout the British empire.

Time could have mentioned many other names (such as Elizabeth Fry and John Howard, Lord Shaftesbury, and George Müller) and many other issues (such as the fight against child labor, the establishment of schools and hospitals, work for the deaf and the dumb and for prisoners).

All this is very true, but it does not excuse us today. And it is very unfortunate indeed that Time had to continue its article with this statement:

Only as the nineteenth century waned did the shock of the newly secular world and a creeping pessimism about man cause evangelical churches to retreat into a kind of isolationism, stressing other-world concerns and a preoccupation with individual conversion.

Why is there such a pessimistic vein in many sectors of evangelical Christianity? Is it because most of us are a-millenarians or pre-millenarians? Is it because we expect the world to grow worse and believe we can do very little about it, apart from praying for the return of our Lord?

Such a pessimism is really unfounded. Although it is true that we shall not build the Kingdom of God in this world, that this is the privilege of Christ himself, yet we must never forget that (a) Jesus Christ is now already the King of the world and (b) the social task and responsibility of the Christian is implied in the Gospel itself. We all know what the New Testament teaches on this score. There is our Lord’s own ministry. He not only preached the Gospel but also alleviated the physical needs of the people. He even changed water into wine at a wedding! His teaching contains such parables as that of the Great Judgment, with the well-known words, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me,” and that of the Good Samaritan, who not only had compassion on the man fallen among robbers, binding up his wounds and pouring on oil and wine, but also brought him to the inn and even paid two denarii for his future well-being. There is the message of James 2:14–17 and of First John 3:14–18. If we are really open to the Gospel and its implications, we shall have to learn again to concentrate on the social issues of our day.

I also believe we should not be afraid of cooperating with others, even those who would not fully or would not at all share our presuppositions. Let us indeed try, for instance, through legislation, to improve social evils and to reform society. Of course, we all agree that reform is not the last word. Our main aim will aways be the regeneration of people themselves, but regeneration does not exclude reform. Rather, it should lead to it.

The same applies to the political sphere. This too is an area we have almost completely neglected. How many evangelicals hold positions of leadership in our political parties? How many of them are in legislative bodies, on the state and on the national level? This too was different in the past. Christians like Wilberforce were members of Parliament and fought the battle for social justice on that level.

But even apart from this practical side, it is getting time that we develop a Christian political ethos. As evangelicals we have the duty to examine the political issues of our day in the light of Scripture—not only such typically evangelical concerns as whether or not liquor will be sold on Sunday, but the basic issues of political life such as: What is the task of the state? What should be our Christian attitude toward the welfare state? What should we think of such matters as state aid to independent schools? Must we support the state in every war or are there limits of support?

Structures are so rapidly changing in our day that it is impossible to fall back on older positions or even to think that our solution of today will be sufficient for the situation of tomorrow. It is not good to be a laudator temporis acti, to sing a song of praise for the past as if there were the golden age, nor is it good to be a defender of the status quo, trying to maintain the present situation at all costs. The river of history flows on, in our day going through many strong rapids. Evangelicals should try to be “with it,” if they are to be obedient to their Lord, who is the Master of history.

Naturally this does not mean we should become “horizontalists.” The so-called social gospel is nothing else but a Christian form of secularism, which ultimately will be fruitless because it does not bring real—that is, spiritual—renewal. But evangelicals should not be pure “verticalists” either. Ultimately this is fruitless too, because it is individualistic and loses sight of the fact that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Ps. 24:1). Verticalism means that we try to catch a few isolated fishes out of the pond of sin, but do nothing to clean up the pond itself.

The full-orbed Gospel is always a combination of the vertical and the horizontal. The vertical is number one and the horizontal is number two, but at the same time the two are inseparably related (cf. Matt. 25:31 ff. and 1 John 4). The Gospel is a Gospel of transformation, first of individual people, and then, through these renewed individuals, of society itself.

There is no reason for pessimism. In his book Abundant Living, E. Stanley Jones wrote:

The early Christians did not say in dismay: “Look what the world has come to,” but in delight, “Look what has come to the world.” They saw not merely the ruin, but the resources for the reconstruction of that ruin. They saw not merely that sin did abound, but that grace did much more abound. On that assurance the pivot of history swung from blank despair, loss of moral nerve, and fatalism, to faith and confidence that at last sin had met its match, that something new had come into the world, that not only here and there, but on a wide scale, men could attain to that hitherto impossible thing—goodness [1942, p. 183].

This is a wonderful picture of the early Church, accurate and true to life. But the reality upon which it is based not only is true of the early Church but applies equally to our day. For this confidence is grounded in nothing else than the promise of our Saviour and Lord: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matt. 28:20). We are not alone. Jesus Christ is with us, today, in this world.

The Great Commission is still the great task for the Church of today. The task may overwhelm us by its sheer magnitude, but we should never forget that the Great Commission is set between two mighty statements. It is preceded by the royal declaration: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” And it is followed by the royal promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

SLAVES IN EGYPT

Whatever the talk of the day around

Egypt, Hebrews talked “rain.” Bathed in dust,

constant under the constant sun, they discussed

what racial roots remembered of rain-fed ground.

Here, water was the Nile; here, river found

the land on the backs of slaves; here, backs must

bend, but the mind’s ear could listen for a gust

of wind, carrying rain. A lovely sound.

These slaves the Hebrew people long had been,

found, in their talk of rain, a formula

for hope. So they talked the perpendicular

rain, the round rain, the rain-drop like a star,

and drenched in dreams of rain, they were free men,

in that green world where rain brings harvest in.

PEARL LUNT ROBINSON

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