This being said, it’s helpful to keep in mind that while cultural battles have been helpful in making the church aware of our condition and needs, our ultimate need and focus centers not on winning the cultural war as much as enabling people to come to relationship and depth of relationship with God. When people do this, it will have a direct effect upon the cultural battles.

Recent trends in church news point to the following:

1) Celebration of the heritage and roots of churches of significant historical reputation and ministries

2) Emphasis on pastors and the preaching of the Word

3) Debates within the church centering on how God declares and works out his will through covenant grace, relationship and law (i.e., the ecclesiastical & soteriological conversations on Calvinism, covenant theological discussions regarding the present relevance of the Sabbath, & ongoing creational, historical and anthropological discussions of Adam

4) Continuance of cultural engagement (on gender roles, marriage, integrity representing Christianity’s role in America’s founding, and initial efforts by countries in charging faith practices (i.e. circumcision) as abuse)

5) Refinement of evangelistic approaches (McGrath’s pastoral apologetics vs. relational evangelism)

Why Is This Important?

As culture wars in America have raised awareness of weaknesses in American Christianity (see Douthat’s recent communications), it’s not unusual to find emphasis on the outworking of God’s grace through covenant relationship. In this light, it’s encouraging to see the church looking to and celebrating the roots and heritages of churches which serve as examples and models of effective ministries. It’s also encouraging to see continued emphasis on the relevant application of the gospel through apologetics and evangelism.

This being said, it’s helpful to keep in mind that while cultural battles have been helpful in making the church aware of our condition and needs, our ultimate need and focus centers not on winning the cultural war as much as enabling people to come to relationship and depth of relationship with God. When people do this, it will have a direct effect upon the cultural battles.

The way people come to relationship and deepen their relationship with God is through KNOWING CHRIST. For this reason, a central focus of pastors in this day and age must rest upon our personal knowledge of Christ (including experience, relationship, familiarity, application, growth) along with our public proclamation of Christ including His person and works and their relevant application to our lives.

Effective preaching and reaching people with the gospel will take into account the questions, longings, concerns, and unmet needs and consequences of the congregations and people we seek to persuade.

Persuasion however must go beyond the cultural issues to heart of the issue which is our life, health, and satisfaction being found in God who makes Himself known through Christ.

Tim Muse is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as Senior Pastor at Brandon Presbyterian Church (PCA) in the Jackson, MS suburbs.  He blogs at All Things Reformed where this article first appeared; it is used with his permission. 

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]