Matthew 5: 13-16 (NKJV)
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Eric Metaxas wrote a great book about 1-2 years ago called “Letter to the American Church”. (I had posted about this at the time.) In that book, he described the critical changes that are taking place in American society and government; and argued it is imperative for the church and for pastors to be speaking out and educating congregants on politics and culture.
Christ’s command that we act as “salt and light” makes this something we are supposed to do as Christians. But Metaxas asserts that the revolution taking place threatens to take away our religious liberties and cause enormous harm. If Christians are to be “salt and light”, then pastors and churches must teach them how to think about these matters. The formation of worldview is a critical task.
It turns out that he has turned his book into a documentary, and it was just released. Metaxas feels so strongly about this that he explicitly offers churches a free showing of this film. Check out this interview:
There is no doubt that Metaxas has the fire in the belly. We can only pray that his message gets through to America’s pastors. In the video he mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Bonhoeffer left Germany for the United States in June 1939 at the invitation of Union Theological Seminary in New York. After much inner turmoil, he soon regretted his decision and returned after only two weeks despite strong pressures from his friends to stay in the United States. He wrote to Reinhold Niebuhr:
” I have come to the conclusion that I made a mistake in coming to America this time. I must live through this difficult period in our national history along with the people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people … Christians in Germany will have to face the terrible alternative of either willing the defeat of their nation in order that a future Christian civilization may survive, or else willing the victory of their nation and thereby destroying our civilization and any true Christianity. I know which of these alternatives I must choose but I cannot make that choice from a place of security. ”
He returned to a place of no security and after a drumhead court martial he was executed there by hanging on 9 April 1945.
Fred, I hope Metaxas’ message gets through also. Thanks for posting more context about Bonhoeffer.