This morning, I’d like us to consider how political forces and ideas can threaten the church. And by “political forces,” I don’t mean only the government. The political forces that I’m concerned about may be the government itself or any group or organization within the culture that opposes and harasses the church. E.g., ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Freedom from Religion Foundation, People for the American Way—these are all left wing organizations that use the legal system, the schools, and the government to oppose Christianity.

I believe opponents of Christianity will use various means to weaken, undercut, and marginalize Christians and the church. Governments have rarely been successful in stamping out Christianity altogether, so I’m not really worried that our government is going to eradicate the Christian faith. But what opponents of the faith will try to do is push Christianity from the mainstream to the margins. They will make Christianity a private faith that has no influence in the public square. They will remove Christian influence from the culture. And they will impose penalties for upholding Christian values and for speaking against what the culture now endorses.  Our opponents can make living the Christian life much more difficult. If things keep going the way they have been, it’s inevitable that our children and grandchildren will find it much more difficult to live the Christian life than we do because of official opposition against Christian values.

The problem with many political movements and organizations is that they are not really interested in the truth; they are interested in maintaining power. They want to install their opinion as the approved, accepted viewpoint and they want to silence all opposition to their claims. You are not free to disagree with or disregard the approved set of ideas. If you do, you will face hostility and opposition. The powers that be will shut you down, or attempt to do so.

How could political policies/powers threaten the church?