Jack Phillips made headlines in 2012 when he refused to make a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. The suit against him went to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor.

Now Phillips is in court again, this time for refusing to bake a cake celebrating a gender transition. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission claims that he discriminated against Autumn Scardina, who transitioned from male to female and wanted him to make a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate.

Phillips’s attorneys call the complaint an “obvious setup.” They say their client “believes as a matter of religious conviction that sex–the status of being male or female–is given by God, is biologically determined, is not determined by perceptions or feelings, and cannot be chosen or changed.”

So do millions of evangelical Christians, including me.

“If they persecuted me, they will persecute you.”

I expect to see more such lawsuits in the coming years as our post-Christian culture collides with Christian morality. When so-called civil rights compete with religious rights, civil rights usually win.

As believers navigate the legal and social implications of our faith in this challenging day, there is an imperative we need to remember: our lives must bear the scrutiny our beliefs are sure to provoke.

Two related facts follow.

One: People deserve to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Peter called his readers to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15a). God’s word speaks with powerful relevance to every issue we face today. It is vital that we speak his truth to our times.

You’ve probably heard the Francis of Assisi quotation, “Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.” As researcher Ed Stetzer notes, there are two problems with this quote. First, Francis never said it. Second, it’s incomplete theology.

Stetzer: “Using that statement is a bit like saying, ‘Feed the hungry at all times; if necessary, use food.’” The gospel is good news, and, as Stetzer notes, “good news needs to be told.”

Two: Our lives must mirror our words.

Peter continued: “Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (vv. 15c-16, my emphasis).

We must be prepared to defend our faith, remembering Jesus’ warning: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). But our witness loses its power and credibility unless our lives are worthy of respect.

“Cease to do evil, learn to do good”

Here’s the problem: it’s easy to equate religion with righteousness.

Early Christianity was a movement, not an institution. Congregations could not legally own buildings until Constantine legalized the church in the fourth century. Christians didn’t “go” to church–they were the church. Christianity was all about a personal, intimate relationship with God, not a religion about him.

However, the church over time became identified with its buildings, clergy, and religious activities. Spirituality was measured by time spent in the building where members engaged in various rituals and watched the clergy perform.

Even in our nondenominational era, those who participate in church activities are tempted to feel that they are more moral than those who don’t. There’s an implicit sense that we must be right with God if we are in his “house.”

But our Lord disagrees.

Speaking to his chosen people, God warned: “Your new moons and your appointed [religious] feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. . . . Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:14-17).

Charles Spurgeon: “Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.”

“He will tax the remotest star”

Here’s the irony: Our post-Christian society holds us to a higher standard than we might demand of ourselves. If we commit the same sins we find in popular culture, we are accused of hypocrisy. And rightly so–we claim to follow the sinless Son of God and to be the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

So, here’s the bottom line: Our times require courageous Christians who will model the truth we proclaim and love those to whom we proclaim it. In a skeptical culture, personal character is both essential and compelling.

The good news is that the Spirit will empower every believer who seeks his help. If you and I want to serve and reflect Jesus, “he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us” (Oswald Chambers).

Our culture judges Christ by Christians. Let’s make that fact good news today.

Denison Forum

Beth Moore and Max Lucado made headlines at a recent conference in ways you might not expect.

A one-day summit on sexual abuse and harassment was held at Wheaton College. As the organizer explained, the group met “to help amplify a conversation” on this difficult subject.

Beth Moore was the featured speaker. Her story of sexual abuse was shared by others who spoke. Then Max Lucado closed the conference by sharing for the first time his own story of sexual abuse as a child.

They are not alone. According to a recent survey, eight in ten pastors know someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence. A fifth of the clergy has experienced such violence themselves, including sexual assault, rape, or child sexual abuse.

“We are living in an age of historical reckoning.”

In other news, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary released a report detailing the school’s extensive historical ties to slavery, the Confederacy, and white supremacy.

The study found that all four founders of the school, one of the oldest and most influential seminaries in the US, owned slaves. Other findings: early faculty and trustees defended slavery as “righteous”; the seminary supported the Confederacy during the Civil War; and the school opposed racial equality well into the twentieth century.

Albert Mohler Jr., the seminary’s longtime president, prefaced the report: “We are living in an age of historical reckoning. The moral burden of history requires a far more direct and far more candid acknowledgment of the legacy of this school in the horrifying realities of American slavery, Jim Crow segregation, racism, and even the avowal of white racial supremacy.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Beth Moore and Max Lucado have in common →

The Senate Intelligence Committee released two reports yesterday detailing the breadth of Russian social media disinformation campaigns in the US. One strategy caught my eye: the Russian-linked Internet Research Agency created a page it called “Army of Jesus.”

Targeting Christians, the group offered “free counseling to people with sexual addiction.” The phony counseling service was apparently intended to blackmail or manipulate people who used it.

In our post-Christian world, we should expect attacks on Christians to escalate. As I noted yesterday, standing for biblical truth in our culture requires significant courage.

But there’s more to the story.

“May your holidays be joyful, boozy and caffeinated!”

Consider these stories in the news:

One: “There are two must-haves for anyone looking to survive the holidays: coffee and booze, preferably served together in one easy-to-consume package.” So advises Huffington Post in an article offering “12 boozy coffee cocktails to help you get through the holidays.” The writer wishes for us, “May your holidays be joyful, boozy and caffeinated!”

Two: Meditation services in the US are a $1.2 billion industry. A Wall Street Journal article titled “Inner Peace Is a Booming Business” raises the curtain on the money and time some are spending to seek serenity.

Three: A father took his sons to Barnes & Noble recently, where they noticed a display called “Inspiring Books to Empower Young Readers.” The books included three memoirs by illegal aliens. Another book told a fictional story of a child arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at school while white classmates wearing “Make America Great Again” hats taunt him. No books reflecting a more conservative agenda were displayed. Continue reading Denison Forum – Russian social media campaigns targeted Christians →