Dear Editor,
The so-called Christian cultural morality movement is not accomplishing the mission many are desiring it to accomplish.
If we, as Christians, were to eliminate abortion, pornography, homosexuality, gambling, drugs and alcohol, verbal, sexual and physical abuse, as well as all the debt problems of our government entities — we may not have produced a single Christian.
If we could all come together on the same page and everyone get along in peace and understanding with one another we would still be missing God’s reality of redemption.
Today’s church is so concerned with social problems that we have forgotten the mission.
Our mission is to take the Gospel to the world.
We need to be bringing people to Christ. Yes, this is hard in a society that has long ago left its Christian foundation. For us to reestablish Christianity we must first awaken people to the reality of God and then teach people how to be right with God through Jesus Christ.
Our churches have fallen to the idea that moralizing our communities and societies will make Christians.
This is not true.
Christians don’t become Christians by following moral laws.
A person that lives a good moral life may not be a Christian.
Christianity is not a religion that forces itself on people.
Christianity is not a religion that makes people moral.
Christianity is the way for a person to be made right with God.
Once a person comes to God through Jesus Christ they are given a new Spirit. This new Spirit begins a good work in the person to sanctify them unto the Lord.
In other words God goes to work via His imparted Spirit to change the person from the inside out.
This is not a religion of rules forced upon someone but a miraculous work of God in a person to recreate them into something they were not before.
Many people accuse Christians of forcing their morality upon others. This is not what Christianity is all about.
Christianity calls people out of the world and into the Kingdom of God.
As a minister I would never force my beliefs upon another. If you desire to live in the sins of this world and follow its way you are free to do so and I will not stand in your way.
I love you enough to inform you of your eternal destination and freely offer you another option but I will not force you to come to Christ for your salvation.
I see Christianity as a needed product and the Christian as its salesmen.
We have a product that you need. You may not want it and you are free not to acquire it. We can’t force you to want our product but that doesn’t mean we have to quit advertising it. That would be the world forcing their will upon us.
So in conclusion, Christians should get back to the mission of offering people salvation through Jesus Christ and quit trying to make people moral.
That’s God’s job by way of His Spirit.
Pastor Thomas R. Swain,
First Church of God,
Great Bend