"One of the greatest challenges that American Christians are currently facing concerns the question of how should they interact with present-day American culture. Many Christians are aware that there is a cultural shift occurring. Though American culture has never been fully "Christian" per se, today the culture is becoming increasingly anti-Christian. All anyone has to do is turn on prime-time television to see how the culture is promoting beliefs, activities, and lifestyles that are in total contradiction to the Bible and Christian living. Almost every week, there are news stories of Christian bakers, or photographers, being sued for refusing to participate in homosexual weddings or military chaplains being penalized for standing for biblical truth. It is clear that the divide between the "church" and the "world" is becoming more accentuated and more defined. Should Christians do nothing? Should Christians isolate themselves from the culture? How do Christians --be in" this culture, yet "not of it"? Everyday, I read articles, interact on social media, and have conversations with other Christians about the current state of the culture. The underlying question that is always present is "How should we as Christians interact with the culture? There are many answers, but each answer falls into one of three different types of responses - a response of courage, a response of cowardice, or a response of complacency." -- David Hoffman
It is always disturbing when we start with a distortion. The Christian baker and photographer were not being asked to participate in a gay wedding. They were asked to do their job. I know this is a nuance that falls on deaf ears amongst the crowd that worships this country but it is important nonetheless for people to understand. The bible says that we are sojourners in this land and that our citizenship is in heaven. Think of when Jesus walked the earth. Was there enough going on politically in Rome and their occupation of the Jewish people? Of course there was. The disciples thought Jesus was going to deliver them from Rome but He had a much more important deliverance in mind. Likewise today, Christians rally around the worst they see in the carnal world but Jesus has come for something bigger beloved. The baker and the photographer were taught theology so poorly that they actually believe baking a cake meant they were partaking in someone else's sin. Sin transference by osmosis if you will. Could you imagine if we had to answer for everyone else's sin we come into contact with in our life and how we responded to it? I might add, did the baker and photographer check the lifestyles of the non-homosexual customers they had? You know, to make sure they were not living together outside of marriage or committing some other sin. Of course they did not and that makes them hypocrites, which is something Jesus actually did say a lot about. Only the devil can convince followers of Jesus Christ to spurn the very people who need the Gospel the most and think they were in God's will while doing it. Our response to culture is the same as in everything else -- the Gospel. It alone has the power of God unto the salvation of man. Hoffman continues:
'These are the three different basic responses that a Christian can have to culture. No Christian ever explicitly says "We should respond in complacency," or "We should be cowards." However, a lot of the responses that Christians have to the culture are not courageous. Oftentimes, there are undertones of complacency or cowardice. If you haven't realized that the question of how to interact with the culture is a important one, all that I can say is, "It is!" However, even more important than the question is the answer to this question. The answer will determine the future of our nation and the health and spiritual vitality of the American church. The question I want to ask you right now is, "How are YOU responding to the culture?"' -- David Hoffman
Says no biblical text anywhere. Beloved we must recognize that it is David Hoffman that sincerely believes in the NAR teachings that worship America before God. The rationales are filled with piety but no biblical substance. He has clearly decided that courage is equal to engaging the carnal forces of this world and cowardice is choosing to stick to what the Bible says. It is not the job of a Christian to respond to culture. It is our job to represent Christ and present the Gospel. How did Jesus respond to the culture of His time? You want my taxes? Go catch a fish. Whose face is on that coin? Give it to Caesar. Note however the insidious teachings of the NAR. To Hoffman, the health and spiritual vitality of God's church is somehow tied to the future of this nation. This nation will be judged like every other nation beloved. Our job is to present the Gospel so that some might be saved before this happens.
