I know a lot of what’s going on in our culture these days. But sometimes, I am blown away at the degradation of morality and common sense that I come across. I was listening to the Carpe Diem podcast, which is out of Southern Jersey. They started talking about the craziness coming out of New Jersey, more specifically Newark and immigration madness. But then they started discussing about an elementary school right outside of Philadelphia. This school, Strawbridge Elementary school in NJ, is holding a Pride at the Playground day on June 2 for families.
Not an exaggeration
I have talked about this lots. But when I say there are many out there who want to undermine our convictions as Believers, I only wish I were exaggerating. This event is cloaked in loving and inclusive language. All the while hating anyone who would dare to contradict them or hold to Biblical values.
Inclusivity has been used as a cudgel for a while now. If we have convictions that conflict with those that want to include everyone regardless of morality, obviously that will inherently exclude people. Because of this, those who hold to Biblical convictions must be bigots and bad people (according to Leftist ideology). As Voddie Baucham has said (and I’m paraphrasing), “Those who claim to be ‘tolerant’ won’t tolerate my intolerance.”
It is so much easier to paint things in black and white. You’re either inclusive or you’re not. Kind or hateful. I would love to do that too. Unfortunately though, life is just not that simple.
What does the Bible say?
When I think through the Old Testament, I am struck by how the people of God (i.e. Israel) were called to exclude themselves from those around them. They were to dress differently. The foods they ate were very specific. I realize that many of the ritualistic and/or cultural rules that were demanded before Jesus died do not apply to us anymore. However, the idea of Biblical exclusivity still permeates through the New Testament. It just looks a little different.
Mind you, people assimilated into Israel regularly. Rahab and Ruth were just two that not only were women, but were in the bloodline of Christ. Neither were Jews by birth. But they were included by the Jewish community because they forsook the gods of where they were from. They also accepted the God of the Jews exclusively.
But aren’t we supposed to be inclusive?
Of course, as Believers, we are called to reach out to everyone. However, we are expected to have wisdom with those who are close to us and our families. One verse that sticks out to me is 1 Corinthians 5:11 – But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. Or Psalm 1 –
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers…..
Seems pretty exclusive, doesn’t it? Rosaria Butterfield (who is amazing and I couldn’t recommend more to read anything she writes) would be a huge advocate for inviting LOST people to our homes to build bridges and relationships with them (we invite people to our homes so that unbelievers can see how Christians live their lives, love their families, and worship, all around a meal).
Even still…
But even still, I would argue that we must never allow our children to be considered little “missionaries” when they themselves need to be evangelized and strengthened almost as much as their peers. Our children need to first learn what is wicked, how we sin, and who are mockers.
As my kids grow in front of my eyes, I am continually reminded that they are little for such a short amount of time. We have them under our wing for approximately a blink of an eye, and then they are adults and we have much less control over their lives.
A new time and culture
I wish I could sit here and tell you that we’ve done everything spot on perfect. We’ve learned a lot and have grown with our children almost as much as they have. But the environment in which our oldest children had to face as compared to our youngers is night and day. Public school has arguably rarely been ideal (if ever). However, it is now blatantly stepping into a parenting role rather than a teaching role, subverting convictions that were once commonly held by everyone in the community. Also, music, literature, and media in general are constantly attempting to influence our children. They are drawing our children away from the things of God and turning them towards the things of this world.
The point is that yes, we must love others, even those who don’t love the LORD and who hate us, as God has commanded us to (Matthew 5:43-48). However, we are also called to protect our families and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the LORD (Ephesians 6:4). It’s clear there are those who would gladly nurture and admonish our children themselves to subversive and harmful ideologies that contradict what we hold most dear. We must proactively guard our kids against this.
We can best do that through indoctrinating our children with God’s Word and by teaching them through literature and books what is good, beautiful, and true. I can’t express enough how important this is. Educate your children and empower yourself with great books that don’t conflict with a Biblical worldview. Shop our vetted collection of books that nurture faith, inspire purpose, and uphold truth!
