The Church, which should be the fundamental component of peace, courage, and justice in the world, is failing. The Church has backed out and assumed silence during a time and in a culture that desperately needs us.

In March of 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech. He was speaking before the Second Virginia Convention as they met to discuss their state’s strategy regarding the conflict with the British. The location? St. John’s Church in Richmond.

Does that location strike you? What was that church doing, opening its doors as a meeting place for these firebrand men engaged in raw opposition to their government? By God’s grace, that church served as the location from which Henry’s infamous speech delivered courage and conviction and sparked the mantra that burned into 1776.

I can’t help but think of how such an involvement would be received by so many churches in our day.

From behind the pulpits and stages of so many large, influential churches, we hear leaders advocate against the men and women who take a strong political stance. So many choose to ride the fence rather than take a stand, all the while advocating for a passive submission that calls Christians to disengage and just trust that, “God is in control.” Perhaps worst of all, we hear silence – silence in the face of threats against religious liberty, freedom of speech, and the right to life.

We can no longer be silent in this culture of, “the silent majority.” The problem with our silence is that we are the salt and light of the earth; we are His hands and feet and mouthpiece. God establishes His kingdom through us! Many argue that we must strictly concern ourselves with the gospel and its advancement, and rightly so. I echo those cries and pray for revival to come to America and that we would see the masses come to faith in Christ. However, this concern for the spreading of the gospel necessarily includes an outcry against those things that stand in opposition to it.

Can we simultaneously be concerned with the Good News and unaffected by the reality of moral decay in our nation?

Can we pray for our children to come to faith and not stand in opposition to non-biblical agendas being forced into their school’s curriculum?

Can we pray for the God of Justice to reign and not defend the vulnerable among us – the unborn, the elderly, and the orphan?

No, our attention to the gospel fundamentally requires that we be concerned with the state of our society, from the smallest citizen all the way to the Oval Office.

We live in a nation governed by the people, for the people. May we engage in advocating for righteousness, freedom, and truth in this nation. Praise God for the freedom to preach the gospel and worship our Lord, and to carry that message to the ends of the earth. Praise God for those who fought (and still fight) to keep that freedom. Praise God for the open doors of St. John’s Church on that fateful day in 1775. Will we open our doors again?

Check out this video with Ralph Reed on Christians as effective citizens: