Without getting into the politics of it all, the last US presidential election has polarized the nation and in doing so revealed a monumental change in the culture. It’s been said that we have moved into a post-Christian culture where moral relativity reigns supreme. That may have been true through the 1980’s an ‘90’s, but that’s not where things stand today. From the various marches and riots we’ve seen over the last six months I’d say that America is anything but morally relative and, if anything, it has shirked the coat of ambiguity and put on the mantle of moral absolutes.

A multitude of groups have risen, from Occupy and Black Lives Matter to LGBT and Muslim activists to denounce support for the president and to push particular moral agendas. Make no mistake, when we say “moral” agendas we are not implying they are morals that Christians would agree with. If anything, they are moral stances for immoral behavior, but such stands are a far cry from the moral relativism of the last few decades. We’ve moved from the “can’t we all get along” and “what’s right for you may not be right for me” philosophies to a demand that everyone accept all kinds of sinful lifestyles and behaviors.

We’ve entered into the New Secular Morality.

What can we expect in this new cultural era? For starts, expect the entertainment industry to begin writing TV shows and movies that depict Christians as homicidal, suicidal and other varieties of whack jobs. Expect even more commercials and movies to attempt to normalize homosexual behavior and transsexual surgeries. There will be Muslim heroes and stories of their struggle for acceptance. On the political front we can expect more violent protests as the fringe culture attempts to usurp the Christian laws and institutions of this country.

What can we do? That’s a bit harder to answer. First, we should expect society, co-workers, school mates and teachers and even family members to become more hostile toward our faith in the Savior. With that expectation should come preparation. There is no time in our generation when it has been more important to be able to defend the faith than now. Know what you believe, why you believe it, and be able to overcome objections to the truth of the Bible, the person of Jesus, and the work of God in the world. Third, engage error wherever you find it – in the media (write letters to the editor or email TV commentators), social media like Facebook, Twitter and the like, and in personal or private circles with friends and family. At work this is a bit more difficult as most work places frown on such discussions, but you can tell a coworker they don’t have the full story and that you would love to talk to them about it more detail at lunch or after work.

Expect. Prepare. Engage.

There is a lot of good resources online. There is also a lot of misleading information, so go to trusted sources. Ask your pastor for reading material, and check sites of respected institutions. For instance, Denver Seminary has a growing list of free online courses available here: https://courses.dts.edu

We’ll have more posts about this topic as we enter this changing cultural landscape and help inform and equip you for the role you will have to play in God’s kingdom.