When my book When Culture Hates You came out earlier this year, I got a lot of comments from both Christians and nonbelievers either laughing off the idea that the culture hates Christians or suggesting to me that writing a book of this nature was unnecessarily “divisive.” There are even some reviews from people who loved the book but still mention that you “just have to get past the title.”
Never mind the fact that Jesus Himself told his followers the world would hate them (John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”).
Other Christians commented that because Trump had just been elected (the book came out in February), we were starting to see that the culture was turning around and we’re actually NOT so hated.
Again, never mind the fact that Jesus Himself told his followers the world would hate them…and that when you understand the nature of the hate He spoke of and WHY it would exist, you know it’s not a function of the specific political environment at any given point in history.
Friends, I’m going to be honest. When Culture Hates You explains so much of what we’ve seen play out this week (in both the tragedy and responses to it). It provides so many answers I think Christians need and are seeking right now, but I haven’t wanted to say that because I didn’t want people to think I was using a tragedy to self-centeredly promote a book. I decided yesterday, however, that to not point people to content that is, I believe, so uniquely timely for what’s happening out of fear of people’s mistaken perceptions regarding my motivation is ironically what IS self-centered.
So, at the risk of anyone thinking that, I reached out to my publisher and got permission to share chapter 1 here (I also shared the audiobook version on my podcast this morning if you’d rather listen). This chapter alone explains:
- Why Christians like Charlie Kirk are hated by the culture (keep in mind the culture doesn’t hate ALL Christians)
- Why Christians are hated for some beliefs and actions but not others (you won’t be hated for serving in a soup kitchen!)
- What, exactly, Jesus said about the world hating his followers
- Why Christianity is necessarily a public faith
As I said in my podcast episode, if you want to read/listen to the rest of the book at some point, great…but if you have $13 dollars to spend today, donate it to the Kirk family or TP USA rather than buy the book. I put all of their suggested donation links in the show notes here.
In the meantime, I hope the following chapter helps bring clarity to much of what we’ve seen play out in front of our eyes this week. If you’d like to read my social media comments on this horrific murder, I’ve been posting all week on Facebook and X. And finally, please take the time to watch my friend Frank Turek’s video in honor of Charlie. Frank was a close friend of Charlie’s and was standing next to him when Charlie was killed. He was one of five people in the car with Charlie on the way to the hospital. His video is a touching and beautiful tribute.
CHAPTER 1: JESUS SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN
On March 26, 1997, sheriff’s deputies received an anonymous call to conduct a welfare check at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. When they responded, they found a shocking scene: Thirty-nine people were dead in what turned out to be the largest mass suicide in United States history.
But it wasn’t just the scale of the event that made headlines. The deceased were also mysteriously dressed in identical black tracksuits and brand new Nike shoes. Each person had the same cropped haircut, and a large purple cloth covered each of the bodies.
News of the bizarre scene spread quickly, and the media flooded in. It was eventually discovered that the group had ingested a fatal mix of applesauce, sedatives, and vodka in order to facilitate a collective suicide. Why? They thought they needed to shed their earthly bodies in order to board an alien spacecraft hidden behind an approaching comet—a spacecraft that would pass them through “Heaven’s Gate” and into a higher existence.
People were enthralled with the Heaven’s Gate cult. Despite the morbid nature of what happened, the group became the subject of endless jokes. Even Saturday Night Live made a parody about them. Culture clearly thought the people in this cult were delusional and outlandishly wrong.
But culture didn’t hate them.
When your doorbell rings and you discover two well-dressed people from a local church standing on your doorstep, there’s a good possibility that they’re Jehovah’s Witnesses. Well known to the world for their door-to-door preaching, Jehovah’s Witnesses reportedly send more than 8.5 million people into neighborhoods each year.
The internet abounds with humorous memes of people desperately searching for a way to escape from these evangelists on their doorstep. Apparently, if you’ve ever looked through your peephole and quietly tiptoed back into your house hoping your unsolicited church visitors won’t ring again, you’re not alone. Culture widely considers Jehovah’s Witnesses to be annoyingly persistent in their door-to-door activities.
But culture doesn’t hate them.
If you drive through parts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, you’ll probably have to slow down to accommodate horses and buggies driven by men dressed in black broad-brimmed or straw hats. As you pass through that rural countryside, it may look like a scene from another century. But it’s just everyday life for the local Amish community.
Lancaster County is home to the largest and most well-known settlement of Amish in America, though there are more than 350,000 Amish living in 32 states. Known for shunning modern conveniences like cars, the Amish form close-knit communities dedicated to simple living in pursuit of an undistracted devotion to God. Millions of people flock to Amish country each year to get a glimpse of their unique way of life. At the same time, the Amish are often criticized for being backward and isolated. Culture certainly thinks they’re a curiosity.
But culture doesn’t hate them.
There’s a reason culture doesn’t hate these three groups, even when it’s had an otherwise negative assessment of them: These groups haven’t attempted to influence the public square with their contrarian views.
The public square is anywhere views are shared for the purpose of shaping public opinion on how society should function. If contrarian groups keep to themselves such that culture can forge ahead in the absence of any perceived imposition of beliefs from those groups, they’re in the clear. Go ahead and don matching tracksuits with your friends in anticipation of an alien ship, spend your free time knocking on doors, or live like it’s 1750. Culture might think you’re pitiable, annoying, or weird, but it won’t hate you.
That level of bitter resentment is reserved for groups who believe they shouldn’t keep their contrarian views to themselves. Groups whose very purpose includes a charge to influence the culture around them based on beliefs starkly opposed to those cherished by that culture.
Groups…like Christians.
Who Is Culture?
When I say that culture does or does not hate certain groups, you probably have a general idea of what I mean by culture. But because that word can imply some very different things in different contexts, it’s important to clarify what I mean by it for the purposes of this book.
In the broadest sense, culture refers to the way of life for a society—the manners, dress, language, religion, arts, and customs generally shared by a group of people at a given time. That’s the kind of definition you’d find in a dictionary. But in everyday conversation, people typically use the word culture to mean something much more nuanced. Culture, in this colloquial sense, is personified. It refers to the people and institutions who hold the values considered to be in vogue for a given society.
For example, if someone says to you, “Today’s culture thinks that…,” you intuitively know how the sentence might end given what you observe around you. Any of the following statements would readily fit the presumed context: love means affirmation; it’s better to be spiritual than religious; happiness is the goal of life; you shouldn’t be judgmental; or any number of other prevalent ideas.
This zeitgeist, or “spirit of the times,” can be observed at both individual and institutional levels. Examples of key cultural institutions would include the media, entertainment, government, and academia. Individuals influence those institutions, and those institutions, in turn, influence more individuals. That cycle is ongoing and mutually reinforcing, leading over time to certain values becoming culturally acceptable or celebrated and others becoming anathema. Culture, then, is a snapshot of the current state of society’s values.
That said, it’s important to also emphasize some qualifications about what isn’t implied by my use of the term culture in this book.
First, saying culture thinks or does something is not making a statement about the thoughts or actions of all cultures at all times. For example, the Amish were persecuted by their culture in times past, but that cultural hatred no longer persists. The term culture necessarily implies a context of time and place.
Second, saying culture thinks or does something is not to suggest that every single person in a given society thinks or does the same. We can broadly say culture doesn’t hate the Amish, for example, while recognizing that there are surely some people who do (particularly if they’ve had a bad personal experience with the Amish community).
Third, saying culture thinks or does something is not making a claim about the percent of people in a given society who think or do the same; it’s impossible to broadly quantify the spirit of the times when that encompasses constantly shifting and diverse factors. But even if you could quantify it, sheer numbers wouldn’t necessarily tell the full story. When a statistical minority is more aggressive in influencing the public square with their values than a statistical majority that holds opposing views, it’s the minority’s values that will often come to define the culture.
In summary, for the purposes of this book, culture refers to the people and institutions who hold the values widely considered to be accepted and celebrated in the United States today.
Beyond the Soup Kitchen
The significance of culture to Christians cannot be overstated, because culture functions as a gatekeeper of the ideas that fashionable society deems admissible to the public square at any given time. And if you’re a group whose values have become anathema, the gatekeepers won’t merely roll a condescending eye at you and then let you in. They’ll funnel their hatred of your contrarian values into an active campaign to keep your influence out.
It’s probably not news to you that this is increasingly the relationship between culture and Christians today.
It’s worth noting, however, that culture doesn’t necessarily hate everything Christians might advocate for in the public square. For example, people with all kinds of different views about the world would agree that it’s a good thing to volunteer at or donate to local soup kitchens. If you’re part of a Christian group passionate about that form of service, you might decide to publicly advocate for the cause in some way. In doing so, it’s likely that no one will hate you, even if they disagree on the best way to approach the issue of food insecurity. Serving food to those in need is an action still widely considered to be a moral good.
But now let’s say you’re a group who believes humans in the womb have the same value and God-given right to life as humans who have already been born, and you decide to publicly advocate for a local pro-life pregnancy center.
I don’t have to tell you we’re out of soup kitchen territory now.
In today’s culture, the pro-life position is seen as a repulsive injustice to women. Consequently, culture doesn’t think that those who hold such a position are merely mistaken—a belief akin to thinking an alien ship is coming—it thinks they’re oppressors. If you speak or act publicly against abortion, you’ll be morally condemned and detested for being harmful, oppressive, cruel, toxic, violent, or misogynistic (more on that in chapter 8).
Loving your neighbor by publicly advocating for a soup kitchen and loving your neighbor by publicly advocating for the protection of life in the womb are both outworkings of a biblical worldview. But, as we just saw, there’s a major difference in how those two actions are perceived by culture. The former will likely draw ambivalence or approval, the latter serious condemnation. As Christians, therefore, we aren’t resented for everything we believe and do, but because we’re reviled for opposing some of the values most cherished by culture, we’re increasingly hated as a group.
The gatekeepers would love nothing more than for us to just keep serving soup while being silent about the issues on which we’re at odds with culture—and that’s a tempting proposition for many Christians. After all, if we did that, culture would like us (or at least like us more). Who wants to be hated?
But being hated is exactly what Jesus told us to expect if we’re going to follow His commands. Silence in exchange for cultural respect is a deal with the devil.
Jesus Said It Would Happen
Knowing what the Bible says about culture hating the followers of Jesus is the key to understanding the moment we’re in, so let’s go to Scripture.
Jesus called His 12 disciples together one day to prepare them to go out on a mission. He gave them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and affliction (Matthew 10:1). He then instructed them at length on what to expect and do on their journey. It certainly wasn’t a talk designed to encourage the disciples with any idea that the mission field would warmly embrace them. Jesus warned that they’d be handed over to local councils and be flogged in the synagogues (Matthew 10:17), that family members would betray each other and have one another put to death (Matthew 10:21), and that He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). It’s within that context that Jesus said the following: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Later, in Matthew 24:9, Jesus repeated to His disciples, “You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”
These verses should raise the question of why Jesus’s disciples would be hated. In the immediate context of these passages, Jesus doesn’t explicitly say why. But we get a more detailed picture of what He had in mind in His words from John 15:18-21:
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Now we have the explanation: If the disciples were of the world, the world would have loved them as its own, but because they weren’t of the world, the world would hate them. Jesus similarly connected this explanation when He prayed, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).
So what does it mean to be of the world? The Greek word translated “world” here is kosmos. Kosmos in this context refers to unbelieving mankind, which is governed by evil. To say that unbelievers are governed by evil isn’t a hyperbolic theological claim. Jesus bluntly said on multiple occasions that Satan is the ruler of the kosmos (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). In fact, He told a crowd of Jews who claimed to be children of God through their physical descent from Abraham that they were actually children of Satan (John 8:44)! Why? He said it was because their will was to do the devil’s desires.
That’s the pivotal distinction. People are either children of Satan or children of God. People who are “of the world” are children of Satan, and, under his influence, desire to go their own way rather than God’s way. In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul says all of us have that desire for self-rule by nature:
You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Those who remain of the world are slaves to sin because they remain in rebellion to their Creator; in following their own passions and desires, they do the will of Satan. Those who give their lives to Jesus, however, receive a new nature and are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). They become children of God (John 1:12) and are now slaves to righteousness. Paul emphasizes this contrast in Romans 6:16-18:
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
So let’s recap. Jesus said the world would hate His disciples because they were not of the world; if they were of the world, the world would love them as its own. To be of the world means to be under the governing influence of Satan, resulting in being a slave to sin. Conversely, to be a child of God is to be a slave to righteousness.
That leads to our final question: Why do the children of Satan necessarily hate the children of God? John addresses this question directly in 1 John 3:9-13:
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
In short, the children of God will be hated because they practice righteousness and the children of Satan practice evil.
Righteousness is despised by a fallen world.
When the children of God practice righteousness, they shine light on the works of the world, unveiling the truth of what they are: evil. Satan may masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but that illusion is shattered by the true light that comes from the followers of Jesus. Of course those who are of the world will hate that. And they’ll hate you for making it happen.
Christianity Is a Public Faith
Given that this is why Jesus said the world would hate His disciples, it follows that He presumed they would be engaging with the world in some way; where evil continues in darkness, there’s no light to hate. Being a Christian, therefore, doesn’t end with a private profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. If we profess that Jesus is Lord over our lives, we’ll live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15)—commands that include the public engagement necessary to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and to advocate for righteousness in our given cultures. Jesus spoke of this latter role in His famous Sermon on the Mount words about being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16):
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As salt, we preserve a world that would otherwise be entirely under the destructive rule of Satan and enslaved to sin. We preserve the world for enough time that God’s purposes can be worked out. As light, we expose the darkness for what it is and bring glory to God in the process (see also John 3:19-21; 8:12; Ephesians 5:11). These roles of preserving and exposing are inherently of a public nature. They require Christians to advocate for righteousness in the public square. We aren’t preserving or exposing anything by sitting passively in our living rooms.
It’s at this point that some Christians get squeamish. They agree that we’re to be salt and light, but they believe that should only include sharing the gospel and doing good works in one’s private life—not advocating for righteousness in how society functions. In response, four points should be made.
First, acknowledging the need to advocate for righteousness in how society functions doesn’t imply there isn’t also a need for Christians to share the gospel and do good works in their private lives. We can share the gospel, do good works in our private lives, and advocate for righteousness in how society functions. This should be a rather obvious point, but it warrants an explicit remark because it’s a common reason Christians give for avoiding the public square. The underlying sentiment is that our primary mission is to share the gospel and do good works, so time spent on social issues is a distraction from what we should really be doing. While it’s a worthwhile warning to not turn our mission into a purely earthly one, the possibility of Christians erring in that direction is not an argument for not caring about the righteous functioning of society at all. The laws passed by our society affect our ability to even preach the gospel in the first place.
Second, the gospel itself implies the need to care about how society functions and act accordingly. When Christians say we should “just” preach the gospel, it’s worth asking what they believe the gospel is. The gospel is the good news that God loved the world so much, He gave His only son to die as payment for our sins so we could be reconciled to Him and have everlasting life. When we respond to this gracious offer of salvation, we submit to Jesus as Lord and follow His commands out of our love for Him. Caring about the way in which society functions is just one part of following Jesus’s second greatest commandment, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40). Part of loving your neighbor is caring about the quality of their lives in the context of the society in which they live. Put simply, we should want God’s best for them.
Third, when we care about the quality of people’s lives in the context of the society in which they live, we should want God’s best for them regardless of how many people are responsive to the gospel message at any given time. Christians sometimes believe that the extent of societal transformation for which we’re responsible is preaching the gospel so that individual consciences will be transformed and more individuals will then make righteous choices. But when you apply that logic to specific cases in history, few people would maintain the same position consistently. For example, imagine someone saying the following: “I think Christians in the nineteenth century really messed up by working to abolish slavery. They should have just preached the gospel so that individual lives would be transformed, and over time, that would have changed society to the point it would no longer find slavery morally acceptable.” I’m guessing nearly every reader would instinctively disagree with this imaginary person, but take a moment to consider why. Four million enslaved people were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. How many more years would people have had to suffer in slavery if Christians had simply waited for a critical mass of Americans to have their moral sensibilities transformed through personal salvation? What if that critical mass was never reached? Should slavery have continued? Of course not. Fortunately, there were Christians at the time who recognized the need to shine light on the deeds of darkness and advocate for righteousness—the end to a wicked institution. They preached the gospel, but they didn’t wait to see how many conversions would happen before working to bring an end to societal evil.
Finally, God’s concern for how society functions runs throughout the Bible. It’s clear that God cares both about individual relationships with Him and the moral health of the societies in which individuals live. The following are just a few notable examples where biblical people were exhorted to proactively shape societies that function in a righteous way:
- In Isaiah chapter 1, God expresses his wrath toward the people of Judah for their sins and empty religious ceremonies. He presses them to cease doing evil and instead “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (vv. 16-17; see also Zechariah 7:10). This, of course, would require public engagement and advocacy.
- In the Jewish exile to pagan Babylon, the prophet Daniel was an official in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Daniel told the king, “Break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Daniel 4:27). Here we see that God expected even pagan societies to function in a righteous way (see also Amos 1–2 and Obadiah).
- God told the Jewish exiles in Babylon, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). God didn’t want the exiles to thumb their noses at the pagan culture in which they were forced to live. They were to seek what was best for the culture—which would be to everyone’s benefit, including their own.
- John the Baptist was thrown into prison because he had rebuked the civil leader Herod Antipas for marrying his brother’s wife and “for all the evil things that Herod had done” (Luke 3:19-20). Presumably, those evil actions included what Herod had done in his governing capacity.
Being salt and light isn’t only about having a godly influence on culture, but biblical examples demonstrate it certainly includes that.
When Culture Hates You
Something that’s easy to gloss over in Jesus’s words about being salt and light is how that passage ends: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, emphasis added). This is a seemingly surprising conclusion given our earlier discussion about being hated for righteousness. In fact, it’s a jarring contrast even against Jesus’s immediately preceding words (Matthew 5:10-12):
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So which is it? Will the world hate us for shining light, or will it see our good works and glorify God?
The answer is both.
Sometimes when we as Christians testify to righteousness through our words and actions, people will have their eyes opened and glorify God as the source of all that is good and true. Praise the Lord for those times!
But in other circumstances, Christians will be reviled and even persecuted. Yes, Jesus said that we would be blessed when that happens, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The prophet Jeremiah spoke God’s truth to his culture, but he also lamented, “I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long” (Jeremiah 20:7-8). Jeremiah wasn’t an exception. The pattern of the Bible is that all the prophets suffered in some way (Acts 7:52). It’s never been popular to publicly advocate for righteousness in a fallen world.
No book is needed to equip and encourage Christians to persevere through cultural hatred when publicly advocating for something like a soup kitchen. As we discussed, no one will hate you for that.
But when culture hates you—when you’re reviled for promoting your views in the public square—it takes deep conviction and courage to nonetheless persevere for the common good. That requires biblical, cultural, and civic understanding that Christians don’t necessarily have by default. And therein lies the purpose of this book: to give Christ followers the crucial understanding required to confidently advocate for righteousness in today’s increasingly dark and hostile culture.
Part 1 will establish important foundational principles on the nature of Christian public influence. The purpose of this section is to provide readers with a framework for evaluating any common-good issue, whether it’s one we address specifically in part 2 or not. So don’t skip part 1! It functions as far more than a lead-in to part 2. It’s relevant to a plethora of issues Christians encounter beyond the specific ones we’ll consider in this book.
That said, in part 2, we’ll apply our understanding from part 1 to five issues that are of especially great significance for the common good today—issues on which Christians are also at great odds with culture and receive significant condemnation accordingly. These aren’t the only issues drawing resentment against Christians, but they represent a selection of those on which Christians most urgently need clarity.
I pray that When Culture Hates You will equip and encourage you to be the light God wants you to be in this world.
Recommended Resources:
If God, Why Evil? (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek
The Case for Christian Activism (MP3 Set), (DVD Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek
Why does God allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? (DVD) and (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
Legislating Morality (mp4 download), (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), (PowerPoint download), and (PowerPoint CD) by Frank Turek
Natasha Crain is a blogger, author, and national speaker who is passionate about equipping Christian parents to raise their kids with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend their faith in an increasingly secular world. She is the author of two apologetics books for parents: Talking with Your Kids about God (2017) and Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side (2016). Natasha has an MBA in marketing and statistics from UCLA and a certificate in Christian apologetics from Biola University. A former marketing executive and adjunct professor, she lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4gQL6bm
How Do I Help People Care About Truth, Not Just Know About It?
1. Does Truth Exist?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsIf a person knows about God and knows about absolute truth, how does he come to accept it? How can I help that person care about that truth, not just know about it?
That is a good question. I’m so glad God brought this question my way because I’ve been struggling through this myself lately too. I don’t have all the answers, but I’ll share with you what He’s been teaching me.
I struggle with this question often because I’m a teacher at heart. I love to learn, assimilate, process, summarize, and pass it on to others. God has just built me to do that very thing. Granted, I’m not the best in the world at it, but I do the best I can for the glory of God. What frustrates me the most is when I do my job in helping someone understand something but then they don’t care about it. I feel like I’ve done all I can, and so it leaves me at a loss. I’m not sure if this is exactly the situation you’re facing, but it sounds similar.
There are three things I’ve been learning about this:
[Adam’s unedited bio from his website: About Adam Lloyd Johnson – Convincing Proof] Adam Lloyd Johnson has served as the president of Convincing Proof Ministries since 2023. Prior to that, Adam was a university campus missionary with Ratio Christi at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He has also taught classes for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has spent time living and teaching at Rhineland Theological Seminary in Wölmersen, Germany. Adam received his PhD in Theological Studies with an emphasis in Philosophy of Religion from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2020. Adam grew up in Nebraska and became a Christian as a teenager in 1994. He graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and then worked in the field of actuarial science for ten years in Lincoln, Nebraska. While in his twenties, he went through a crisis of faith: are there good reasons and evidence to believe God exists and that the Bible is really from Him? His search for answers led him to apologetics and propelled him into ministry with a passion to serve others by equipping Christians and encouraging non-Christians to trust in Christ. Adam served as a Southern Baptist pastor for eight years (2009-2017) but stepped down from the pastorate to serve others full-time in the area of apologetics. He’s been married to his wife Kristin since 1996, and they have four children – Caroline, Will, Xander, and Ray. Adam has presented his work at the National Apologetics Conference, the Society of Christian Philosophers, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the International Society of Christian Apologetics, the Canadian Centre for Scholarship and the Christian Faith, the American Academy of Religion, and the Evangelical Theological Society. His work has been published in the Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics, Philosophia Christi, the Westminster Theological Journal, the Canadian Journal for Scholarship and the Christian Faith, the journal Eleutheria, and the journal Religions. Adam has spoken at numerous churches and conferences in America and around the world – Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, Boston, Orlando, Denver, San Antonio, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. He is the editor and co-author of the book A Debate on God and Morality: What is the Best Account of Objective Moral Values and Duties? published in 2020 by Routledge and co-authored with William Lane Craig, Erik Wielenberg, J. P. Moreland, and others. He is most recently the author of the book Divine Love Theory: How the Trinity is the Source and Foundation of Morality published by Kregel Academic in 2023.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/46GbAcc
Whom Shall I Fear? Examining Courage in the Christian Faith with Heidi St. John
PodcastAristotle said, “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” But what does it REALLY mean to have courage?
Frank sits down with author and speaker, Heidi St. John, to discuss how to overcome fear in a world full of hostility towards biblical Christianity. From surviving childhood abuse, cancer, and severe anxiety to homeschooling her seven children and even running for Congress, Heidi has learned firsthand how God uses trials to deepen our faith and push us outside our comfort zones. Together, Frank and Heidi unpack what real courage looks like, why Christians need it now more than ever, and how to instill it in others (especially our kids!).
They tackle questions like:
If you’re struggling with fear or wondering how to raise bold kids in a world full of compromise, this episode will encourage you to trust God, take courage, and stand firm in the truth!
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY USING THE LINK BELOW. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Donate to CrossExamined.org – https://donor.crossexamined.org/
Becoming Mom Strong by Heidi St. John
Heid’s Website – https://www.heidistjohn.net/
Heidi’s Podcast – https://www.heidistjohn.net/podcast
Get Frank’s book ‘Milo’s Mission’ FREE when you join the BRAVE Book Club! https://bravebooks.com/frank
Start Streaming BRAVE+ – https://bravebooks.us/pages/brave-plus
Charlie Kirk’s Message Lives On
Culture and Politics, Theology and Christian ApologeticsI couldn’t sleep last night.
I’ll never forget where I was when I first heard the news. I was at the dentist, sitting in the chair getting a cavity filled by my dentist—who, years ago, was in my youth group. After numbing me up, he left the room to let the medication set in. I pulled out my phone, opened Facebook, and saw Graham Allen’s post (seconds after he posted it) asking for prayers for Charlie Kirk. My heart sank.
I immediately googled “Charlie Kirk.” Nothing came up. I refreshed it twice, and finally one lone article came up simply noting that Kirk was shot in Utah. No other details were given. A few minutes later, my dentist walked back into the room. His face was pale and shaken. He told me he had just seen the video of Charlie getting shot. He showed it to me. I yelled, “Oh God!” Then we just sat together in silence—crying, stewing in anger and confusion. Then, right there in the exam room, he prayed for Charlie and his family.
When the prayer ended, I looked at him (my mouth still numb) and asked, “Do you feel like working on my teeth?” He shook his head. “Not really.” I said, “I don’t feel like it either.” I stood up, hugged him, and left. When I got to my Jeep, I yelled at the top of my lungs. Deep down, I knew Charlie wasn’t going to survive that gunshot.
I never met Charlie in person, but I feel like I’ve known him for years. I’m friends with some of his friends, I’ve listened to him speak countless times, usually in front of hostile crowds. Charlie did it better than anyone. He was one of the sharpest minds of our time. His extremely quick wit, his grasp of complex topics, and his courage to engage critics on any topic head-on were unmatched. He was afraid to discuss no topic and invited those who opposed his views to speak.
“If you disagree with me,” he often said, “come to the front of the line and let’s talk this out.”
That’s who Charlie Kirk was—a man unafraid of disagreement, committed to rational dialogue, and grounded in truth. He championed free speech, debate, and the respectful exchange of ideas. And it was his refusal to back down from those convictions that ultimately cost him his life.
As one of my friend’s said about the Leftist assassin:
“Tell me you’ve indisputably lost the debate without telling me you’ve indisputably lost the debate!”
But more than anything—more than politics, more than debate, more than the movement he built—Charlie Kirk loved Jesus. He made it clear over and over again: “It’s all about Jesus!” That wasn’t a mere slogan. That was the center of his life. His love for Christ defined him, fueled him, and gave shape to everything else.
And that is what we must remember as we mourn his loss: his life pointed to something bigger than himself. Evil may have celebrated his death, but Charlie pointed to the One who defeated evil once and for all.
Carrying on Charlie’s Legacy
Charlie Kirk’s murder is a gut-wrenching loss for his family, for his friends, and for all of us who cherished his voice. But we must not allow evil to win by silencing him. The best way to honor Charlie is to carry forward the message he lived and died for.
He believed in the power of persuasion over coercion. He believed in conversation over cancellation. He was proof that one person with conviction can inspire a massive movement. His debates on campus weren’t just about scoring points; they were about showing that truth can stand up to scrutiny. He showed young men and women that it’s possible to be bold, articulate, and respectful—even when surrounded by hostility.
That lesson will live on for generations!
But again, at the core of all this was not politics, not even free speech itself. At the core was Jesus Christ. Charlie’s confidence, his courage, and his commitment flowed out of his faith in Jesus. That’s why he could say without hesitation: “It’s all about Jesus!”
That must be our anthem, too. If we truly want to keep Charlie’s memory alive, we must keep pointing others to Christ. That means refusing to celebrate violence, refusing to dehumanize those we disagree with, and refusing to let anger eclipse the gospel. Make no mistake: I am angry, and righteously so! Evil wants us to sin in our anger. Evil wants us to despair, to divide, to lose heart. But the cross reminds us that God brings life out of death, victory out of suffering, hope out of heartbreak.
“What you meant for evil, God meant for good” (Genesis 50:20).
So let us grieve—but let us not grieve as those without hope. Let us pray for Erika, his wife, and their children. Let us stand boldly for Truth in our classrooms, workplaces, and communities. Let us vote against the woke Left until this evil mind-virus is extinguished. Let us persuade others as Charlie did, with love, logic, facts, and reason. Let us reject the voices celebrating this wickedness and instead choose to live out the gospel Charlie proclaimed.
Evil thought it could silence him. But Charlie Kirk’s message lives on.
Closing
Charlie Kirk may be gone from this world, but his words still echo: “If you disagree with me, come to the front of the line and let’s talk this out.” That posture—courageous, curious, Christ-centered—is exactly what we need today.
So let’s carry it forward. For Charlie. For truth. For Jesus.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Recommended Resources:
Correct not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism by Frank Turek (Book, MP4, )
Was Jesus Intolerant? (DVD) and (Mp4 Download) by Dr. Frank Turek
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl (Book)
Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? by Frank Turek (Book, DVD, Mp3, Mp4, PowerPoint download, PowerPoint CD)
Tim Stratton (The FreeThinking Theist) pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska-Kearney (B.A. 1997) and after working in full-time ministry for several years went on to attain his graduate degree from Biola University (M.A. 2014). Tim was recently accepted at North West University to pursue his Ph.D. in systematic theology with a focus on metaphysics.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/47acHRv
Miseducation That Leads to Violence: How to Counter It with Dr. Corey Miller
PodcastHow did Marxism take over once-Christian universities and help fuel the kind of radicalization that led to the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk? Frank sits down with Ratio Christi president Corey Miller to discuss his new book, ‘The Progressive Miseducation of America‘, an eye-opening look at how our universities have polluted the cultural landscape we live in today and turned into breeding grounds for ideological extremism. They tackle critical questions like:
We’re living in a time when the “free exchange of ideas” has been replaced by mobs, censorship, intimidation, and violence. The revolution that began on campus is now consuming the culture, and the church must respond before it’s too late! This discussion won’t be comfortable, but it’s crucial. Be sure to pre-order your copy of ‘The Progressive Miseducation of America‘ today!
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY USING THE LINK BELOW. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
The Progressive Miseducation of America by Corey Miller
RatioChristi.org
Receive the first two chapters FREE! → ratio.link/pma
Why Culture Hates Charlie Kirk
Legislating Morality, Culture & PoliticsWhen my book When Culture Hates You came out earlier this year, I got a lot of comments from both Christians and nonbelievers either laughing off the idea that the culture hates Christians or suggesting to me that writing a book of this nature was unnecessarily “divisive.” There are even some reviews from people who loved the book but still mention that you “just have to get past the title.”
Never mind the fact that Jesus Himself told his followers the world would hate them (John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”).
Other Christians commented that because Trump had just been elected (the book came out in February), we were starting to see that the culture was turning around and we’re actually NOT so hated.
Again, never mind the fact that Jesus Himself told his followers the world would hate them…and that when you understand the nature of the hate He spoke of and WHY it would exist, you know it’s not a function of the specific political environment at any given point in history.
Friends, I’m going to be honest. When Culture Hates You explains so much of what we’ve seen play out this week (in both the tragedy and responses to it). It provides so many answers I think Christians need and are seeking right now, but I haven’t wanted to say that because I didn’t want people to think I was using a tragedy to self-centeredly promote a book. I decided yesterday, however, that to not point people to content that is, I believe, so uniquely timely for what’s happening out of fear of people’s mistaken perceptions regarding my motivation is ironically what IS self-centered.
So, at the risk of anyone thinking that, I reached out to my publisher and got permission to share chapter 1 here (I also shared the audiobook version on my podcast this morning if you’d rather listen). This chapter alone explains:
As I said in my podcast episode, if you want to read/listen to the rest of the book at some point, great…but if you have $13 dollars to spend today, donate it to the Kirk family or TP USA rather than buy the book. I put all of their suggested donation links in the show notes here.
In the meantime, I hope the following chapter helps bring clarity to much of what we’ve seen play out in front of our eyes this week. If you’d like to read my social media comments on this horrific murder, I’ve been posting all week on Facebook and X. And finally, please take the time to watch my friend Frank Turek’s video in honor of Charlie. Frank was a close friend of Charlie’s and was standing next to him when Charlie was killed. He was one of five people in the car with Charlie on the way to the hospital. His video is a touching and beautiful tribute.
CHAPTER 1: JESUS SAID IT WOULD HAPPEN
On March 26, 1997, sheriff’s deputies received an anonymous call to conduct a welfare check at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. When they responded, they found a shocking scene: Thirty-nine people were dead in what turned out to be the largest mass suicide in United States history.
But it wasn’t just the scale of the event that made headlines. The deceased were also mysteriously dressed in identical black tracksuits and brand new Nike shoes. Each person had the same cropped haircut, and a large purple cloth covered each of the bodies.
News of the bizarre scene spread quickly, and the media flooded in. It was eventually discovered that the group had ingested a fatal mix of applesauce, sedatives, and vodka in order to facilitate a collective suicide. Why? They thought they needed to shed their earthly bodies in order to board an alien spacecraft hidden behind an approaching comet—a spacecraft that would pass them through “Heaven’s Gate” and into a higher existence.
People were enthralled with the Heaven’s Gate cult. Despite the morbid nature of what happened, the group became the subject of endless jokes. Even Saturday Night Live made a parody about them. Culture clearly thought the people in this cult were delusional and outlandishly wrong.
But culture didn’t hate them.
When your doorbell rings and you discover two well-dressed people from a local church standing on your doorstep, there’s a good possibility that they’re Jehovah’s Witnesses. Well known to the world for their door-to-door preaching, Jehovah’s Witnesses reportedly send more than 8.5 million people into neighborhoods each year.
The internet abounds with humorous memes of people desperately searching for a way to escape from these evangelists on their doorstep. Apparently, if you’ve ever looked through your peephole and quietly tiptoed back into your house hoping your unsolicited church visitors won’t ring again, you’re not alone. Culture widely considers Jehovah’s Witnesses to be annoyingly persistent in their door-to-door activities.
But culture doesn’t hate them.
If you drive through parts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, you’ll probably have to slow down to accommodate horses and buggies driven by men dressed in black broad-brimmed or straw hats. As you pass through that rural countryside, it may look like a scene from another century. But it’s just everyday life for the local Amish community.
Lancaster County is home to the largest and most well-known settlement of Amish in America, though there are more than 350,000 Amish living in 32 states. Known for shunning modern conveniences like cars, the Amish form close-knit communities dedicated to simple living in pursuit of an undistracted devotion to God. Millions of people flock to Amish country each year to get a glimpse of their unique way of life. At the same time, the Amish are often criticized for being backward and isolated. Culture certainly thinks they’re a curiosity.
But culture doesn’t hate them.
There’s a reason culture doesn’t hate these three groups, even when it’s had an otherwise negative assessment of them: These groups haven’t attempted to influence the public square with their contrarian views.
The public square is anywhere views are shared for the purpose of shaping public opinion on how society should function. If contrarian groups keep to themselves such that culture can forge ahead in the absence of any perceived imposition of beliefs from those groups, they’re in the clear. Go ahead and don matching tracksuits with your friends in anticipation of an alien ship, spend your free time knocking on doors, or live like it’s 1750. Culture might think you’re pitiable, annoying, or weird, but it won’t hate you.
That level of bitter resentment is reserved for groups who believe they shouldn’t keep their contrarian views to themselves. Groups whose very purpose includes a charge to influence the culture around them based on beliefs starkly opposed to those cherished by that culture.
Groups…like Christians.
Who Is Culture?
When I say that culture does or does not hate certain groups, you probably have a general idea of what I mean by culture. But because that word can imply some very different things in different contexts, it’s important to clarify what I mean by it for the purposes of this book.
In the broadest sense, culture refers to the way of life for a society—the manners, dress, language, religion, arts, and customs generally shared by a group of people at a given time. That’s the kind of definition you’d find in a dictionary. But in everyday conversation, people typically use the word culture to mean something much more nuanced. Culture, in this colloquial sense, is personified. It refers to the people and institutions who hold the values considered to be in vogue for a given society.
For example, if someone says to you, “Today’s culture thinks that…,” you intuitively know how the sentence might end given what you observe around you. Any of the following statements would readily fit the presumed context: love means affirmation; it’s better to be spiritual than religious; happiness is the goal of life; you shouldn’t be judgmental; or any number of other prevalent ideas.
This zeitgeist, or “spirit of the times,” can be observed at both individual and institutional levels. Examples of key cultural institutions would include the media, entertainment, government, and academia. Individuals influence those institutions, and those institutions, in turn, influence more individuals. That cycle is ongoing and mutually reinforcing, leading over time to certain values becoming culturally acceptable or celebrated and others becoming anathema. Culture, then, is a snapshot of the current state of society’s values.
That said, it’s important to also emphasize some qualifications about what isn’t implied by my use of the term culture in this book.
First, saying culture thinks or does something is not making a statement about the thoughts or actions of all cultures at all times. For example, the Amish were persecuted by their culture in times past, but that cultural hatred no longer persists. The term culture necessarily implies a context of time and place.
Second, saying culture thinks or does something is not to suggest that every single person in a given society thinks or does the same. We can broadly say culture doesn’t hate the Amish, for example, while recognizing that there are surely some people who do (particularly if they’ve had a bad personal experience with the Amish community).
Third, saying culture thinks or does something is not making a claim about the percent of people in a given society who think or do the same; it’s impossible to broadly quantify the spirit of the times when that encompasses constantly shifting and diverse factors. But even if you could quantify it, sheer numbers wouldn’t necessarily tell the full story. When a statistical minority is more aggressive in influencing the public square with their values than a statistical majority that holds opposing views, it’s the minority’s values that will often come to define the culture.
In summary, for the purposes of this book, culture refers to the people and institutions who hold the values widely considered to be accepted and celebrated in the United States today.
Beyond the Soup Kitchen
The significance of culture to Christians cannot be overstated, because culture functions as a gatekeeper of the ideas that fashionable society deems admissible to the public square at any given time. And if you’re a group whose values have become anathema, the gatekeepers won’t merely roll a condescending eye at you and then let you in. They’ll funnel their hatred of your contrarian values into an active campaign to keep your influence out.
It’s probably not news to you that this is increasingly the relationship between culture and Christians today.
It’s worth noting, however, that culture doesn’t necessarily hate everything Christians might advocate for in the public square. For example, people with all kinds of different views about the world would agree that it’s a good thing to volunteer at or donate to local soup kitchens. If you’re part of a Christian group passionate about that form of service, you might decide to publicly advocate for the cause in some way. In doing so, it’s likely that no one will hate you, even if they disagree on the best way to approach the issue of food insecurity. Serving food to those in need is an action still widely considered to be a moral good.
But now let’s say you’re a group who believes humans in the womb have the same value and God-given right to life as humans who have already been born, and you decide to publicly advocate for a local pro-life pregnancy center.
I don’t have to tell you we’re out of soup kitchen territory now.
In today’s culture, the pro-life position is seen as a repulsive injustice to women. Consequently, culture doesn’t think that those who hold such a position are merely mistaken—a belief akin to thinking an alien ship is coming—it thinks they’re oppressors. If you speak or act publicly against abortion, you’ll be morally condemned and detested for being harmful, oppressive, cruel, toxic, violent, or misogynistic (more on that in chapter 8).
Loving your neighbor by publicly advocating for a soup kitchen and loving your neighbor by publicly advocating for the protection of life in the womb are both outworkings of a biblical worldview. But, as we just saw, there’s a major difference in how those two actions are perceived by culture. The former will likely draw ambivalence or approval, the latter serious condemnation. As Christians, therefore, we aren’t resented for everything we believe and do, but because we’re reviled for opposing some of the values most cherished by culture, we’re increasingly hated as a group.
The gatekeepers would love nothing more than for us to just keep serving soup while being silent about the issues on which we’re at odds with culture—and that’s a tempting proposition for many Christians. After all, if we did that, culture would like us (or at least like us more). Who wants to be hated?
But being hated is exactly what Jesus told us to expect if we’re going to follow His commands. Silence in exchange for cultural respect is a deal with the devil.
Jesus Said It Would Happen
Knowing what the Bible says about culture hating the followers of Jesus is the key to understanding the moment we’re in, so let’s go to Scripture.
Jesus called His 12 disciples together one day to prepare them to go out on a mission. He gave them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and affliction (Matthew 10:1). He then instructed them at length on what to expect and do on their journey. It certainly wasn’t a talk designed to encourage the disciples with any idea that the mission field would warmly embrace them. Jesus warned that they’d be handed over to local councils and be flogged in the synagogues (Matthew 10:17), that family members would betray each other and have one another put to death (Matthew 10:21), and that He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). It’s within that context that Jesus said the following: “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Later, in Matthew 24:9, Jesus repeated to His disciples, “You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.”
These verses should raise the question of why Jesus’s disciples would be hated. In the immediate context of these passages, Jesus doesn’t explicitly say why. But we get a more detailed picture of what He had in mind in His words from John 15:18-21:
If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
Now we have the explanation: If the disciples were of the world, the world would have loved them as its own, but because they weren’t of the world, the world would hate them. Jesus similarly connected this explanation when He prayed, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).
So what does it mean to be of the world? The Greek word translated “world” here is kosmos. Kosmos in this context refers to unbelieving mankind, which is governed by evil. To say that unbelievers are governed by evil isn’t a hyperbolic theological claim. Jesus bluntly said on multiple occasions that Satan is the ruler of the kosmos (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). In fact, He told a crowd of Jews who claimed to be children of God through their physical descent from Abraham that they were actually children of Satan (John 8:44)! Why? He said it was because their will was to do the devil’s desires.
That’s the pivotal distinction. People are either children of Satan or children of God. People who are “of the world” are children of Satan, and, under his influence, desire to go their own way rather than God’s way. In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul says all of us have that desire for self-rule by nature:
You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Those who remain of the world are slaves to sin because they remain in rebellion to their Creator; in following their own passions and desires, they do the will of Satan. Those who give their lives to Jesus, however, receive a new nature and are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). They become children of God (John 1:12) and are now slaves to righteousness. Paul emphasizes this contrast in Romans 6:16-18:
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
So let’s recap. Jesus said the world would hate His disciples because they were not of the world; if they were of the world, the world would love them as its own. To be of the world means to be under the governing influence of Satan, resulting in being a slave to sin. Conversely, to be a child of God is to be a slave to righteousness.
That leads to our final question: Why do the children of Satan necessarily hate the children of God? John addresses this question directly in 1 John 3:9-13:
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
In short, the children of God will be hated because they practice righteousness and the children of Satan practice evil.
Righteousness is despised by a fallen world.
When the children of God practice righteousness, they shine light on the works of the world, unveiling the truth of what they are: evil. Satan may masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but that illusion is shattered by the true light that comes from the followers of Jesus. Of course those who are of the world will hate that. And they’ll hate you for making it happen.
Christianity Is a Public Faith
Given that this is why Jesus said the world would hate His disciples, it follows that He presumed they would be engaging with the world in some way; where evil continues in darkness, there’s no light to hate. Being a Christian, therefore, doesn’t end with a private profession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. If we profess that Jesus is Lord over our lives, we’ll live in obedience to His commands (John 14:15)—commands that include the public engagement necessary to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and to advocate for righteousness in our given cultures. Jesus spoke of this latter role in His famous Sermon on the Mount words about being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16):
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
As salt, we preserve a world that would otherwise be entirely under the destructive rule of Satan and enslaved to sin. We preserve the world for enough time that God’s purposes can be worked out. As light, we expose the darkness for what it is and bring glory to God in the process (see also John 3:19-21; 8:12; Ephesians 5:11). These roles of preserving and exposing are inherently of a public nature. They require Christians to advocate for righteousness in the public square. We aren’t preserving or exposing anything by sitting passively in our living rooms.
It’s at this point that some Christians get squeamish. They agree that we’re to be salt and light, but they believe that should only include sharing the gospel and doing good works in one’s private life—not advocating for righteousness in how society functions. In response, four points should be made.
First, acknowledging the need to advocate for righteousness in how society functions doesn’t imply there isn’t also a need for Christians to share the gospel and do good works in their private lives. We can share the gospel, do good works in our private lives, and advocate for righteousness in how society functions. This should be a rather obvious point, but it warrants an explicit remark because it’s a common reason Christians give for avoiding the public square. The underlying sentiment is that our primary mission is to share the gospel and do good works, so time spent on social issues is a distraction from what we should really be doing. While it’s a worthwhile warning to not turn our mission into a purely earthly one, the possibility of Christians erring in that direction is not an argument for not caring about the righteous functioning of society at all. The laws passed by our society affect our ability to even preach the gospel in the first place.
Second, the gospel itself implies the need to care about how society functions and act accordingly. When Christians say we should “just” preach the gospel, it’s worth asking what they believe the gospel is. The gospel is the good news that God loved the world so much, He gave His only son to die as payment for our sins so we could be reconciled to Him and have everlasting life. When we respond to this gracious offer of salvation, we submit to Jesus as Lord and follow His commands out of our love for Him. Caring about the way in which society functions is just one part of following Jesus’s second greatest commandment, to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40). Part of loving your neighbor is caring about the quality of their lives in the context of the society in which they live. Put simply, we should want God’s best for them.
Third, when we care about the quality of people’s lives in the context of the society in which they live, we should want God’s best for them regardless of how many people are responsive to the gospel message at any given time. Christians sometimes believe that the extent of societal transformation for which we’re responsible is preaching the gospel so that individual consciences will be transformed and more individuals will then make righteous choices. But when you apply that logic to specific cases in history, few people would maintain the same position consistently. For example, imagine someone saying the following: “I think Christians in the nineteenth century really messed up by working to abolish slavery. They should have just preached the gospel so that individual lives would be transformed, and over time, that would have changed society to the point it would no longer find slavery morally acceptable.” I’m guessing nearly every reader would instinctively disagree with this imaginary person, but take a moment to consider why. Four million enslaved people were set free by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. How many more years would people have had to suffer in slavery if Christians had simply waited for a critical mass of Americans to have their moral sensibilities transformed through personal salvation? What if that critical mass was never reached? Should slavery have continued? Of course not. Fortunately, there were Christians at the time who recognized the need to shine light on the deeds of darkness and advocate for righteousness—the end to a wicked institution. They preached the gospel, but they didn’t wait to see how many conversions would happen before working to bring an end to societal evil.
Finally, God’s concern for how society functions runs throughout the Bible. It’s clear that God cares both about individual relationships with Him and the moral health of the societies in which individuals live. The following are just a few notable examples where biblical people were exhorted to proactively shape societies that function in a righteous way:
Being salt and light isn’t only about having a godly influence on culture, but biblical examples demonstrate it certainly includes that.
When Culture Hates You
Something that’s easy to gloss over in Jesus’s words about being salt and light is how that passage ends: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, emphasis added). This is a seemingly surprising conclusion given our earlier discussion about being hated for righteousness. In fact, it’s a jarring contrast even against Jesus’s immediately preceding words (Matthew 5:10-12):
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So which is it? Will the world hate us for shining light, or will it see our good works and glorify God?
The answer is both.
Sometimes when we as Christians testify to righteousness through our words and actions, people will have their eyes opened and glorify God as the source of all that is good and true. Praise the Lord for those times!
But in other circumstances, Christians will be reviled and even persecuted. Yes, Jesus said that we would be blessed when that happens, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. The prophet Jeremiah spoke God’s truth to his culture, but he also lamented, “I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long” (Jeremiah 20:7-8). Jeremiah wasn’t an exception. The pattern of the Bible is that all the prophets suffered in some way (Acts 7:52). It’s never been popular to publicly advocate for righteousness in a fallen world.
No book is needed to equip and encourage Christians to persevere through cultural hatred when publicly advocating for something like a soup kitchen. As we discussed, no one will hate you for that.
But when culture hates you—when you’re reviled for promoting your views in the public square—it takes deep conviction and courage to nonetheless persevere for the common good. That requires biblical, cultural, and civic understanding that Christians don’t necessarily have by default. And therein lies the purpose of this book: to give Christ followers the crucial understanding required to confidently advocate for righteousness in today’s increasingly dark and hostile culture.
Part 1 will establish important foundational principles on the nature of Christian public influence. The purpose of this section is to provide readers with a framework for evaluating any common-good issue, whether it’s one we address specifically in part 2 or not. So don’t skip part 1! It functions as far more than a lead-in to part 2. It’s relevant to a plethora of issues Christians encounter beyond the specific ones we’ll consider in this book.
That said, in part 2, we’ll apply our understanding from part 1 to five issues that are of especially great significance for the common good today—issues on which Christians are also at great odds with culture and receive significant condemnation accordingly. These aren’t the only issues drawing resentment against Christians, but they represent a selection of those on which Christians most urgently need clarity.
I pray that When Culture Hates You will equip and encourage you to be the light God wants you to be in this world.
Recommended Resources:
If God, Why Evil? (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek
The Case for Christian Activism (MP3 Set), (DVD Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek
Why does God allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? (DVD) and (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek
Legislating Morality (mp4 download), (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), (PowerPoint download), and (PowerPoint CD) by Frank Turek
Natasha Crain is a blogger, author, and national speaker who is passionate about equipping Christian parents to raise their kids with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend their faith in an increasingly secular world. She is the author of two apologetics books for parents: Talking with Your Kids about God (2017) and Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side (2016). Natasha has an MBA in marketing and statistics from UCLA and a certificate in Christian apologetics from Biola University. A former marketing executive and adjunct professor, she lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4gQL6bm
What’s Next for Turning Point USA? Continuing the Legacy of Charlie Kirk with Mikey & Rob McCoy
PodcastWhat will happen to TPUSA without its fearless leader, Charlie Kirk? Frank sits down with two people who knew him best, Charlie’s pastor, Rob McCoy, and his son, Mikey McCoy—Charlie’s close friend and Chief of Staff at TPUSA. Together they discuss how Charlie’s vision, faith, and leadership will continue to guide TPUSA even in his absence. During their conversation, they’ll tackle questions like:
Charlie wanted to be remembered for his faith above all else—and this episode offers an intimate look at the man behind the movement. You’ll hear personal stories that reveal his heart for the Gospel and the mission that still drives TPUSA today. Tune in to discover how Mikey, Erika Kirk, and the rest of Charlie’s amazing team is carrying Charlie’s vision into the future—and how you can be part of it.
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY USING THE LINK BELOW. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Donate to CrossExamined.org
TPUSA.com
AmericaFest 2025
The False Dilemma of Worldly Philosophies
Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
One of my goals as a Christian and as a tenured full professor of philosophy and religion at our nation’s largest research university (ASU) is to help Christian parents and students understand what to expect if they attend classes teaching radical ideologies—DEI, LGBTQ+, Antifa, decolonization, anti-settler, anti-white, and anti-heteronormativity theories. Christians know that such universities would never permit a Christian to use class time for evangelism. The radical Marxist professor seems to think that the First Amendment guarantees them a job as a professor, but it doesn’t guarantee them that anyone will attend their classes or programs.
So how did we get here, and what can parents and students do about it?
Three Steps that Led Us Here
1. The Myth of Neutrality – The first step is the myth of neutrality. Christians allowed public universities to be disconnected from Christian belief on the assumption that in a pluralistic society, public education cannot be shaped by one “perspective.” But this neutrality was a myth—and it was never practiced by the radical left.
Many on the left claim they are teaching “facts,” not religion, so they avoid the appearance of bias. Yet, for them, the Marxist dialectic is the fact of the matter. They look at who is in power and blame that power structure for realities like poverty and crime. In the modern era, white Christian males have been in power, so they become the objects of animosity.
This assessment has no nuance. These critics lump all Christians into the same narrative, ignoring that slavery, for example, was brought to an end largely by white Christian men, whereas it continues in other parts of the world today. But for the radicals, that too must somehow be blamed on colonization and, by extension, Christianity. All problems in any nation today are due, they tell us, to Christianity. Christian missionaries are the special subject of their animosity.
For many Christians, this strategy is powerful. They either bow out of the conflict with radicalism or even join it because they want to help those who suffer. Radicals will even quote the Bible to Christian students: “Didn’t Jesus say that when you help the least of these, you are helping Him?”
Students may be ready for a direct assault on the Bible, but they are often unprepared for scripture twisting. One radical I work with says she loves Jesus just not the other parts of the Bible made by men. Which parts of what Jesus says does she like and which parts are made by men? She likes the parts that accord with her own moral intuitions (two or three sayings about helping others) and all the rest, those that call for repentance for sin, those that tell the crowd to seek the bread of life, those that call us to love him by keeping his commandments, those she dismisses.
In a false dilemma, each side may contain some truth. Rarely does a belief system teach only falsehoods. The Marxist is right to care about the poor and to point out that greedy people misuse the capitalist system to exploit others. But the Marxist’s ability to identify real sins does not validate the rest of their worldview.
The Horizontal Solutions
Radical professors try to solve humanity’s problems on a merely human level—what I call the horizontal level. They believe crime and poverty result from private property. Eliminate private property, they argue, and we will create perfect humans.
But the other side of the false dilemma is no better. There we find godless capitalism, pushed by atheist technocrats who want to perfect humanity through technology and transhumanism built on capitalist innovation.
Both sides offer merely horizontal solutions.
The Need for a Vertical Perspective
The real solution begins with recognizing that there is more to existence than the merely human or merely material. We must begin with God, who has existed from eternity. We are His creatures, made by Him and given moral direction by Him. Our chief end is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.
Our human problem is first and foremost our sin by which we lost communion with God. Our sin destroys every aspect of our lives. It makes us hate ourselves and have body dysmorphia, it makes us hate our neighbor and develop grievances and envy, and it makes us hate God. Although God’s commands are good for us and are the path to life, in our sin we hate his law and find it a burden.
Jesus warned the crowds following Him that they sought only material bread when they should have been seeking the Bread of Life. Poverty is tragic, but there are far worse things—such as spiritual death. Jesus was clear that we should not be focused on “what shall I eat and what shall I wear” but on the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:24-26). He was clear that “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
Why the Radical Turns to Marxism
The desire to help the downtrodden is why many godless academics are drawn to some variation of Marxism. Created in the image of God, they still long for justice and righteousness, even after abandoning God. They suffer under the weight of sin that crushes individuals and entire systems.
But rather than repent, many will just harden their hearts, double down on hating God, and propose their materialist dialectic. The “spiritually minded” simply add New Age platitudes about “the universe,” “my soul,” “reincarnation,” or “the One.”
The False Dilemma Exposed
The false dilemma appears because both perceived options—Marxism and materialistic capitalism—reject God.
But the truth is that only God can absolutely own anything.
Capitalism has real virtues: personal responsibility, private property, fair wages, investment of capital, wise use of time. It has raised more people out of poverty and produced more innovation than any other system. But if it becomes mere human ownership for selfish indulgence, it is as ugly as Marxism.
We do not have to pick between two poisons. What happens in the university is that Marxists point out abuses in capitalism, and the unprepared Christian is caught and made captive to unbelief.
Preparing the Next Generation
We need to teach our children to see through these tactics. Help them anticipate the assaults of Marxist radicals so they are not caught off guard—and so they can raise questions exposing the folly of the materialist dialectic.
If they know the strategy in advance, they can counter it. Or better yet, they can choose alternative classes and professors. No one is required to take courses from Marxist radicals. Let them lecture to empty rooms.
Recommended Resources:
Was Jesus Intolerant? (DVD) and (Mp4 Download) by Dr. Frank Turek
Correct not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism by Frank Turek (Book, MP4, )
How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (DVD Set, Mp3, and Mp4)
Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? by Frank Turek (Book, DVD, Mp3, Mp4, PowerPoint download, PowerPoint CD)
Dr. Owen Anderson is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, a pastor, and a certified jiu-jitsu instructor. He emphasizes the Christian belief in God, human sin, and redemption through Christ, and he explores these themes in his philosophical commentary on the Book of Job. His recent research addresses issues such as DEIB, antiracism, and academic freedom in secular universities, critiquing the influence of thinkers like Rousseau, Marx, and Freud. Dr. Anderson actively shares his insights through articles, books, online classes, and his Substack.
Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Theories? Homicide Detective Speaks Out
PodcastConspiracy theories are everywhere in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination—but how much of what you’ve heard is actually true? Was Tyler Robinson really acting alone? Could there have been a second shooter? And why is the FBI withholding details from the public?
This week on I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, cold-case homicide detective J. Warner Wallace joins Frank to use his expertise in criminal investigations to tackle the biggest questions circulating online about Charlie’s death. Together, they’ll expose why conspiracies thrive, debunk false claims, and explore how real investigators approach cases like this with truth instead of speculation.
As the world continues to process this tragedy and await justice, Frank and Jim will put some of these baseless speculations to rest and point listeners back to the ultimate hope found in Christ alone. If you’ve been wrestling with the rumors about the assassination and aren’t sure what to believe, tune in and hear the facts for yourself!
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY HERE. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
BOOK: Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace
BOOK: Cold-Case Christianity (Updated & Expanded Edition): A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
WEBSITE: ColdCaseChristianity.com
*WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT* CONSPIRACY THEORY VIDEO FROM RANGEDAYBRO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbaQadkqkzI&rco=1
Tender Hearts vs. the False Gospel of Progressive Christianity with Alisa Childers
PodcastYou would think that when hearts become open to the gospel, Christians would rejoice and get to work. Instead, progressive “Christians” are warning about conservative politics. In fact, some of them chose to use Charlie Kirk’s assassination and memorial service as an opportunity to discourage Christians from engaging in politics rather than encouraging them to share the Gospel!
Today, our friend Alisa Childers joins Frank to expose the subtle lies of this movement. Alisa and Frank tackle important and timely questions like:
You’ll see why standing for truth and even your local law enforcement matters more now than ever. Be sure to pre-order a copy of Alisa’s new Student Edition of ‘Another Gospel’, which includes discussion questions for young adults and stay tuned for upcoming guests like archaeologist Titus Kennedy, Rob McCoy (Charlie Kirk’s pastor), along with more details coming soon surrounding the security details of the tragic event that took place on 9/10/2025.
If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY HERE. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!
Resources mentioned during the episode:
Another Gospel? Student Edition – https://a.co/d/fwCaqdX
Unshaken Conference – https://unshakenconference.com/
Alisa’s podcast – https://alisachilders.com/podcast/
Unshaken Faith podcast – https://www.youtube.com/@UnshakenFaithPod
Top 5 Apologetic Books for a Graduate
Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics[Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in May 2025 at Is Christianity True?]
We are in the midst of graduation season and some of us either have a graduate or know a graduate who is going to be headed off to college in just a couple of months. How can we help prepare them to face some the challenges and opportunities that college offers. Here is a list of the top apologetic books to buy for a recent graduate that would be helpful:
Jonathan Morrow is the director of Impact360 which has a two-week Immersion worldview training and a Gap Year for college students. His book Welcome to College, newly published, is now in its second edition. J. P. Moreland, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, states that “this is the book I’ve been waiting for the last forty years to give to college students. It is the single best volume I have ever read for preparing students to follow Jesus and flourish as His disciples in college.” Morrow covers issues ranging from ethics, apologetics, money management, and practical tips for navigating college. Definitely worth giving a new (or even seasoned) college student.
William Lane Craig (double doctorate), of Reasonable Faith, has been establishing RF Chapters all over the U. S. and the world with several on campuses. This book takes you on an exploration of life’s deepest questions: why anything at all exists, the origin and fine-tuning of the universe, the nature of moral values and the reality of evil, the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth, the resurrection of Jesus.
Michael Kruger, president of Reformed Theological Seminary and professor of Early Christianity and New Testament, structures each chapter of the book as a “letter” to his daughter Emma who is now in college. This is to keep the book accessible and personal rather than a knowledge dump of information. Each “letter” (i.e., chapter) covers topics such as: (1) surviving as a Christian at a secular college, (2) since my professor is really smart isn’t it more likely that they are right and I am wrong, (3) hell seems barbaric and cruel, (4) the morality of homosexuality, (5) science seems to explain everything, and (6) the ancient scribes changed the wording of the New Testament, along with ten other letters covering hot topics that high school graduates will face in college.
Turek and Geisler make apologetics accessible and practical in the complete introduction to the topic. Frank Turek, who travels around the country giving presentations with the same title as the book on college campuses, is a dynamic presenter. Starting with complete skepticism they build on the existence of truth, God’s existence, reliability of Bible, the divinity of Jesus, and his resurrection. Includes great examples and stories to illustrate the points they make in the text. There is a wealth of resources readily available to guide students and assist them during their college years. Great graduation gift ideas.
Recommended Resources:
Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek (Book, 10-Part DVD Set, STUDENT Study Guide, TEACHER Study Guide)
Can All Religions Be True? mp3 by Frank Turek
Macro Evolution? I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be a Darwinist (DVD Set), (MP3 Set) and (mp4 Download Set) by Dr. Frank Turek
How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (DVD Set, Mp3, and Mp4)
Steve Lee has taught Apologetics for over two and a half decades at Prestonwood Christian Academy. He also has taught World Religions and Philosophy at Mountain View College in Dallas and Collin College in Plano. With a degree in history and education from the University of North Texas, Steve continued his formal studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a M.A. in philosophy of religion and has pursued doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Dallas and is finishing his dissertation at South African Theological Seminary. He has published several articles for the Apologetics Study Bible for Students as well as articles and book reviews in various periodicals including Philosophia Christi, Hope’s Reason: A Journal of Apologetics, and the Areopagus Journal. Having an abiding love for fantasy fiction, Steve has contributed chapters to two books on literary criticism of Harry Potter: Harry Potter for Nerds and Teaching with Harry Potter. He even appeared as a guest on the podcast MuggleNet Academia (“Lesson 23: There and Back Again-Chiasmus, Alchemy, and Ring Composition in Harry Potter”). He is married to his lovely wife, Angela, and has two grown boys, Ethan and Josh.
Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4nUpHR4