Applied Theology in Contemporary Societal Contexts

allegiances, the saints should never seek their true home in the kingdoms of the earth. Patriotism and Christianity are compatible only insofar as the former submits to the latter. If patriotism leads to arrogance in times of prosperity or despair in times of uncertainty, then it has supplanted faith in Christ. It has led us to combine our eternal spiritual home with our temporary earthly home.

Thus, the City of God reminds us that our true home transcends every nation and empire throughout time, and although we should work for the success of our nation, we must never make our home here. As saints, we are citizens of an empire that can never be conquered. Why would we ever fear the demise of our earthly kingdom? We must recognize that patriotism is good, but citizenship in the City of God is better.

Conclusion

We are pilgrims on the Earth, sojourners whose citizenship in the City of God requires us to await the coming Kingdom of Christ. Whether we find ourselves in a moment of peace or trouble; whether we lose religious liberties or keep them; whether we witness prolonged American greatness or the demise of our once prosperous nation; with or without America, the eternal City of God will endure. Amid our efforts to engage and transform culture, we must never place our hope in earthly kingdoms, political victories, or charismatic leaders. We must never allow the rise or fall of earthly empires to displace our confidence in Christ, the Lord of history and the One who holds the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). Even though it is good to confess one’s love for God and country, we must never allow our confidence in the latter to shipwreck our faith in the former. Nor should we allow fear in the present to destroy our hope in the future. In the coming decades, whatever America’s fate, Christians should not despair. Rather, we should look toward the heavenly city to which we belong and toward which we are going.

1 Jerome, Letter CXXVII. To Principia. 2 Augustine, The City of God, ed. Vernon J. Bourke (New York: Image, 1958), 55–56. 3 Ronald H. Nash, The Meaning of History (Nashville: Probe Books, 1998), 50. 4 Richard Neuhaus, The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984). 5 For a glimpse at some emerging challenges facing communities of faith, see Allen Hertzke, ed., Religious Freedom in America: Constitutional Roots and Contemporary Challenges (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2015), 135–248. 6 For two helpful and recent articles discussing the decline of American dominance on the global stage, see Tom Engelhardt, The End of the American Century, The Nation, June 19, 2020, https://www.thenation. com/article/world/trump-empire-decline/; Richard Lachmann, Life at the End of American Empire: Richard Lachmann on the Slow Decline of a Superpower, Literary Hub, January 14, 2020, https://lithub.com/life-atthe-end-of-american-empire/. 7 Augustine, The City of God, 198. 8 Ibid., 473.

9 J. Philip Wogaman, Christian Ethics: A Historical Introduction, Second. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011), 58–60.

Faculty Contribution

Dennis R. McDonald Instructor of Theology John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, Liberty University

APPLIED THEOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETAL CONTEXTS

Even though the days in which we live are polarized, they are not unprecedentedly so. People and societies have always experienced tensions resulting from different approaches to life. Therefore, in order to consider the foundation and necessity of living by faith in the contemporary social context, we must consider what Scripture highlights as the normative practice and outworking of the Christian spirit. This involves applying theology in our world by focusing on the dynamic momentum of faith, which carries us from the innermost life of our soul into the outer worlds of culture and society. To this end, it is helpful to re-ground our social and political engagement in our Christian convictions, recognizing that such engagement begins with theology and expands outward as that theology is applied in varying situations and terrains, culminating in a unified expression of human life lived unto the glory of our Father in Heaven.

To do this properly, however, and with any chance of success, requires us to recognize which aspects and doctrines of the Christian faith must take priority in our efforts to engage culture, and which represent areas of unnecessary conflict and tension, which are not essential to the heart of the Gospel. Gavin Ortlund, in Finding the Right Hills to Die On, explains a helpful approach to doctrinal prioritization, designed to provide a framework through which Christians can determine which of their beliefs are worth fighting for in different contexts, as opposed to those which would be counterproductive. Ortlund groups Christian beliefs into four basic categories:

• First Rank Doctrines are those which are essential to the Gospel itself and cannot be compromised or underemphasized without losing the very nature of Christianity. • Second Rank Doctrines inform the healthy operations of churches and are important enough to separate churches into denominations. • Third Rank Doctrines are important to Christians but not so important as to justify separation or divisions among Christians. • Fourth Rank Doctrines may be intellectually interesting but are unimportant to Gospel witness and ministry.1

This article will explore different realms of theology, dealing with how Christianity impacts various human relationships. It will also seek to evaluate what issues should take priority in each of these circles according to Ortlund’s evaluative framework.

“The Things of First Importance”: Knowing God and a Personal Faith

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved … For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received … (1 Corinthians 15:1-3a)

We begin with the things of “first importance,” which the Apostle Paul defines as the personal application of the Gospel to an individual’s heart — a real and certain transformational encounter with God Himself through faith in His Son (1 Samuel 10:5-6, Romans 6:4). By a gracious act of divine regeneration, a person receives a new moral orientation (Ephesians 4:21-24). What man was once blind to morally, concerning things that did not bother him, now trouble him since they are seen from God’s perspective (John 9:39-41). Thus, the Christian comes to an awareness of God in the forefront of all of his endeavors (Acts 10:36). We become societal examiners, viewing human customs and institutions through the grid of values provided in the Scriptures (Acts 17:21-23). Consequently, an earnest believer should experience keen conviction as his heart is

realigned towards pleasing God in whatever he does (Colossians 3:17). One becomes an evangelist of one’s own heart first (Jeremiah 17:10, Ephesians 2:1-5) and thereafter a heralder of the faith beyond oneself. This new view of the world, informed by biblical categories and values, actively shapes and orders the patterns of one’s life and relationships. This progressively becomes the catalyst for the totality of a convert’s life — leading to renewed relationships with society and culture as well. While there will certainly be healthy debate among Christians about how precisely to organize doctrines, one must reflectively consider which beliefs are so essential that they cannot possibly be downgraded. The Gospel is not one of those. “You Shall Teach them Diligently”: Passing on These Things of First Importance

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

The conversion of an individual’s heart impacts their immediate surroundings. Specifically, it must rewire the way in which he understands family life (Joshua 24:15). Both the Old and New Testaments place

a high value on paving the way forward for future generations. Here, everyone has a part. Men come to view themselves as a protector and vanguard of their own families (Ephesians 5:23). Women come to see themselves as fellow workers and teachers, bestowing wisdom on the next generation (Philippians 4:3, Proverbs 31, Titus 2:3-4). Their homes become an extension of God’s Kingdom (John 14:21,23) on Earth. With personal faith a man comes to treat his wife as a faith partner, in that, he comes to love her as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:28-32) and learns to walk in their covenant as partners in history unto God’s glory (Genesis 1:26-28).

His children, also, should be raised to honor and revere the things of God (Proverbs 22:6). Their minds should be trained as warriors (Psalms 128:2-4, 127:3-5, 128:2-4). Slowly, their thinking is changed as they are discipled (Romans 12:1-2). Soon they themselves will go out into society, bearing with them their refined understanding of and relationship with God.

When discussing the realm of family life, it is important to thoughtfully consider whether one’s ideas of male headship in the home fall into first rank or second rank. For some, the organization of the family structure should not be considered of Gospel rank but is nonetheless an important tool for Gospel witness.

“Whatever You Do”: Vocation as Worship to the Lord

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).

As stewards of God’s created potential on the Earth, we come to work or labor not only to provide for our families or our own physical needs, but because work represents a pure expression of God’s design for mankind. While it is ideal if our job or career corresponds to our inner passions and skills, all work — even that which seems mundane — can become an avenue of redemptive purpose and joy. No job is too small for those in Christ. Even Jesus was a manual laborer (Matthew 13:35). So while we may prefer it if our work corresponds to our unique talents, and if possible be something that we enjoy, our faith never reduces the value of work to merely a fulfillment of our own desires and passions. It is rather the design of God for human life that manifests itself in all

productive and creative cultivation or service, no matter what form it might take.

Our methods of making a living should reveal our character and desire for God to be honored in our life and our labor (Acts 4:13). We are to work to honor God in whatever we do (Matthew 5:14-16). Yet the world and its persuasions are often hostile toward the people of God and their desire to reflect the character and works of the Savior. Therefore, as workers we must set our faces and make it our determination to please Him in our labor (2 Corinthians 5:9). Even the trials of affliction and social pressure on the job may have a larger lesson and bring greater increase to the kingdom than we can imagine. As believers we learn through challenge and trial (John 16:33), and in those hard times, people observe us to see if there is any value or practical validity in our faith. Our theological views on vocation are most likely a third or fourth tier doctrine.

“Contend for the Faith”: Social Presence as Cultural Engagement

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people (Jude 1:3).

A Christian becomes an agent, a vessel, and a tool of Christ as he lives his life in the public square. Christ awakens the noetic nature of man. Paul demonstrates this in his address on Mars Hill. The Apostle became critical of the reality around him, and desired to bring God’s perspective on issues to the people who were suffering under delusions and lies (Acts 17:18-19). One thing that needs to occur more critically in our day is for Christians to bring God’s perspective on life and circumstances (Proverbs 8:13-16). This holds true even in civil engagement. No one confronted cultural malaise more than Jesus, but He gave God’s viewpoint on moral issues through an unabated and active righteousness (John 7:7). Admittedly, such behavior might irritate some, but the Christian must be willing to stand up for the truth even in the midst of social pressure and hostility (Acts 4:13). The believer cannot retreat from his faith’s conviction but must know when to answer a fool in his folly and when not to (Proverbs 26:4). Therefore, as a Christian is involved in his neighborhoods, communities, political institutions, etc., the conviction and content of one’s faith should inform one’s perspective and be demonstrated in one’s conduct (Galatians 5:11, 25). The early

American dynamic of Christian involvement affords a profitable example of how this can be done well and a model for contemporary engagement. Cultural engagement, depending what denomination you are in could be a second or third tier doctrine. It is practically necessary for every Christian and has led to denominational division in the past.

“And You will be My Witnesses”: Faith on Display before the World

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8b).

Finally, an earnest believer becomes concerned with the spreading of the Gospel around the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Just as a believer has been affected by good news from a far country (Proverbs 25:25), so earnest faith should concern itself with the larger spreading of the Gospel around the globe for God’s glory. The goal is to consider one’s self, family, vocation, and larger society as multiple fields of human life in which God’s creative and redemptive glory can express itself through His people (Isaiah 12:3). Exactly how or when we spread the Gospel may be up for debate, but as Christians we cannot resist our duty to what is most important. Conclusion

In each of these domains, acting according to Christian beliefs and convictions may bring one into tension or conflict with the patterns of this world and even — at times — with other Christians who view certain doctrines differently. As such, it is necessary to form some kind of framework to evaluate what beliefs and behaviors are necessary for Christians to stand and fight for, as opposed to those which would actually be counterproductive to one’s ministry. The framework in this article gives a helpful operational basis for exhibiting one’s faith both to other Christians and to nonbelievers.

Christianity not only provides a basis on which to engage with each area, relationship, and sphere of life as a unique creational domain of God but also furnishes a practical grid through which to inform how we approach each. By living actively and reflectively, prioritizing our witness biblically in each public and private relationship, the Christian is able to demonstrate through his conduct and behavior the purity and practical truth of his beliefs.

1 Gavin Ortlund, Finding the Right Hills to Die On: The Case for Theological Triage (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020), 19.