To Speak Or Not to Speak?

For the Christian, is it better to keep quiet about the injustices in our society when we see them, or should we speak out against them? After having been berated by an acquaintance of mine for being outspoken about what is currently taking place in the political and societal landscape of the United States, I’ve realized just how divided many in the church are on the subject of whether we should speak out or stay silent.

Maybe because I am a direct blood descendant of Thomas Stone who signed the Declaration of Independence for the State of Maryland, and the explorer Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark expeditions is in my family lineage, I feel stronger than some about this subject and what I see happening within this nation that was founded upon Godly principles in the pursuit of liberty from tyranny.

Unfortunately, political correctness has crept not only into Washington DC, but into the church to the point of compromising our ability to stand up for what is right and true. What used to be clearly right and wrong, ethical and unethical, is all of the sudden a big “grey area” with no clear line of demarcation. We, who call ourselves Christians, have allowed ourselves to be weakened to the point that now we are afraid of offending, afraid of what others will think of us when we should stand up and make our voices heard for what is true and right. We’re now in a place where we’re too willing to lay down our convictions in the name of acceptance and so called "love." This so called "love" is nothing more that mercy run amok.

What many don’t understand, is when Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." What He was actually saying if you research it, "Blessed are the confronters . . . "  I think what many of us don’t understand is that in order to have the peace of God and the order of God whether it be in an a nation or a household, there has to be confrontation with the truth first. Light must confront darkness; truth must confront error. Backing away from and avoiding confrontation is not the answer. In no way will truth ever prevail if we, who are supposed to be defending it, retreat and remain silent. Wherever there is the lack of or absence of light, there is automatically the presence of darkness. How can we be the light to the world as the Bible commands us to be and yet hide that light behind political correctness, or in the name of being a "nice" Christian?

But aren’t we supposed to "turn the other cheek" as Jesus taught? In Bible times a strike to the cheek was considered an action of insult, Jesus wasn’t telling us to be complacent door mats inviting evil and corruption to rule over us.

I’ve even heard some say, "Well, the truth will stand for it’s self." Oh, really? Then what happened when Adolf Hitler started the 2nd World War? Did righteousness just up and topple him and his regime one day, or was it those who were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of truth and righteousness that brought about his defeat and ultimately the end of the 2nd World War? Did righteousness just rise it’s head one day and topple the genocidal regime of Saddam Hussein. No, it was those who were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of righteousness and justice; they are the ones who brought an end to the genocide in the nation of Iraq.

Friends, this isn’t the time to be a "nice" Christian, nor is it the time to be politically correct (not that it ever is). Nor is it the time to allow the Light that’s within us to be compromised in the name of acceptance or not wanting to be offensive. Jesus himself knew when to take a stand when He drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip! Instead this is the time to stand up and be counted for what’s right, for what true and honorable. We can pray in our “holy huddles” all we want, but unless we are willing to put our feet to where our prayers are, nothing will change for the better, and evil and corruption will not take a back seat unless it’s forced to. This is the time to get the very ideas of "nice" and "menial" out of our heads and hearts and be willing for once to confront.