Daniel Darling's Blog, page 63

Fearless Predictions for 2014:

A fair warning: I’m likely the worst prognosticator in the world. Just ask President Pawlenty. And yet here I am making predictions for 2014, well, just because this is what writers do. So without further fanfare, my picks for 2014:

 1)   After a year (2013) of religious liberty setbacks, this will be the year religious liberty wins in the courts. This is not just a left-right issue, but also a constitutional issue. I think the Supreme Court will strike down the HHS mandate in a win for religious organizations and businesses.

2)   Peyton Manning will win his second Super Bowl, leading the Denver Broncos to a narrow win over the Seattle Seahawks. This year will further bolster Manning’s case as one of the greatest QB’s to play in the NFL

3)   There will be two or three major controversies that will continue to divide the Christian blogosphere. Some will fan the flames for continued blog traffic, platform building or fundraising. Others will issue cliched appeals to harmony, unity, and getting back to important work, like instagraming every meal.  And a few smart influencers will offer thoughtful and original reactions.

4)   A pop culture icon will do something crass, foolish, or vulgar (or all three) allowing regular people to feel better about themselves.

5)   Southern Baptists will continue to quietly serve as the third largest disaster relief operation in the world, but nobody will notice.

6)   No Chicago sports teams will win a championship. The Cubs’ 100-year plus rebuilding project will continue at its glacial pace, the Bulls will me a mediocre-but-not-elite team without Derrick Rose, the Blackhawks will take a year off from winning championships, the White Sox will continue to have no plan, and the Bears will rise and fall on the health and maturity of their quarterback, Jay Cutler.

7)   Evangelicals of my generation and younger will continue to try to be cool and Christian with less and less success. As the stigma of radically following Christ pushes against cultural winds, many will run for the high ground of acceptance and eschew courage.

8)   Political parties and activist groups will tell us again (without irony) that the 2014 midterm election is the most important of our lifetime. This will lead some to fevered and worried anticipation, others to involvement, and others to apathy.

9)   Dr. Russell Moore will continue to grow in influence among those trying to apply the gospel of the Kingdom to current culture. His winsome voice will help younger evangelicals think through difficult moral and ethical issues and key institutional leaders will continue to seek his advice on evaluating and making policy.

10)  Some will continue to wring their hands at the decline of the Church’s influence and power while quietly, the gospel will advance in cities around the world. A burgeoning gospel-centered movement to church plant in the worlds’ biggest population centers will slowly transform whole neighborhoods, boroughs, and even whole cities.   Small town pastors will continue their faithful gospel work. And Jesus’ promise to build His church will continue unabated by other factors.

11)   People will continue to demand content in a variety of platforms. Reading of online content on smart phones and iPads will increase. The desire for magazine-style journalism on digital devices will increase. And the consuming of e-books will level off but not drop off as readers appreciate the complimentary nature of both digital and analog.

12)   Smart, young, conservative evangelicals will continue to quietly make their mark in leading cultural and political institutions. Christian colleges and seminaries will keep churning out committed, well-read, world-shapers eager to contribute to human flourishing in their generation.

13)   The color of the Church as we know it will continue to change. The embrace of intentional racial diversity by the evangelical church, rapidly changing North American demographics, and changing attitudes about race will continue to bring Sunday gatherings closer to John’s vision of the Kingdom in Revelation 9.

14)   Bloggers will continue to blog about Mark Driscoll, even if there is nothing left to talk about. No explanation needed here, really.

15)   The prolife movement will continue to make gains, both in public attitudes, in state-by-state legislative remedies, and in the heroic work of countless crisis pregnancy centers around the world. The outrage of abortion on demand will continue to prick the American conscience.

16)   Dr. Russell Moore will continue to mock me for calling Diet Pepsi “pop” instead of coke. And I’ll continue to stand out as a Midwesterner among southern gentleman here in Nashville.

17)    Tim Keller will continue to churn more awesome books than I  have time to read.

What Are Your Goals for 2014? Here are mine

Yesterday I poo-poohed New Year’s posts on Twitter:

3 kinds of New Year’s blogs: a) Have a better year (5 steps) b) angsty I’m-not-perfect-and-God-still-loves-me c) resolutions don’t matter

— Daniel Darling (@dandarling) December 30, 2013

And yet here I am, today, sharing a New Year’s post. I thought I would share my goals for 2014. By making them public, it gives me some accountability and perhaps it will help inspire others to set some good, God-centered goals. New Year’s is a great time to reevaluate, to set aside the past, look to the future, and pray with Moses, “Lord, teach us to number our days so we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12). So, without further ado, my five goals for 2014:

1) Get in better physical shape. Frankly, I’m probably in the worst shape of my life. I intend to get back in shape by losing weight and exercising. Weight Watchers has always worked for me, so I’ve signed up and will start attending weekly meetings and following the plan. Yes, I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and it’s balanced and nutritional and reasonable, given my travel schedule and other factors. (and please, though I know you mean well, don’t send me your diet books, new formulas, or special powders. I’m sure they work wonders for you, but I’m not interested).

2) Continue pursuing my Master’s degree. Since I recently moved to Nashville, I recently transferred from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. SBTS has an extension center in Nashville and also offers convenient online and hybrid courses. I’ve already started one for this winter term. Studying takes extra work and takes away some other pleasures, but in the long run, it will be worth it both to honor the Lord with my mind and equip me for my current and future callings.

3) Spend quality time with my wife and kids when I’m home. This is something I honestly struggle with. It’s hard for me to be home when I’m home, if you know what I mean. It’s difficult to put down my phone and be present. It’s not that I think my work is more important than my family, it’s just that I really love my job and have struggled to shut it off when I walk in the door. I’ve done pretty well, I think, as a husband and father, but this is one area where I really need the Lord’s help. I know I have much room for improvement here.

4) Lead my team with intentionality, purpose and quality. This year I really want to equip and encourage the coworkers who work on my team at ERLC. I’m praying for the Lord to mold me into a leader worth following and a servant of those I’m called to follow. I have high hopes that this will be a great year for us as God uses us to represent Southern Baptists in the public square and to help equip Christians to think through important issues of ethics and culture.

5) Become a more intentional giver. I’m not sure what this will look like, but Angela and I both feel compelled to invest more in Christ’s Kingdom, where “moth nor rust does corrupt nor thieves break thru and steal”  (Matthew 6:19-20).

 

Top 10 Posts of 2013

This was a great year in blogging with a 75% increase in traffic. I thank each and every read who passed through and hope my words, in some small way, helped you grow closer to Jesus. I blogged about a lot of different things this year, mostly whatever ideas came to my mind, mostly at the intersection of faith and ministry and culture. Here were the top ten blogs, ranked by order of pageviews:

1) 5 Things Every Daughter Needs to Hear From Her Dad

This idea came to me on a Sunday evening after a long day of ministry. Not sure exactly what sparked it, but I had no idea how huge it would be. Essentially I shared a list of things daughters need to hear from their fathers. As a father of three, these are things I try to practice on a regular basis.

2) 5 Things Every Son Needs to Hear from His Dad

This came on the heals of the above post. I had some parents wonder why I didn’t mention boys. So this is one for fathers of boys. Along with three daughters, I also have a son. Seems boys and girls have different needs, different “love languages” and so this one struck a chord as well. Like the above list, these are things I try to practice with my own son regularly.

3) How to Build Community In Your Church

This was a blog written, not to pastors or church leaders, but to the members. We often put too much of the responsibility for fostering community on the leaders with little expectation from church members. But it takes everyone giving and receiving in order for us to live out the gospel as Christ’s local body of believers.

4) Why Going to Church on Sunday is an Act of War

I was a bit melodramatic on this one, but I wanted to make a point that the simple act of getting out of bed and going to a Bible-believing, Christ-proclaiming church on Sunday is a more world-changing, revolutionary concept than you might imagine. Praising the name of Christ in your corner of the word is a powerful and bold statement.

5) 5 People We Should Pray For, Even If We Don’t Want To

I tried to think of the most despised groups of people in society, the folks that everyone agrees are worth mocking and despising. Of course you could create a much longer list or much different list than mine, but this did provoke some good discussion.

6) 5 Ways Adult Children Can Honor Their Parents

So, I was into lists in 2013. Well, here is a subject we don’t often discuss: how adult followers of Christ can honor and respect their parents. This is a really tricky and difficult subject. I hope I navigated the tensions well.

7) 5 Hard Truths for Parents

This post was born out of both my role as a pastor in a church with young families and my own role as a father of young children. There are some hard truths we need to accept about our children and about ourselves if we are going to create gospel communities in our homes.

8) 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being a Dad

I wrote this post in May of 2012, but it still got some good traffic. It’s easily the most read of any blog I created. In this blog I talk about the realities of fatherhood that are just foreign to those who don’t have children.

9) 5 Reflections on My First Year in Seminary

I was surprised at how the traffic this post generated. Apparently more people were interested in my first year of seminary than I realized. This post has reflections on seminary life, going to school as an older student, and how seminary and ministry intersect.

10) 5 Reasons We Don’t Share Our Faith

So why don’t Christians share the gospel? There are reasons beyond the simple causes like apathy or fear. There are theological reasons. This post was both personal and pastoral.

 

 

2013 – The Year That Was

I happen to think New Year’s Day is an underrated holiday. I like the reflection upon a year that was and the anticipation of a year that is to come. It gives us, I think, an opportunity to pray with Moses: “Lord, teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12).

2013 was for me a monumental year in many ways. There were several highlights. At the beginning of the year I was engaged in the second semester of my first year at seminary. After 13 years or so of being out of school, I had decided to pursue further theological education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

In January, I had an op-ed published by CNN.

In March, I announced a new partnership with Leadership Journal. In April, I featured my first interview with renowned evangelical scholar and cofounder of The Gospel Coalition, D.A. Carson.

 

In May, I finished my first year, grateful for all I learned and how it shaped my preaching and writing ministry. 

In May I also had the privilege of offering the prayer before the Illinois General Assembly.

In July, I saw my fifth book released, Activist Faith, co-written with two of my friends, Dillon Burroughs and Dan King.

In August, I had the privilege of speaking in Canada for TGC Atlantic Canada. I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and ministry with our brothers and sisters north of the border.

In September, our family made a huge move, as I stepped down as Senior Pastor at Gages Lake Bible Church and moved to Nashville, joining Dr. Russell Moore and the team at ERLC.

In December, we joined a new church as we continue to adjust to our new lives in Nashville.

So, as you can see, 2013 was a year of change for the Darling family. In all these changes, God is good and we trust His sovereign hand. We anticipate God’s grace in 2014 as He guides into more growth and change.

 

The Last Evangelical Hipster

Yes, here is one more blog post opining on the Duck Dynasty kerfuffle. Like the man I work for, Dr. Russell Moore, I’m not fan of reality TV. And as a child of suburban Chicago, I don’t really fit the Duck Dynasty demographic, though it’s widespread appeal clearly shows that the show resonates with more than bearded backwoods hunters. I’ve never watched one single episode. And I’ve been pretty proud of myself for that.

However, this moment in American culture demonstrates a shift. We are entering an increasingly post-Christian age where true followers of Jesus will no longer be affirmed for their beliefs. To be sure, the comments by the Duck Dynasty chieftain were not in the spirit of Jesus’ model of truth and grace. But as we saw with the Lou Giglio flap earlier this year, those who demand widespread acceptance of a new cultural sexual ethic don’t discriminate between the holy and profane. When it comes to isolating and then publicly shaming those who hold to orthodox Christian beliefs, no amount of winsome nuance will help you escape the new designation of village bigot. So evangelicals have a choice and a series of choices to make.

First, there will be no evangelical hipsters left. What I mean by this is not that Christians can’t or shouldn’t try to exegete the culture, live in the times in which we are called, or enjoy beauty and art in all of it’s eclectic forms. What I mean is that there will be no way to thread the needle, to uphold distinctly Christian views and be universally loved by the masses. We’ll have to choose between love of the world and love of Christ (James 4:4). In a sense, this is the choice every follower of Jesus has had to make since Peter’s tragic bow to cultural pressure in the shadow of Golgotha. But American Christians have long lived in a protective bubble, unique in all of church history, that has allowed us to be both Christian and mainstream. So, we will either have to deny our desire for acceptance and take up the cross of Christ or we’ll bow to the demands of the world and fashion a Jesus who looks nothing like the real thing.

Secondly, we’ll need to evaluate our expectations. There needs to be no false nostalgia for a mythical golden era that never existed. We were created for these times, to joyfully stand for Jesus in a world that doesn’t like Him. Like Paul, we must find joy and urge others to rejoice even while suffering for our faith. So far little genuine persecution has actually occurred here, but it could be on the horizon. Small cultural slights like the removal of a favored reality star, the banning of orthodox believers from inaugural prayers and the compelling of businesses to act against conscience should prepare us to suffer willingly if and when graver perils arrive. This expectation, encouraged by Jesus (John 15:20) should warn us away from an apocalyptic, doomsday outlook , the disguising of our own sin as martyrdom (1 Peter 3:17), or the chasing of endless conspiracy theories. Remember who was writing the New Testament commands to joy: the same men who were about to lose their lives for Jesus’ sake.

Thirdly, we’ll have to understand that the truth of the gospel will overshadow the love in which we deliver it. Speaking with grace is not a tactic to be tested. Though the gospel compels us to care for the poor, love our neighbors, and pray for our accusers, no amount of charity will overshadow the stumbling-block that is the cross of Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:23). Consider that the Southern Baptist Convention operates the 3rd largest relief operation in the world and yet it’s stand for Christian orthodoxy overshadows this.

Bottom line: Christianity will continue to cost us something, as it was always intended to do. There can be no avoiding the culture wars when the battle arrives on your doorstep.

Is Power Always A Bad Thing?

How should followers of Jesus think about the use of power? That’s a question Christianity Today executive editor Andy Crouch addresses in his latest book, Playing God. I had the chance to ask him about this and other questions in a wide-ranging interview for Leadership Journal. Here’s an excerpt:

Your latest book, Playing God ventures into what you might call the “third rail” of evangelicalism, the idea of power. It seems we are afraid of power—is that due to so many examples of corruption and tyranny?

Evangelicalism inherits the legacy of dissenting churches that were disenfranchised (by choice or by others’ force) from their culture and the more established churches, and folks who found themselves in a minority position. It’s also a movement that has always leaned towards individualism and away from institutionalism, for better and for worse. So it’s not surprising that power is a topic that has seemed distant or downright dangerous for many evangelical Christians. Power is what Rome or the Church of England had in the 18th century, or the mainline Protestants had in the twentieth century, or “the culture” has today—not something “we” have.

But I’ve discovered that almost no one really thinks they have power. Everyone can quickly come up with a list of people who are more powerful than they are. And this can become an excuse for not being accountable for the power we do have. I think it’s time for us to be more honest in owning the fact that we have power.

It’s easier to do that when you come to believe, as I argue in the book, that power is not the same thing as violence and domination. Power is meant for flourishing, and especially the flourishing of the vulnerable—and in fact, the vulnerable do not flourish unless others exercise power. This is true for every single one of us, by the way, not just the poor—because all of us were babies. Every human being has been and will be vulnerable; and every human being, created in the image of God, has power that can be used for the flourishing of others. With that perspective, it’s not something to be afraid of, but something to be accountable for.

Read the entire interview here: 

Repeat the Sounding Joy

Have you noticed lately that it’s the Christians who are often most cranky during the Christmas season? Complaining has almost become required. We hear sermons on how to deal with the stress of Christmas. We read ominous-sounding emails and Facebook posts on the so-called “War on Christmas.” And of course, cable news shows ramp up the debates on whether an elderly greeter in Dinkytown, USA, articulated her “Merry Christmas” greeting in a way that satisfies the Westminster Confession.

And let’s not even get into the tiresome annual debate about the chubby guy with the beard decked out in red from head-to-toe. Pastors, as part of their sober calling, are often summoned to decide whether using Santa wrapping paper is grounds for church discipline.

Is it just me, or have we Christians – the ones who know and believe God visited this sin soaked world in the form of a baby so He could save the world from sin – completely sucked the joy out of what should be the most joyous season?

My goal this Christmas season is to call Christians back to joy. Read five reasons why here:

Do You Really Believe This? On Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Unbelievable

It is during this season, the glorious Christmas season, that my wife watches her favorite channel the most. Unfortunately for me, that channel is not one of the ESPN family of networks, but the Hallmark Channel. I’m generally a fan of Hallmark’s usually wholesome television programming, stuff you can actually watch with your nine-year-old in the room, so please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say.

Here it is: The endless string of Christmas rom-coms I’m forced to watch with my wife makes me want to channel William Wallace in Braveheart, rip off my shirt, and yell, ”Freedom!”

Maybe it’s the very simple plot lines (wealthy developer wants to tear down a small town’s sacred institution to build condos–oh, the horror–until a scrappy heroine saves the day with a pitched local campaign and then falls in love with the formerly evil developer), the overwrought sentimentalism, or the poor acting. Or maybe it’s just the difference between men and women. My wife can’t get enough of the Hallmark Channel at Christmas.

If there’s a message in every new Christmas special (and perhaps every Christmas movie ever made), it’s pretty simple: Do you believe? By “believe,” we typically mean that really joyful, spirited, wonderful people put their faith in Santa Claus at Christmas. And this faith injects a spirit into a normally grouchy, stressed, terrible world.

Christians have historically been all over the map with Santa, from denouncing him as a work of the devil (Santa = a rearranged version of Satan!) to moderate disgust, to passive participation. The latter is where I’d guess most evangelicals are now. And if you’ve read my work for long, you’ll know that I’m no Santa grouch. Like most parents, we make the annual pilgrimage to the mall to have our kids sit on the fat man’s lap. I’ve yet to talk to a prodigal who fingered Santa as the catalyst for his departure from the faith, so I think an honest engagement with Santa Claus is mostly harmless and fun.

But I want to circle back to the theme of most Christmas movies: Do you believe? It seems absurd to most rational people that a man in a red suit lives in a cozy home workshop at the frigid North Pole, and that he could possibly worm down every chimney and deliver gifts to good kids. It’s a pretty far-fetched idea. So rational people don’t actually believe it. Yet this part of Christmas makes us really want to believe it. Because, the story goes, if this were true, all would be right in the world.

Does that not sound just a wee bit familiar to another argument? I’m not suggesting the Santa myth is a perfect allegory of the Christian story or that to believe in Christ is the same as believing in Santa. We know the gospel narrative is not “be good for goodness sake” but that Christ was good for us, satisfying the law’s righteous demands and absorbing the punishment of a just God on our behalf.

But this question, Do you really believe this? Is this not the same question asked of us by the world about the Christian story? 

Of course, the substance of the Christian question is a more robust, more unbelievable premise than Santa: Do you believe God became a man, entered space and time, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, was unjustly crucified, stayed dead in a rich man’s tomb for three days, and then miraculously was raised to life and is now the reigning King of the world? 

The Christian story is buttressed by solid circumstantial evidence (many infallible proofs), and yet it is an unbelievable narrative. Perhaps we American Christians have gotten so used to the gospel story that we’ve forgotten just how incredible it is. But an increasingly secular society is asking us the question, Do you really believe this? It’s not an intellectual question they are asking. It’s not a search for archeological proof. It’s a rhetorical question of near incredulity. You can’t possibly believe this. 

Because rational people, educated people, progressive people just don’t believe that this man Jesus was the Son of God, that there really was a virgin named Mary, that the ugly intersection of humanity and divinity at the cross really is the pivot point of human history. Young people spend their parents’ hard-earned money at our finest educational institutions learning just how preposterous this is. Scientists write strongly worded rebuttals to the biblical narrative, because things like this just don’t happen.

And yet …what if it were true? Imagine if the story the Bible tells about Jesus is not allegory or myth, but actual historical record? What if the 500 witnesses who saw the nail-scarred Jesus after his resurrection were right? If this is true, then the world really will be made right. Evil really has been defeated, and a new kingdom awaits those rescued by the King. Lamb and lion really will lie down together. All races will one day come together in praise of God’s glory. Creation will once again be restored from its tumult.

In other words, if the real story of Christmas, the Incarnation, is true, it changes everything. In fact, I would argue, even if you don’t believe it to be true, you might wish it to be true. Maybe this is why we cling to fantasies like Santa Claus, like the Disney fairy tales. It reflects within each of us a deep, heart-felt longing for things to be made right.

Could it be that the nostalgia for the good old times is really us missing our original home, Eden, before sin and death destroyed what God made perfect? Could it be that our hopes for a world where things are magical and beautiful is a yearning for heaven? Perhaps this inspired Phillips Brooks when he wrote the famous words of “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” and the line, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee (Christ) tonight.”

To believe in Santa defies logic, to be sure. But to believe in the Christian story is also to believe the unbelievable. Not that Christianity cannot be logically explained. Not that the wisest believing scholars haven’t given it weight. But at the end of the day, to follow King Jesus, to be a Christian, is to bow the knee to a baby turned man, God in the flesh, fully human and fully divine. And the question of Christmas becomes rhetorical: Do you really believe this? 

Yes, with my life, my heart, and my mind, I do. And I hope you do, too.

 

The Power of a Mentor

You can’t underestimate the power of a mentor. I know that because six years ago, a man came into my life who would shape me in profound ways. This month I had the chance to write about this man, Bill Swanger, and his impact. Here’s an excerpt:

Bill became one of my best friends during my five years of pastoral ministry. On several occasions, early in my tenure, he saved me, literally. He showed me how to pursue change in a way that didn’t alienate members. He taught me how to deal with conflict in a graceful, humble way. More than anything, Bill showed me what it looks like to shepherd God’s people. “Make the ministry about God and about people, Dan, and you will do well,” he frequently said.

In my years of ministry I’ve had the privilege of meeting many church leaders. I’ve learned a lot from their years of experience. Some people collect baseball cards, artifacts, or books. But I collect mentors, downloading wisdom and grace for crucial life choices.

But none have impacted me like Bill. He never once said, “Want me to be your mentor?” He just stepped right in, meeting me for monthly breakfasts, lifting me up during trials, and serving me as a coach. Bill cried with me. Laughed with me. Grew with me. He opened up his life and shared his deepest frustrations and greatest triumphs. And even though he and I ministered in two different generations, the gap never hurt our friendship. It only enriched it.

Read the whole thing here: 

Preach the Gospel and Forget Politics?

Evangelicals are evaluating their posture in an increasingly post-Christian age. This is good, but there are some myths we’ve adopted that are unhelpful. In my weekly post for ERLC, I tackled five of these. Here is a common one: We should only preach the gospel and make disciples and not worry about politics. Here is my answer:

It’s true that no political party or movement can change the world. Sometimes political activism on both the left and the right can be overly triumphalist. Only the gospel, not political ideology, has the power to change hearts. Yes and amen.

But the gospel, if you notice, is a rather political statement itself. The gospel declares, first of all, that Christ and not Caesar is the ultimate King (Mark 12:17) and that even the most powerful rulers serve under the authority of King Jesus (Rom. 13:1). Even the most popular prayer in the world, the Lord’s Prayer, is really a prayer of revolution, declaring that there is another King and another kingdom that is not of this world (Matt. 6:9-13).So you can’t really preach the gospel and avoid politics. Politics are embedded in the very heart of the gospel. Furthermore, think about Jesus’ words in the Great Commission. The imperative is to “make disciples” and teach them “all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).

The gospel doesn’t simply punch your ticket to heaven; it empowers Christians for a radical new lifestyle, one that is at odds with the world (Jas. 4:4; Rom. 8:7).  The most nonpolitical Christian, if he is faithful, is a political statement to a world system that is under the temporary and restrained rule of Satan (Eph. 2:2).

The Church is to be an alternate society, an outpost of the kingdom to come (1 Peter 2:9). This means the gospel calls us not simply to make converts who have no effect on the world around them. The gospel calls us be agents of reconciliation, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to live and work toward justice and righteousness, to seek the welfare of our cities, to advance human flourishing. In fact, a Christianity that has no impact on the world around it, according to James, is a dead, lifeless faith (Jas. 2:14-16).

I’m glad, for instance, that men like William Wilberforce and Martin Luther King Jr. and Deitrich Bonheoffer had a gospel big enough to demand justice for the innocents. To ignore injustice is to say to the 19th-century slave in America, to the 20th-century Jew in Germany, to the 21st-century unborn baby: “Be warmed and filled.” It’s a diminished gospel, a lifeless faith.

What our generation of evangelicals has to understand is that love of neighbor doesn’t mean only the politically safe endeavors of charity that everyone affirms. It might also mean having the courage to get involved in the socio-political structures that either advance or hurt human flourishing.

You can read the entire article here: