Demolishing Strongholds

Demolishing StrongholdsPassionate advocacy is something we need to be willing and ready to fight for.By Gary VanceMost people are not aware of the covert war raging all about us. This war has well-funded strategists systematically orchestrating an assault on every American citizen. The aggressors in this war exercise no restraint in their ambitions for dominance. Our whole government and way of life as we know it could be the ultimate casualty of this advancing menace. An insatiable craving that originates in greed drives this charge, and justice on every front is being trampled as this agenda advances. The physical perpetrators of this threat are not the real enemy, but merely pawns that are inspired and manipulated by something much larger.I am not talking about the “War on Terror” or any foreign plot to topple our nation. The enemy that must be exposed is much more ancient and sinister than any single historical foe and is identified plainly in scripture.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.                                                            —Ephesians 6:12This ancient enemy of the Kingdom of Heaven has continued relentlessly through out the ages in an unholy quest to manifest dominion in all spheres of life. The dark kingdom from which this mandate emanates has no physical weapons that can be used against humanity. There is only one weapon that is wielded in this conspiracy, and it is only workable in one very specific location. The battlefield of this war is contained entirely within the realm of the human mind.Most progressives already commonly share the central societal values of the Kingdom of God even if they don’t share the same faith perspective. This is a war of competing ideologies that can either enslave or liberate the masses. Ideas that are evil in nature are inspired by the dark side and precede actual, physical assaults on individuals and institutions. Philosophies that are designed to mask avarice are developed and disseminated through research institutions whose primary purpose is to funnel these ideas into the mainstream of human consciousness. The only people who actually benefit from these developments are the small percentage of citizens that compose the ruling upper class as they accrue more wealth and power.The inevitable inequities that result on this path are experienced first by the lowest income class; then, benefits and opportunities of citizenship are eroded, creeping steadily into the lower middle class and upward. This escalation causes larger numbers of people to find themselves fettered by the shackles of poverty. Ultimately, this movement results in subduing the hope and the resources of all but a very few at the top.Carry a swordChristians are charged by scripture to resist evil and to advance God’s Kingdom. This holy mandate involves aggressive fighting and constructive building; these two pursuits must not be seen as mutually exclusive. Tools and swords were placed in the hands of the laborers that undertook the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem under Nehemiah’s direction. The same approach is prerequisite for Kingdom servants today.Christians that think pacifism can work in today’s ideological battlefield make a fatally strategic mistake. It’s true that turning the other cheek is the Christian response to personal and physical affronts. However, passive resistance in the war of ideas cannot vanquish evil. Winning each battle requires a very proactive, aggressive strategy that will involve forceful advancement. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.                                                                    —II Corinthians 10:3-5What are these otherworldly weapons that contain this divine demolishing power? Where are they and how can we use them to demolish the strongholds of the adversary? These questions are not rhetorical. Discovering their answers is vital to winning this life and death struggle.For us, the strongholds identified in the Corinthian text are those philosophies and ideologies that oppose the righteous knowledge and purposes of God. Pretentious and prevalent arguments that oppose the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven can only be destroyed by divinely inspired arguments that flow from the revelatory mind of Christ. What would Jesus say, and how would He say it? Finding His words and effectively proclaiming them to the governed and the government is the only way to demolish the strongholds that are currently entrenched in the ruling powers. A new voice risingA powerful arm of the conservative Christian fundamentalist movement has breached the wall that separated the institution of American government from the institution of religion. The commingling of these entities has perverted both. Much of the world now views America through this distorted lens, just as they, and secular Americans, see Christianity in this negative light. We are called to demolish this projected image with a progressive Christian voice that advocates for separation of church and state, righteous government and a broad spectrum of justice issues.We need not bother taking contrived Christian-speak into this battle. We need to speak in the vibrant language that expresses the values of the Kingdom and trust that this will resonate in the marketplace of political ideas with all people of compassion and integrity. I am not proposing that we devise a new vocabulary for expressing our faith-centered values in the political arena. We already possess the vocabulary. Most of us, striving for appropriateness, are comfortable interchanging the words of the Kingdom from specific to general whether we are in the church or one of the various arenas of the world. We have operated in the secular world as people of faith without overtly mentioning that we are Christians. We generally tend to think that our actions will speak louder than our words, and they often do. But we must begin to couple our actions with words that explain why we are activists.Mercy, truth and integrityI believe the key to communicating the progressive Christian message is to use our God-given compassion to mount a passionate advocacy for Kingdom values such as mercy, truth and integrity in policy and programs. We need to attack and demolish the foundational premises of the right and counter with Divinely inspired propositions that will appeal to all people of noble character whether they believe in God or not.Most progressives already commonly share the central societal values of the Kingdom of God even if they don’t share the same faith perspective. Christians don’t hold exclusive patents on virtue, integrity, truth or compassion, but we do have the moral charge to advocate for these qualities and others like them. The Bible clearly reveals the heart of God for humanity and offers powerful support for the primary issues of concern for all progressives.The Christian voice that dominates the landscape of our public life is not reflective of the heart of God as revealed in the Bible.We are called to discover and implement these passages in scripture during discussion and debate with our conservative Christian counterparts. Fundamentalists are very keen on abiding by Biblical mandates concerning all matters. Most fundamental adherents and progressive Christians alike are unaware of the ironclad Biblical arguments for governmental intervention in matters of poverty, healthcare, immigration and environmental stewardship, to name a few. We need to develop succinct, scripture-based arguments that expose the conservative philosophy as devoid of Christian values rather than sustaining them. Progressive Christian positions should, in turn, be soundly based on the Bible.Do not go gentleWe have our share of challenges to meet in delivering the progressive Christian perspective. One problem we must address is that we have been tolerant and nonjudgmental to a fault. It is time for prophetic voices to clearly identify and confront the fallacies born from conservative think tanks and publicly judge them according to righteous judgment. We must demolish these ideologies point by blessed point. And we, in our arguments, must be passionate, aggressive, fact driven, and honorable without resorting to base or insulting language.End the monologuePolitical discussion is an awkward debate arena for the progressive Christian. But the Christian voice that dominates the landscape of our public life does not reflect the heart of God as revealed in the Bible. We are not called to be slick. We are not called to outwit or outthink the right. We are not called to contrive.Rather, we are called to be humble and studious servants that are devoted to the Kingdom of Heaven. We are called to have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church, to the nation and to each of us. Our challenge is to use the mighty weapons of God to demolish every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.  It will take genuine faith to find the brilliant and innovative solutions to the many acute problems that bedevil our society. Where we standCrossLeft has become a primary portal for linking the many varied expressions and groups in the progressive Christian movement. CrossLeft will soon inaugurate a research institute that will aggressively undertake the challenges I’ve described in this essay. This think tank will depend on the efforts of volunteer researchers and writers, whose works will stand alongside that of professionals. We are sending out this call to the four winds for the workers and the warriors to come forth.I have a growing vision of two vast supply sources that can produce the researchers and writers that must be assembled for this holy venture. I see young, Spirit-led volunteers scattered throughout seminaries and universities receiving divine inspiration for the answers to our most perplexing problems. I see a holy zeal pouring out in them as they craft the most noble and passionate arguments ever devised for public debate. I also see silver-haired and wizened men and women joining the conversation as powerful warriors in their own right. They have wisdom that can temper the passion of young innovators and balance the new with the proven.In the Last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.                                                                              —Acts 2:17This prophecy of Joel, quoted by Simon Peter in Acts, is what I see unfolding in the progressive Christian movement as the war of ideas rages against the Kingdom of Heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.God bless you all for joining us.Gary Vance is a new member of the CrossLeft leadership team that is designing the CrossLeft think tank. He is a pastor, songwriter/musician, and writer of published essays such as "Wasn't Jesus a Liberal?"