"what evils religion has inspired" -Lucretius in
Meaning by Michael Polanyi and Harry Prosch
"but [the early Christians] announced and celebrated the victory of Jesus over evil as something that had already happened, something that related pretty directly to the real world, their world. There was still a mopping-up battle to be fought, but the real victory had been accomplished." -N.T. Wright,
Jesus and the Victory of God"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." -1 John 4:3-5
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." -1 John 4:18
"Under the good intentions of well-meaning leaders, the church has fallen back on its heels in a defensive posture, seeking refuge in its own fortresses of buildings, programs, and "Christian" business, schools, and ministries. Trying to avoid the threat we were always meant to thwart, we have lost ground over and over again until at last we have nowhere left to go, surrounded by wickedness. We are now seen as an impotent and frightened group that hides from the world and the reality that faces us." Neil Cole,
Organic Church"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 6:12
Some in our churches seem to have forgotten that Christ has already conquered evil, he is already victorious. Yet if you listen to conservative/Christian talk radio and read the periodicals published by Focus on the Family and the like, you would believe that a "war on morality" or a "culture war" has been waged which we must step up to and fight, or else we may loose everything we as conservative Christians have gained. When I hear and read such things I wonder how we have forgotten that the war has already been won. As N.T. Wright pointed out the early Christians celebrated the victory of Jesus. And, we seem to have forgotten it completely and are trying to fight again a war that has already been won.
When Christ died and rose again the war was won, he defeated sin and death. He accomplished what no person could do, he won the ultimate war. But as Wright also points out, "[t]here [is] still a mopping-up battle to be fought." Even though Christ has won the war for us, there is still a mopping-up battle to be fought. Often after a war between countries has ended, battles break out in the middle of reconstruction process. This is true of the war Christ has won. There are still battles breaking out as we near the completion of the kingdom of God. Yet our battles are not against flesh and blood. We are not in a battle against, "the homosexual agenda," "the pro-choice movement," "the Democrats," "atheists," "fundamentalist Muslims," or any other group made up of humans. When we go to war against these people we are fighting against those who Christ died for. We are battling against flesh and blood and not against our true enemy.
Many Christians as Cole points out, have retreated to a defensive posture. They have built their fortresses in places like South Barrington, Colorado Springs, Lake Forrest and Boring. Speaking out to their communities from the inside of these fortresses while in large part ignoring the turmoil in the communities surrounding them. They spend millions on their enlarging their fortresses and little on the poor, imprisoned, and oppressed outside their walls. They fight a war of morality and forget to live a life of love.
There is no ideology, no political movement, no social group, no religion, no
thing to fear. If it is love which drives out fear, love which compelled God to offer himself so that punishment might be avoided, and love which is how others will know we are followers of Christ, why do we so often turn to hate in the name of love. If we Christians had our way and homosexuality, and abortion were outlawed, the ten commandments were posted on every government building, creation was taught in all of our schools, crosses were allowed on government property, and we were able to ignore the "problems" facing our environment, would America or any country be a better place? Would freedom reign? Or, would freedom and liberty pass away? Would there be oppression and outcasting of those who did not agree with the "Christian agenda?" Would love cast out fear, or would hate be masked in fear?
I think that we ought to turn to Jesus as an example of how we ought to fight the mop-up battles. He loved the sexually immoral, religious fundamentalists, and religiously destitute who we try to outlaw. He did not hide in some fortress, he drove out sin and fear with love. We ought to be changing this world not through legislation, oppression and hatred, but with love. If we want to see the end of immorality in this world it is not going to happen through politics but through the perfect love of God. We need to stop fighting a war which has already been won and begin loving our neighbors.
When the gospel is presented what is being presented? So often, in hopes of seeing people enter the Kingdom of God, "altar calls" simply present a decision to get out of hell. Or, to look at it from a more positive perspective, people are given the chance to "accept Jesus" so that they can go to heaven. 
As a pastor I am often asked to pray for people. People come to me with requests to pray for illnesses of themselves and their family, financial hardships, difficulty with family, spiritual guidance and the list could go on . . . and on. As you can imagine I spend a lot of time praying, not just for other's prayer requests, but also for my own. All this praying is good, however while teaching on the Trinity at a youth conference recently it occurred to me that one of the most important things to pray for is often overlooked.
Every four years churches across the States put their Father in subordination to the founding Fathers. Every four years the Bible is pushed aside for the Constitution and the bread and wine of Eucharist for the elephants and donkeys of Washington. Spiritual formation is put on the back burner for political fabrication. Every four years churches across America open up their pulpits for campaigning candidates. Churches who may not allow the preacher down the street to speak from their pulpit allow candidates who may not even be Christians speak from a holy place.
