ST. LOUIS—“Providing Moral Leadership in a Sexualized Culture,” a conference offered by the Christian Life Commission (CLC) of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC), provided Christian leaders and pastors with an opportunity to “think deeply,” according to conference planners.
John Splinter, keynote speaker and executive director of pureHOPE Ministries, told the group that we are “living in the most sexualized culture in history.”
He pointed out that the Internet, Hollywood and television make pornography and immorality more affordable, available and anonymous. “But,” he said, “this is only a symptom. We as Christians have become unsalty salt.”
Splinter used a quote from Francis Schaeffer: “Western Culture has sold out to comfort, pleasure, and personal security.” He then elaborated on our condition.
“We consider ourselves disadvantaged,” Splinter said, “if we are not in a temperature-controlled home with two cars and a flat-screen TV. Cable and satellite keep us entertained constantly and our children have taken on a form of idolatry. We teach our children to go to church on Sunday morning unless there is something better going on like a sports tournament or competition.”
This lifestyle, according to Splinter, keeps us insulated and isolated.
“We are fostering a disassociation of character from actions,” he said.
“The culture is rapidly moving away from faith. The culture is spewing us out because of their disdain for Christians. We’ve adopted a comfortable lethargy and drifted away from a faith that transforms.”
Splinter looked to history for the solution.
“The pastors during the American Revolution were called the black robe brigade,” he said. “They were standing tall in their pulpits and lighting a fire for freedom and Christian principles. God’s people need the truth of God’s Word in this age of political correctness. We need to talk about sex and why God’s plan is the best for us.”
The definition of church was the first step that Splinter said Christians needed to take to heart.
“They must find their identity not as a church member, but as a follower of Christ,” Splinter said. “We need to realize that we are the body of Christ and we need to live to serve Him with every fiber of our being. Obedience is true worship.”
In addition, Splinter said that churches need to return to preaching about sin.
“We must not separate the topic of sin from that of grace,” he said, “but our culture needs to know what God calls sin, and how it ruins our lives and our relationship with Him. Pastors have got to put biblical sexuality on the front burner, or be irrelevant to the main issue destroying churches and marriages in today’s culture.”
The conference will be held again Sept. 17 in Independence at Sycamore Hills Baptist Church. In addition to the plenary sessions, several break-out sessions will be conducted for parents, youth directors and others who want practical steps to guide Christians through our culture. More information is available by contacting CLC Chairman David Krueger at fbclinn@osageconnect.net.
VICKI STAMPS/contributing writer