5 Actions for Southern Baptists to Take Now Due to the Conflict in Our Culture

We are now approximately seventy-two hours from the release of the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States. The overreach of the Supreme Court in this decision is astounding; in fact, redefining to their role in American society.

I think we need to remember this was a 5-4 decision; therefore, four Justices did not adhere to the final decision of the court, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. Unquestionably, Justice Antonin Scalia shares our deep concern about the overreach of the court when he wrote in his dissent of this decision: “A system of government that makes the people subordinate to a committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a democracy.”

To our nation’s founders it would be unimaginable to think that morality in our nation should be determined by nine lawyers located in Washington D.C. Nor would they have imagined that marriage would ever be anything other than a covenant relationship between a man and a woman for a lifetime.

A CONFLICT: From celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage to closing a phone call with, “God bless you.”

I have never met President Obama nor spoken to him personally. I have been and will be committed to praying privately and daily as well as publicly and periodically, for my President, Barack Obama. In fact, I detest when the person holding the grand office of President in our nation is spoken of in a way of disrespect. Perhaps one day I will meet and have the privilege to pray with him.

Yet, my heart breaks when I see what I saw on Friday – an outward demonstration of the conflict between two worldviews. How does one celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage from the White House and within a short amount of time, make a congratulatory phone call closing with the words, “God bless you”? Does God bless a same-sex union or marriage ceremony?

The media carried the congratulatory phone call made from President Obama to Jim Obergefell, who was standing on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States. It was Jim Obergefell who recently won the decision made by the Supreme Court in Obergefell vs. Hodges.

Here is a portion of the transcript of the call that CNN caught on camera: “I just wanted to say congratulations,” President Obama told Obergefell. “Your leadership on this, you know, has changed the country.”

“It’s really been an honor for me to be involved in this fight and to have been able to, you know, fight for my marriage and live up to my commitments to my husband,” Obergefell responded. “So I appreciate – I appreciate everything you’ve done for the LGBT community, and it’s really an honor to have become part of that fight.”

“Well, I’m really proud of you and, you know, just – just know that, you know, not only have you been a great example for people, but you’re also going to, you know, bring about a lasting change in this country and it’s pretty rare when that happens,” Obama said. “So I couldn’t be prouder of you and your husband.” Then the President added the words, “God bless you.”

The collision of these worldviews resound the conflict within our culture today. Then, the victory for same-sex marriage was declared in a picturesque way on Friday night as the White House was lit with rainbow colors to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision.

5 ACTIONS for Every Southern Baptist and Evangelical Believer to Take Now

1. Rest in the Lord.

Resting in the Lord is not sleeping; it is trusting in the Lord. Jesus is still Lord, and God is still on the throne. The highest court of our land will one day stand in front of the Highest Court of Eternity, giving an account to God Himself for their decision that defies the trustworthiness, sufficiency, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible. They will not be alone. Each of us will give an account of our lives to God.

While calls to action are needed, we need to push pause, get before God, and rest in the Lord. He has all things under control.

2. Come together in unity.

Southern Baptists and all evangelicals will need each other more than ever before. While certain doctrinal differences will exist, we need to unite around what makes us evangelicals:

• The Bible is God’s infallible Word; it is Truth without any mixture of error.
• Jesus is the Son of God and the hope of the world; therefore, salvation is faith alone in Christ alone.
• We must focus our lives, churches, and futures on taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in America and across the world.

While some will stay in the weeds fighting secondary issues, we need to rise up together, becoming the spiritual light in this darkening world.

3. Prepare for the future.

What will ministry be like in this changing culture? In our most recent Southern Baptist Convention, we gave forty-five minutes to discussing this same-sex issue with five leaders in The Supreme Court and Same-Sex Marriage: Preparing Our Churches for the Future. This can be shown in your church and to your leadership.

Additionally, we need to prepare for the future, wrestling with matters that will be brought into the church from this evolving cultural tide that is rising in direct opposition to the ways of God. How will your children, student, and adult ministries deal with the realities of same-sex attraction, the alarming acceptability of transgenderism, and even polygamy?

We need a generation of parents that will raise their children to become world changers in our culture. We need to stop dumbing down our kids and our faith, preparing our children to engage the culture. We must help them prepare vocationally for what God wants them to be, whether it’s at home with children, in business, education, the medical sector, entertainment, or even local, state, or national government.

We also need our Christian schools, universities, and seminaries to renew themselves to hold fast to the Word of God, fastened to the cross of Jesus as our message to the world, and explode with a new commitment to equip a new generation of young leaders to engage our changing culture with conviction, compassion, and hope. We need our schools, universities, and seminaries injecting our young leaders with the power to believe God has purposed them to make a difference with their lives.

We all need to prepare for an America that may not hold to the conviction of religious liberty. The dissenting justices of the decision by the Supreme Court give us little to no comfort that religious liberty would continue as a definite in our lifetime. Whether it does or does not, we need to stand strong for it, regardless of the cost that may come one day.

We had better understand clearly, those who celebrated their winning decision on Friday for same-sex marriage will not be satisfied in their pursuit. I read on Saturday, June 27, the following words written by the Editorial Board of the New York Times: “As gratifying as Friday’s ruling is, remember that equality was won by a single vote.”

Enough said. They will not let it go. They are not finished. Their resolve will continue. We need to prepare for the future.

4. Stand with our laypeople in the workplace.

 We have laypeople that will be placed in immediate points of conflict in their workplace. How will they navigate through this terrain that may end up calling upon them to do things that are opposite of the Word of God? Then, what will they do: Lose their jobs or compromise? Where will the church be? Will we teach about how to integrate our faith into the workplace?

We do not need puny preachers who are attempting to get along in our culture, compromising the powerful message of the gospel by presenting a lame version that is right in their own eyes and the world. We need pastors who will present the entire counsel of God accurately and unashamedly, but always compassionately.

5. Pray like never before for the next Great Spiritual Awakening.

The decision of the court on this past Friday should lead all of us to the definite conviction that America must have a spiritual awakening. Without a mighty revival in the church and an awakening in the land that will result in millions coming to Christ, we are facing days of hopelessness.

Yet, I am abounding with greater hope than ever before. I believe God is using and will use last Friday’s decision by the court to begin the waking of the sleeping giant called the church of Jesus Christ. As I stated in my recent Presidential Address, the alarm clock is going off in our nation and this is not the time to push the snooze button. I do not believe the church will sleep through what just happened.

As we said in the National Call to Prayer Service, call your church to prayer and even devote an entire Sunday morning service to a time of prayer. Base it on the Word of God, call out to God in prayer individually, in small groups, and corporately, and then express it through moments of powerful worship.

My Closing Words

Within 36 hours of decrying racism and prejudice, calling upon all leaders and pastors to stand against it; and within 24 hours of 7,000 of us crying out to God in our prayer service for our nation over the sin of racism and prejudice, a young man 21 years of age walked into Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and killed nine people, including the pastor.

Within ten days of our strong and clear stand for marriage as a convention, and the Press Conference where the former SBC Presidents and I declared our clear commitment to marriage as well as the panel discussion to help our churches, the Supreme Court made a watershed decision that will fan the flames of the ever-present and growing sexual revolution. This will explode at the local and state levels to a frightening degree.

Simultaneously, we also need to know that Friday, June 26, 2015, may become the watershed moment for Christianity in America which accelerates our resolve like never before to stand upon God’s Word unashamedly, forwarding the message of the gospel exponentially, and praying relentlessly in all settings for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America. I choose to believe God.

Now is the Time to Lead,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention

*******

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.

To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.

Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd