The Challenge Ahead: Religious Liberty

Forced to choose a single word to describe the year of our Lord 2020, it would have to be "unprecedented."

From a global pandemic that shut down the world to a "land hurricane" that left a path of destruction several hundred miles long in the state of Iowa, we have watched many unprecedented events this year.

Like a ship at sea, the church has ridden the rough seas and even found itself in the midst of the storm. For example, churches in some states like California and New York have endured much greater persecution than churches in states like Iowa. These instances of state challenges to religious freedom are not isolated, however, and the trend line points to an increasing loss of religious liberty in America.

Justice Alito’s Warning

Last Thursday, Nov. 12, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito delivered the keynote address to the Federalist Society. The focus of his speech was to issue a warning concerning the loss of religious liberty.

"In certain quarters, religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right," Alito said. "For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It's often just an excuse for bigotry and it can't be tolerated even when there's no evidence that anybody has been harmed."

Alito noted how the pandemic in 2020 accelerated efforts to restrict religious liberties and was used as cover to force the closure of churches and houses of worship.

The underlying risk, however, goes well beyond the pandemic. For many places in America, the very existence of religious liberty is a threat. "The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs," Alito stated.

The Overton Window

Christians need to understand the Overton window named after Joseph P. Overton who defined the theory. The Overton window represents how far a politician can go on policy issues that range from less freedom to more freedom. As the window shifts left or right and grows or shrinks, it defines what is considered popular, acceptable, extreme, or unacceptable.

An example of the Overton window is found in the culture war over marriage. In 1996, Bill Clinton, a Democrat, signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. According to the Overton window, this was the popular move for Bill Clinton to make. In 2008, Barack Obama affirmed the Defense of Marriage Act and supported traditional marriage. Again, the Overton window showed that this was the right political move for Obama. In 2020, however, the Overton window has shifted completely on the issue of marriage and is now much narrower. Few politicians stand for traditional marriage because politically, the issue has gone from popular to unacceptable. Holding to a biblical/traditional view of marriage is not only out-of-sync with cultural views, but is now considered hateful, bigoted, and homophobic.

The Overton window is shifting when it comes to religious liberty. As Alito noted in his address, holding overtly Christian beliefs is becoming more and more unpopular within our culture and is trending towards being unacceptable in many Leftist circles.

Just this past Friday, celebrity Melissa McCarthy and HBO rushed to apologize to offended followers for unintentionally donating $20,000 to Exodus Cry, a nonprofit committed to abolishing sex trafficking. What offense did Exodus Cry commit? They identify as a "Christian organization" and have ties to "anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion" causes.

McCarthy was quick to apologize to her followers and acknowledged, "we blew it."

In a video released to McCarthy's 8.9 million Instagram followers she stated, "It has come to our attention that our '20 Days of Kindness,' which is something — a kindness that we started to kind of kind of shine a light on 20 great charities — had one in there that, there's no other way to say it, we blew it. We made a mistake and we backed a charity that upon proper vetting, stands for everything that we do not,"

This is just one example from a growing sea of open assaults on religious liberty. As a church, we need to acknowledge the threat that is standing at the door. If you hold to biblically-based doctrine, those beliefs are becoming increasingly unpopular in American culture and are moving quickly towards being unacceptable.

Are You Prepared?

What do you need to do today as you consider the threat facing the church? Here are several starting points:

1. Start following the Alliance Defending Freedom blog. The BCI has partnered with ADF to fight for religious liberty. Their attorneys are on the front line of the legal battles confronting churches and Christians around the country.

2. Conduct a thorough review of your church's bylaws and policies. The BCI partners with Brotherhood Mutual to help churches with property and liability risk. When a church faces a legal challenge in the area of religious liberty, it is essential to have up-to-date policies that clearly and accurately define a church's stand on issues. Would your church baptize a transgender person? The time to articulate your belief on this issue is now, not when someone approaches you about being baptized as a man who identifies as a woman. If you haven't defined your belief on this issue in your bylaws, chances are the courts will view your stand as a personal attack on an individual rather than a standing policy. You can find several helpful resources on religious liberty on the Brotherhood Mutual website.

3. Begin developing and strengthening relationships within your community and with government leaders in your city, county, and state. Religious liberty is threatened on two fronts right now: public opinion and government authorities. As a church, you need to be proactive in developing and strengthening relationships with your community and your government leaders. If all people know about your church is that you are "anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion," you have lost this battle. If you are known as an active investor in your community and as a church that has faithfully and effectively pastored well beyond your church walls, you will have many more friends and advocates when you find yourself in the crosshairs of someone who is determined to destroy you for your beliefs.

Your religious liberty is at risk. Don't take my word for it. Don't take the word of Justice Alito. Listen to our Lord Jesus Christ. In John 15:18-25 He states,

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'

Jesus uses the word "hate" seven times in this single passage; the emphasis cannot be missed. We need to heed His warning and live and act accordingly. Throughout most of church history, true Christians have faced the hatred of the world and the consequences of this hatred.

As Americans, we lived for over 200 years as a people blessed with religious liberty and freedom of speech. Those freedoms are now at great risk and can quickly slip away. We must shepherd well in the coming months as this story continues to develop.

My Response to John Piper

John Piper wrote an article providing insight into his perspective on the current political climate. While I agree with his initial premise that Christians error when they justify the sins of one party's personality in order to condemn the sins of the other party's policies, I disagree with his overall conclusion.

Piper places the sins of personality on a balance scale against the sins of policy and concludes that in God's eyes, both are sinful and wrong, and that one does not outweigh the other. He states, "it is baffling and presumptuous to assume that pro-abortion policies kill more people than a culture-saturating, pro-self pride."

I agree with his initial premise: sin is sin in God's eyes, and one sin does not justify another. I respectfully disagree, however, with his conclusion.

In his argument, Piper commits a logical fallacy. He boils down today's complex political discussion into an either/or statement: you either tolerate the sin of personality found in Donald Trump or you condemn the policies of the Democrats and Joe Biden.

He appears to place everyone together into one of these camps.

Piper states, "Therefore, Christians communicate a falsehood to unbelievers (who are also baffled!) when we act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person. The church is paying dearly, and will continue to pay, for our communicating this falsehood year after year. The justifications for ranking the destructive effects of persons below the destructive effects of policies ring hollow."

He then concludes that the proper perspective for Christians and pastors is to prepare to suffer for the cause of Christ. "Imagine that America collapses. First anarchy, then tyranny — from the right or the left. Imagine that religious freedom is gone. What remains for Christians is fines, prison, exile, and martyrdom."

To pastors, he asks, have you prepared your congregation for this outcome? Piper states, "Have you shown them that they are 'sojourners and exiles' (1 Peter 2:11), and that their 'citizenship is in heaven,' from which they 'await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ' (Philippians 3:20)? Do they feel in their bones that 'to live is Christ, and to die is gain' (Philippians 1:21)?"

Will pastors and Christians not conclude from this article that we should simply disengage from the political dialog? Should we not conclude that to engage we must openly tolerate the sins of personality found in Donald Trump in order to condemn the policies of death in which the Democrat party platform is founded upon?

I respectfully disagree with this conclusion.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer found himself in a similar dilemma. He could resist the policies of National Socialism, or he could stay quiet. In his magnum opus, Ethics, Bonhoeffer argued that Christians do not live in a separate, insulated sphere from all earthly relationships. That in a real sense, we are "Dual Citizens" of both our earthly existence and our heavenly destination.

Bonhoeffer argued that our existence is defined by our bond to fellow human beings and to God, and that the outcome of this interwoven bond is what Bonhoeffer described as "vicarious representation or responsibility."

This concept is first illustrated by the Lord Jesus Christ who, as God, took on the nature and form of a human being in order to vicariously represent us in death and to atone for our sins on the cross. Jesus stood in our place and bore the wrath of God upon Himself.

Bonhoeffer then argues that we, too, as Christians are called to a life of vicarious representation and responsibility as we stand for those who are unable to stand for themselves.

When I stand in opposition to the policies of abortion advocated for by the Democrats and Biden/Harris ticket, I am doing so on behalf of the unborn who cannot advocate for themselves. As a Christian and a pastor, I am a vicarious representative for them, and this is my responsibility to do so.

When I stand in opposition to the policies of childhood transgender surgery and hormone treatments advocated for by the Democrats and Biden/Harris ticket, I am doing so on behalf of small children who are unable to advocate for themselves. As a Christian and a pastor, I am a vicarious representative for them, and this is my responsibility to do so.

In his article, Piper does not accept a vicarious responsibility. He sees two contradicting narratives (sins of personality vs. sins of policy) and concludes his only option is to embrace one or the other, a proposition he cannot accept, so he taps out. That is wrong.

Please hear me: I am not condoning the sins of personality Piper describes, but I do not accept his argument that this is an either/or proposition for the Christian. I believe we have a vicarious responsibility to be a voice and a vote for those who cannot or those who are unable to have a voice.

The Church After Coronavirus

I just participated in a webinar by The Unstuck Group on the Church’s Response to Coronavirus. I found the information helpful as we consider the future. Tony Morgan expressed a lot of opinions during this webinar, and I am not sure where I land on some of these issues, but it is certainly worth having the conversation.

BTW - I have participated in a few other webinars on this topic, and Tony is not alone in his conclusion that the coronavirus interruption is a seismic paradigm shift for the church, and we will never return to a pre-coronavirus normal.

Blessings,

Chris Eller

The Church's Response to Coronavirus - Webinar Series

"March was a really long year.”

Four Take-aways for Churches:

1. Expect to see a significant decrease in in-person attendance for the foreseeable future (mid-2021 or even 2022).
2. Engagement is the new metric that matters more than attendance.
3. A Church needs to have a greater local presence in the community where God has placed a church. A community needs to see the church in action.
4. For churches, the economic recovery will take much longer than other sectors of the economy because for most giving is a discretionary item.
   

Tony Morgan - it will be a long time before in-person attendance returns to pre-coronavirus normal, and many churches will not see that return. There will be many churches that will not recover or survive the shutdown.

Most churches found their identity in their weekend services. This will need to change. Eighty percent of their focus was on their weekend services. This includes finances, staffing, and how we deploy our volunteers.

Moving forward, the church needs to focus their attention now on Organizational Strategies. The foundational values do not change, but strategies do change. Churches make a huge mistake when they begin to associate Organizational Strategies with Foundational Values.

—> The #1 reason churches get stuck is because churches have made their Organizational Strategies their Foundational Values.

The main strategies the church has employed and developed over the last 30 years will no longer work going forward.

Two types of pastors and church leaders right now:

• Pastor 1: "When will we get back to normal? When we will be able to return to our normal weekend services and ministries?" These pastors will likely not survive.
• Pastor 2: "How does this disruption need to change our strategy going forward."
  

Seven Shifts Churches Need to Make Because of the Coronavirus:

https://tonymorganlive.com/2020/04/15/7-church-shifts-coronavirus/

1. The shift from analog to digital. Think beyond just online services on Sunday morning. How do we make the shift to where our ministries are online.
2. The shift from teaching to equipping. This means equipping people with the necessary tools to take next steps to engage with the Word of God through spiritual disciplines and to live out the mission God has given them.
3. The shift from gathering to connect. Too many churches worked hard to keep people busy at events, activities, etc., with little effort to build community and connect
4. The shift from a global perspective to a local perspective. Churches have focused their mission emphasis and spending on global missions at the expense of their local community. It is easier to send money overseas or go on a short-term trip than to engage our neighbors in gospel conversations.
5. The shift from being complex to simple. Churches were struggling to do everything for everyone. The churches with a focused strategy will be effective.
6. The shift from being bloated financially to more frugal. The key area where this needs to happen is with staffing. Most churches will need a different kind of staff with different skills than prior to the interruptions. Over the last 10 years, churches in decline had 35% more staff than healthy churches.
7. The shift from measuring attendees (even viewers) to measuring engagement. Churches need to know who is engaging with their ministry. Requires different metrics.

We need to prioritize our digital strategy. For many churches, this will require an investment. This will be difficult because funds will be limited. Need to be creative and prioritize. This requires a strategy. Need to rethink Operational Strategies in order to accomplish the Foundational Values in a new environment.

We will be doing ministry with less money for the foreseeable future.

One metric they are watching is a correlation between churches who are being visibly generous within their community and at the same time are seeing an increase in giving to these churches.

Discipleship needs to move beyond the classroom and equip people how to engage with God’s word through personal spiritual disciplines. (Spiritual Formation strategies)

Churches need to rethink their facilities. It is very likely churches will not need the facilities they are currently using. A church’s website is its new facility. Facilities have been designed, essentially, for gathering. If in-person gathering is not a priority or option for a long time, how can a church use its facilities in a visible way to minister to the community?

Church leadership needs to get younger. If older leaders can’t engage digitally and be comfortable doing so, they need to step aside to give room for younger leaders who are digital natives.

Based on Unstuck Group’s research, 80 percent of American Churches were in plateau or decline. This interruptions will accelerate that trend.

There is a large disconnect between Digital engagement and giving. Most people today expect digital content and services to be free or low cost. Example, most streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.) are $15 per month or less for almost unlimited content. This will require churches to make sure their strategies reflect their values and demonstrate they are effectively accomplishing their mission in the new environment. In this regard, nothing has changed: people give to vision. For too long, however, “the vision” of the church has emphasized tangible assets (buildings, renovations, staff, etc.) rather than a gospel-centered mission. This was often interpreted in the past as “we accomplish our gospel-centered mission by building buildings, hiring staff, etc.”

You need to rethink your connection process for people who connect with you digitally for the first time. One idea: offer a post service zoom gathering for new people to meet the pastor and to learn about next steps with the church.

Phone calls are more important than ever.

NOTE: Some people may not understand how to get your stream on a device like Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, etc. Explain how to get services on these devices so they can participate as a family in a group watching a television vs trying to do so with a computer or tablet.

There is a weak link in the churches to the digital approach right now, and that is in the ministry to Children. Churches need to change their children’s ministry focus from ministry to children to equipping parents in how to disciple and equip their children.

Again, schools are a good barometer for a community’s response to this virus.

College presidents yesterday: if we are not having on-campus school, we will not have football.

What metrics are the best to measure engagement: start monitoring new guests (figure out how to get contact info). This is the crucial first metric. Next: what are the steps people are taking in your strategy? Giving is an easy metric that many are already doing that gives a great measure of where people are at spiritually.

Is there a new staff role for this new reality? Yes. Digital Strategies.

The season of larger and larger facilities is over. There will not be a need, and churches will not have the finances (even access to loans) to build large facilities.

What is essential to the church moving forward: It is a church's Foundational Values. If these are not at the core of your thinking, you will quickly get off track and off mission.

Time To Rethink Church

by Chris Eller, Associate Executive Director, Baptist Convention of Iowa

The mission of your church is bigger than a 75-minute weekly service.

It seems like almost hourly, more and more of what we consider "normal life" is being shut down. As we all grapple with the new reality of this time, let me challenge you to rethink church as you contemplate what the next few weeks could look like. There is so much more to being a church than merely getting your service online.

One of the challenges we may face in the post-Coronavirus world is a realization by many people that what they supposedly valued pre-Coronavirus is really not as valuable after all. Let me give you some examples:

How will this impact higher education? Colleges and universities across the country are demonstrating how students can get their education online without having to live on or near a college campus. Why pay thousands of dollars for a dorm room and food when you can earn the same degree by living at home and taking the classes online? This was a growing trend before Coronavirus, and this experience will only accelerate that trend.

How will this impact work environments? Why do so many people need to commute to an office building every day and spend hours in a work environment when this experience has proven employees can work remotely and still get work done?

Now think about the church. How will remote worship impact the church? If all your church is about is a 75-minute service on Sundays and folks can participate in that at home when it is convenient for them, don't you think some will look at that Sunday commitment and think, "why not continue with the remote worship?"

My purpose is not to question the value of live streaming, but to challenge you to think again if that's all you are considering in response to this crisis.

If at the end of this experience all you have done is broadcast your services, won't that cause folks to question the value of their church experience?

Anyone who has spent four or more years on a college campus knows that those years are about a lot more than going to class, it is a formative life experience.

Anyone who goes to work knows that living and doing life with coworkers can be a meaningful and significant part of one's life.

The church is more than just a few worship songs and a sermon; it is about the community and the relationships that form as we carry out the Great Commission and do life together.

How can you help your congregation stay connected relationally? That should be the focus of more conversation than trying to figure out how to get your service out there.

What do you think? How are you working to keep your congregation engaged with each other in community and be a gospel influence within your community?

Coronavirus: Should We Cancel Church This Sunday?

Several churches are discussing the recent flood of cancellations, suspensions, and closings due to the Coronavirus and asking themselves, “should we consider canceling services this Sunday?”

This is a good question to ask, and worthy of discussion among your churches leadership.

I have read several articles and listened to some podcasts on the issue, and here are some thoughts to consider as you weigh your options:

• The United States is at the early stages of the virus spreading, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Consider the spread of the virus as a bell curve—the US is on the left side of the bell curve, and cases of influenza will likely grow exponentially before the spread begins to decline.
• When weighing your decision whether or not to cancel services, think through the ramifications of point one. If you cancel this weekend, it is impossible to gauge when you can resume services. Again, with the expectation that things will get worse before they get better, once you suspend services, it may be weeks before you can offer worship services again. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you will cancel this weekend or next weekend and then resume services. While the virus is spreading, you will be just as much at risk this weekend as you will be in four weeks or six weeks or until the virus is no longer a threat.
• Children are considered super-conductors for the spread of a virus for obvious reasons. Children’s ministry areas can be some of the most challenging areas to control a virus. You can take extra precautions, but when considering areas of ministry to suspend first, your children’s ministry should be at the top of the list.
• Public bathrooms are next on the list of places where viruses thrive and spread. Experts warn against using public restrooms unless absolutely necessary, and to be extra cautious about washing your hands after using a public restroom.
• Reconsider parts of your service that require individual interaction. This could include the customary “shake your neighbor’s hand” at the start of the service, but also things like communion. If you are compelled to offer communion during this season, consider using individually sealed servings of bread and juice.
• Currently, most cancellations and suspensions are voluntary, but if the virus spreads as predicted, likely, government authorities will either strongly recommend the suspension of any public gathering or, in the worst case, ban public meetings. In California right now, the governor is urging the cancellation of any event with more than 250 in attendance, and many California counties are warning people to avoid any indoor gathering with more than 50 people.
• The CDC is advising seniors 60-years and older to avoid crowds and indoor gatherings.
  

There is a public frenzy of cancellations right now as organizations large and small wrestle with how to handle Coronavirus. Here is perhaps the best advice I have heard: don’t assume you can cancel services this weekend and then resume a regular schedule next week. Once you cancel, you need to prepare to shut down all public gatherings of your church (not just Sunday services) until the government gives the all-clear. This could be weeks.

Also, it is important to remember that “a little bit of precaution” does little to prevent the spread of the disease. Experts warn that there will be a rush of precautions in the next week, but quickly people will tire of all the extra steps needed to slow the spread of the virus and resume their regular habits.

There is a good chance that if the virus spreads as anticipated, churches will have no choice but to suspend public gatherings until the all-clear is given. As a leadership team, you need to have contingency plans in place if your church is forced to suspend public gatherings for an extended period of time. What will force your hand? When someone in your church becomes a confirmed case or if the virus spreads to the point local authorities strongly recommend or even ban the cancellation of public gatherings.

Where can I get more information or stay informed?

The most reliable source of credible information is the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov). Here is the specific web page with information on Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

At the state level, the Iowa Department of Public Health is providing up-to-date information on the spread of the virus within Iowa. You will find this information here: https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus

For churches specifically, LifeWay has created a training resource to help churches with many of the questions and concerns unique to local church ministry. The resource is available free of charge via LifeWay’s MinistryGrid application available here: https://ministrygrid.com/coronavirus

Look for ministry opportunities

A church is much more than its public gatherings. There are opportunities for the church to minister to the community in a multitude of ways. This is a good time as a church to look for areas of obvious need within your community and see how you can help people who are struggling either with the illness or because of the suspension and cancellation of services.