You have seen it in at least a dozen action movies. A train hurtles forward at hundreds of what Wodehouse might have called "the good old MPH". At the end of the road, a bombed-out section of track or a body of water or a building full of innocent bystanders awaits. Everything depends on halting the all too rapid advance of this metal monster. And herein lies the tension. All the parties involved (the panicking characters and the way-too-emotionally involved movie watchers) recognize that it is pretty tough to stop a train. Mass times acceleration generates a whole bunch of force when we are talking about a vehicle of such massive proportions.
Now join me in a little thought experiment. Imagine that the protagonists who are giving their utmost to save the world focus all their energy on just trying to stop the second car. Or the fifth one. Or maybe just the last one. After all, the first couple have basically already arrived. People have accepted them. And as long as they stop the last train car, that really crazy one, they will have prevented at least some of the damage, right?
Welcome to the world we currently inhabit. Across our culture, we have a variety of perspectives of how the identity politics train will impact us. Some think that all the cars are great and the bigger the explosion the better. After all, you can't make an omelette without cracking some eggs and you cannot revolutionize a culture without blowing some stuff up. Those who are slightly more reasonable realize that danger lies somewhere along the train. They do not want everything to blow up. But they either like some of the cars or they want no part of the fight required to stop the whole train.
When one stops to think about it, these are the folks that are not making any sense. Stopping trains is pretty much an all or nothing deal. Just ask Spider-Man or Mr. Incredible or Denzel Washington's character in Unstoppable. These train cars are all connected by a line of reasoning. They cannot be diced up or ordered a la carte. They are a package deal.
The logic that places feminist thought above biblical truth is the same logic that brings homosexuality, transgenderism, and eventually pedophilia crashing through the door. If one is embarrassed by God's design for the home, he or she (only two options there) has no leg to stand on when someone comes around expecting them to be embarrassed about God's design for sex. You may think that you are just smashing the patriarchy. But do not be surprised when the rebels take counsel together and and try to burst all their bonds, even the most foundational ones (Psalm 2:2-3). And when being perceived as empathetic takes priority over fidelity to reality, a momentum is created that cannot be reversed at a moment's notice. Many in the church are fine with women in leadership and some form of "gay Christians" (I put this in quotes because it is antithetical to reality as revealed in the clear teaching of Scripture). They just do not want to be completely overrun by the more militant wing of the trans movement.
This puts them much more in the realm of JK Rowling than our courageous Christian forefathers. Those who have stood for the truth of God's Word in God's world (Paul, Athanasius, Tyndale, etc.) have never been above paying the price. But too many in the evangelical world cannot be bothered to check the first train car at the door. After all, they have a lot more friends that are feminists than are drag queens. Such a stance could bring some awkwardness and affect work events and maybe even Thanksgiving dinner.
But the time has come to take that stance. Even now, the train cars of feminism and homosexuality are ripping through the front door and into the foyer. It will take some serious courage to repel the invaders and push the train back into the abyss. We will lose some of our potential allies who only want to focus their energy on cutting off the hitch than connects Cars 3 and 4. But we will honor our Father by declaring all of His truth and not just the bits where we think we can get the most common ground.
Are you willing to take that kind of stand in this kind of climate? Are you willing to have bigotry and intolerance be what you are known for in this upside-down, authority-rejecting, Romans 1 culture? If so, come to the front and take your post. It may seem like the world is ending and trolls and orcs and all manner of wicked creatures are coming through the doors. It may be that our country will face even more serious judgment for the evil we have promoted at home and abroad. But the age of men is not over. The time of the orc has not and will never come. Go read Psalm 2 again. The Lord holds them in derision and He terrifies them in His fury. And at the word of His King up on that holy hill, this train and all trains will stop dead in their tracks. Until then, we fight in His name. Kiss the Son and and make war on ideological trains. Kiss the Son and take refuge in Him.
Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
Thank you Alec for this exhortation. It is timely and helpful! No fear of man!