I was born in 1981 and remember all the Back to the Future movies. What would it be like to jump into the Delorean and go back in time? Like Marty McFly, would I grab Grays Sports Almanac, return to 1908, and put a few dollars down on the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series? Perhaps. How about this? Anyone with an imagination has envisioned living in a different time and place. Some people dream of an English chivalric time of the 1920s. Everyone dresses up and acts like the characters of Downton Abbey. Others want to travel back to a time and place to witness a consequential battle, such as the Battle of Gettysburg. What would it be like to shake the hand of a person who changed the course of history, like Moses? The list goes on and on.
Let’s change the thought experiment a bit. What would it be like to travel into the future? As I type these words, it is April 25th, 2024. What if I could take the Dolarian into the future and determine who will “win” the next presidential election? I am sure that information would shape what I do in the present. Perhaps a more pervasive way of looking into the future is daydreaming. When I was in seminary, I had dreams about being a pastor or a professor. And then, in one of my Medieval Christianity classes, my professor told the class to stop daydreaming and focus on the present. His point was not to stop thinking about the future but not to daydream about the future. When you daydream about the future, you sacrifice what is happening in the present.
So let’s do that. Let’s focus on the here and now with a hearty respect for the past and an eye toward the future.
Providence
In the providence of God, I am alive in the 21st century. I happily live in the state of Iowa. Unless the Lord gives me new marching orders, God has determined that I exist during this time and in this place (Acts 17:26). I can not go back to the past, and my ability to predict the future is just as good as finding a crystal ball and then rubbing it four times in repetitive motion. Instead of obsessing about the future or wishing I was raising a family in the 1950s, I need to ask the question, along with Francis Shaeffer, how should we then live? And a second question needs to be answered by all Christians. What should we then say?
Speaking Up
The prophet Isaiah spoke up because his culture had become unhinged. The prophet sums up the cultural vibe with these words.
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!
– Isaiah 5:20
Western Civilization, and America in particular, is having déjà vu. Mutilating little boys and girls is an evil act that is called good, and a woman marrying a man results in a yawn. Black is called white, and the light is called dark. One may protest and say, but Shawn, Isaiah was speaking to God’s covenant people (in particular, the nation of Judah). Surely, we should not hold the culture accountable for not living up to God’s standards of justice. I see your point, but let me introduce you to another prophet, Jonah. God called Jonah to speak to the pagan city of Nineveh. There are some differences between Isaiah and Jonah. God called Isaiah to speak to his tribe and his people. Isaiah had to deliver a stern message to those visiting his home for Christmas and Easter.
On the other hand, Jonah could carpet bomb Nineveh and then move on with his life. Jonah is the traveling evangelist who put up his tent, told the people to repent, and then moved on to the next town. We know from Scripture how each prophet responded to the call of God. Isaiah spoke boldly and was subsequently unfriended on Facebook by everyone in Judah. In contrast, Jonah wined and complained. He would rather risk his life by boarding a ship and traveling to Tarshish. In four short chapters, we see how that ends for Jonah. By the end of the Book of Jonah, you are meant to pity the prophet. He could have preached faithfully and moved on to the next town. But Jonah did not understand the nature of God’s mercy and justice.
Modern Day Prophets
There is a need for modern-day prophets. Not the Jonah types who run, hide, and when the time finally comes, they preach “kicking and screaming.” No. We need prophets like Isaiah. Yes, fewer chairs might be placed around the dinner table during Christmas and Easter, but he spoke the truth. He was faithful to God.
We need more Isaiahs to speak the truth to the church. When God’s covenant people get it right, there must be praise and encouragement. When the church misses the mark by being indifferent toward God’s grand design for sexuality and marriage, there needs to be admonishment. But you might be surprised to hear that we need modern-day prophets to take up the mantle of Jonah. We need modern-day prophets to tell the culture to repent when evil is called good, and good is called evil. We need modern-day prophets to understand the difference between sweet and bitter. The taste of a lemon and a fresh strawberry is not the same.
Many Voices With A Similar Message
What is needed right now is more than pastors using their prophet voice. Pastors cannot solely carry the mantel of Jonah or Isaiah. There needs to be people from various vocations who are willing to stand up and use their voices. We need Christian bankers, lawyers, linemen, welders, janitors, and the gal who answers the phone at the front desk of the paper company to find their prophetic voice and use it. The culture needs Christians from many walks of life who know and understand the message of God’s revealed word. God’s message is distinctly Christian and orthodox. God has spoken, and his message is for the communities and nations. But the message requires messengers. What is needed are people who are willing not only to speak but also to realize the transformative power of God’s message. In other words, the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and current reign of the Lord Jesus Christ have downstream effects. We don’t need more Christians who know of the power of the gospel but are not willing to ask now what?
Join Us
Now, I’ll end by apologizing. I buried the lead. I went off on a rant, and the stage hook had a hard time taking me off stage. Allow me to tell you what we are really up to. A few friends and I care about our families, local churches, and the community. We are tired of the secular rot creeping into the institutions that we love. Therefore, we are creating a platform where Christians can come together to speak with a clear and honest voice. Yes, we will do more, but for starters, let’s come around the gospel we unapologetically love and look for opportunities to make a difference. As part of our mission statement says:
The Iowa Institute of Theology and Culture exists to engage Iowa culture from a distinctly orthodox Christian perspective. We bring together Christian leaders of various vocations to address issues that face our communities.
If you also see the need to use your prophetic voice or you want to support this endeavor, I invite you to join us. This venture can not be a one-man band. But it needs to be a chorus of voices singing in the same tune.
– Edmund Burke
