{"id":304176,"date":"2016-09-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution\/"},"modified":"2016-09-19T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:00:00","slug":"facing-down-a-moral-revolution","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing Down a Moral Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Al Mohler explains that there is a moral revolution that is reshaping Western civilization, and Christians need to own their part in it. Now, Dr. Mohler says, we need to get used to a whole new way of being faithful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-09-19.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"25.15M","filesize_raw":"26371674","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2848,2821],"tags":[6072,6074,6073],"podcast_series":[8163],"cwp_profile":[3441],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304176","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-issues","category-reaching-out","tag-cultural-minority","tag-faithful","tag-moral-revolution","podcast_series-we-cannot-be-silent","cwp_profile-al-mohler","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304176\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304176\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"dvxEQq16Yy\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution\/\">Facing Down a Moral Revolution<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/facing-down-a-moral-revolution\/embed\/#?secret=dvxEQq16Yy\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Facing Down a Moral Revolution&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"dvxEQq16Yy\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dr. Al Mohler explains that there is a moral revolution that is reshaping Western civilization, and Christians need to own their part in it. Now, Dr. Mohler says, we need to get used to a whole new way of being faithful.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-09-19.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>More and more, do you find yourself feeling out of step with the culture around you\u2014with your neighbors and your friends?\u00a0 Al Mohler says that\u2019s not surprising. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Al: <\/strong>The culture is not playing along with us anymore. So, we must be theologically awakened by Scripture to understand that our calling has never been to stand on the top of the church and yell at the community: \u201cBehave!\u201d\u00a0 It is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and call upon sinners to believe. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Monday, September 19<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. If, indeed, we are living in a culture that is drifting away from a biblical understanding of the world, how does that affect how we live?\u00a0 We\u2019re going to explore that today with Dr. Al Mohler. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThanks for joining us on the Monday edition. You know we started 2016, back in January, with Dr. Russell Moore about how Christians live as a prophetic minority in the culture we\u2019re living in. I think it\u2019s time we revisit that subject because it feels like, since the beginning of the year, we are in an even darker place than we were when we started. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes; and I just want to let our listeners know who these broadcasts are for. If you\u2019re on a journey, trying to decide what you believe about some of these urgent issues we\u2019re facing today, this is the right broadcast for you to be listening to. We\u2019re going to take on some of the most difficult, thorny issues in our culture today. We\u2019re going to attempt to do it with the love of Christ, the truth of the Scripture, and do it in a gracious way; but at the same time, equip <em>you<\/em> to know where you stand\u2014as a single person, as a husband, a wife, a mom, a dad, a grandparent\u2014and how you don\u2019t bend in the wind of the culture.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd that\u2019s really our passion here, Bob. I really want people to know where they stand and how they stand on the Scriptures; and they don\u2019t need to be apologizing for it. Our guest on the program today is nodding his head. Dr. Al Mohler joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Al, welcome back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Dennis, it\u2019s great to be with you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>It\u2019s great to have you. You know, many of our listeners know Dr. Mohler as the President of The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Why don\u2019t you explain to our listeners why you start the book called <em>We Cannot Be Silent<\/em> reminiscing about a hurricane that hit where you lived and something you and your grandfather experienced after it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Yes; you know, I look back at boyhood and recognize it\u2019s more distant in history but not in memory. Growing up in Florida, we had recurring hurricanes. Most of them came by without much damage, but I remember being sent to bed one night as a hurricane was blowing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs a little boy, I woke up and, with my grandfather, went out in the front yard. There was a large boat in the front yard. I can still remember, as a little boy, thinking, \u201cSomething <em>massive<\/em> had to have made that happen.\u201d\u00a0 It had come off of a trailer some distance away and had floated down off the trailer and come down, driven by wind and water, into our front yard, where it had finally moored itself over against a tree. We\u2019re not talking about a small boat here\u2014we\u2019re talking about a big vessel that just got picked up. I can still remember thinking, \u201cSomething big had to have happened.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThat\u2019s the way I think a lot of Christians feel\u2014when they look at the newspaper, they watch television, they have a conversation, they hear their child come home from school\u2014and they\u2019re listening to that conversation. They recognize: \u201cWow!\u00a0 Something <em>big<\/em> has happened.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s something bigger than we thought when we saw it coming. What I\u2019m trying to explain is a moral revolution has completely reshaped\u2014and is even now reshaping\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014not only Western civilization, but our local communities. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>And we so often look to the \u201860s as the genesis of that moral revolution. Is that the right place to look?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Well, it\u2019s the right place to look for a lot of the arguments you hear today. There is no doubt that a lot of what is going on today\u2014what you hear at the Supreme Court or you might hear from just someone in conversation at the mall\u2014that\u2019s a conversation you can track right back to the \u201860s. But there was a revolution that began long before that happened\u2014that [the \u201860s] was kind of like the eruption of the volcano\u2014but the actual energy was being pent up over time. This moral revolution really began to take shape in the last part of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century and in the first part of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century in places that most Americans were sight-unseen and didn\u2019t recognize what was going on; but we\u2019re now reaping what they sowed. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>You say that Christians are kind of the first ones to pick up their stone and want to throw them at the homosexual movement for \u201cchanges\u201d that we see in the culture. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou\u2019re saying, \u201cNo; we need to go back and own what we\u2019re responsible for here, as followers of Christ, because we have been complicit in what\u2019s taking place here.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Well, we certainly have been. When you think about the LGBT revolution\u2014which is the greatest challenge, morally and even in terms of religious liberty that we have faced in our lifetimes, here in the United States\u2014we have to recognize that the door was opened for that by things that we were not so alarmed about but should have been. For instance, the contraceptive revolution that happened that separated sex and reproduction. You can\u2019t have a sexual revolution without that. A lot of American evangelicals\u2014they think of contraception as a non-significant issue. Well, just realize that the people who paid for the development of the pill\u2014just to make that very clear\u2014they did so driven by an agenda of moral revolution. They wanted to facilitate severing of reproduction and sex so that people could have sex without having babies. Most American evangelicals were asleep at the switch on that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe second big thing was the divorce revolution. When we think about the damage that same-sex marriage is going to do in the lives of children\u2014and I think that\u2019s very real\u2014we have to recognize that far more children will have their lives damaged by divorce. We\u2019re talking, there, not as a close call\u2014we\u2019re talking about multiple millions and millions of American children, and now children grown to be adults, whose lives were irreparable harmed by divorce. We take that for granted. The no-fault divorce revolution didn\u2019t happen in the United States until the early 1970s. Evangelical Christians were not as concerned about marriage, then, as we should have been. That\u2019s one of the reasons why we have less credibility to talk about it now. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We didn\u2019t protect marriage when we should have. We should have upheld the marriage covenant and the sacred nature of the promise two human beings make; but instead\u2014to the point of your book\u2014we were silent. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>We were silent. And just think about this\u2014so, now, the same-sex revolution comes along \/ same-sex marriage, and says: \u201cMarriage can be redefined so that it\u2019s no longer a man and a woman.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cIt can be a man and a man or a woman and a woman.\u201d\u00a0 Now, that is, morally speaking, ridiculous. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut let me tell you why it has traction\u2014it has traction because, throughout virtually all of human history, marriage was understood as the union exclusively of a man and a woman; but it was with those words, \u201c\u2018\u2026\u2019til death do us part.\u201d The revolution that we accepted, just tacitly back during the 1970s and the 1980s, was that you can redefine marriage from being a permanent covenant, until death, with eternal meaning\u2014because it was created by God\u2014of monogamy and exclusivity. \u201cNo; we can change that into a temporary contract for as long as you want to be married, rather than until death do us part.\u201d That revolution was required long before you could possibly have same-sex marriage, and it\u2019s piggy-backing on some of the very same arguments. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Well, and the stories we have told ourselves in film, and in books, and in song, for generations, about what love is has defined it all purely in romantic terms\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014so that you can understand why, when somebody says, \u201cWell, if I love my boyfriend \/ if I\u2019m a male and I love my boyfriend, why shouldn\u2019t I be able to get married?\u201d because that\u2019s all love means to them is: \u201cI have a feeling today, and I should be able to act on it.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>That\u2019s right. We\u2019ve reduced love to an emotional state of transient endurance that is to be measured by its <em>intensity<\/em> rather than by any objective, moral norm. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There are moms\/dads listening to this broadcast \/ there are single people, who don\u2019t understand where this battle was originally fought and lost. Ultimately, it was lost around the concept of a worldview\u2014the culture basically has moved us to a secularized version of a worldview that leaves God out. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Well, absolutely. You know, we didn\u2019t have to think about worldview until we were confronted with worldviews different than our own. Bob and Dennis, you can remember the name, Francis Schaeffer. What Schaeffer would do would be to pick up <em>Time Magazine<\/em> or something like that and say: \u201cWhat makes this make sense to people?\u00a0\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cIt\u2019s because their most fundamental assumptions about reality are different.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhat we\u2019re looking at is the fact that most of us lived in communities where the people around us thought in, more or less, Christian terms. They operated out of a, more or less, Christian worldview, even if they were not believing, regenerate, born-again Christians. Well, that\u2019s what\u2019s so shifted now\u2014we cannot assume that virtually anywhere\u2014given the influence of Hollywood, the influence of successive academic movements, the trajectory of the larger culture around us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe reality is\u2014living in a place like Little Rock or Louisville no longer ensures that the people living next to you begin with the understanding that truth is anything other than relative, that understand that life is anything more than what you can make of it, or understand that human beings are anything more than evolutionary accidents. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>A worldview is that which explains what makes the world make sense to us. For Christians, that starts with Scripture: \u201cIn the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.\u201d\u00a0 It begins with who we are\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014as human beings made in the image of God\u2014and follows all the way through the entirety of Scripture. Our responsibility is to think consistently, as Christians. What we\u2019re beginning to understand is that our neighbors are more and more thinking consistently, as non-Christians. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And they are leaving God out of the center of that worldview. So, they are replacing Him with me: \u201cI am the center.\u201d\u00a0 <br><br><strong>Al: <\/strong>Well, if God\u2019s not going to be at the center of our universe, who else would qualify but ourselves?\u00a0 I mean, that; in other words, yes\u2014you\u2019re exactly right. What\u2019s scary is that makes perfect sense to so many people in our society. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>So, if that\u2019s the new majority report and if a biblical worldview is increasingly a minority report, do we just batten down the hatches and prepare for a whole new way of thinking and living, as Christians?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Well, to the last part of that; yes. We\u2019re going to have to get used to a whole new way of living and thinking, as Christians, if we\u2019re going to be faithful. You know, Bob, I love the way you asked the question; because: \u201cWhere does this leave us?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think it leaves us dangerously close to the Book of Acts. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, I look at this and I\u2019m thinking, \u201cWell, that\u2019s exactly where Christianity began.\u201d\u00a0 Christianity didn\u2019t fall into the midst of a culture shaped by the Christian worldview. It emerged when the operational paganism of Rome was the worldview of the age. I think this is not something we would have wanted\u2014it\u2019s not something we asked for or prayed for\u2014but it is the challenge we now face. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>There are three thoughts that occur to me. I want you to just respond to me, if you would. This is kind of bold; but I think, put very simply, we need to be challenging one another to confirm what we believe the Scripture clearly teaches about these issues\u2014of same-sex marriage, of transgender and gender issues that are taking place in our culture, about divorce. <br><br>Secondly, we need to be passing on our convictions and training our children to know how to think from the Bible, instead of to the Bible. They need to come out of the Scripture and have convictions to know how to stand. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, thirdly, I think every family\u2014and that\u2019s why I like what you just said about this is compared to the Book of Acts\u2014every family ought to be on a mission. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Absolutely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>We ought to be the salt and the light of the culture in marriage and family. They are in the center of the bull\u2019s eye. That provides either a scary place to enter into or an exciting, electrifying place to join God in what He wants to do in transforming people\u2019s lives through Jesus Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Al: <\/strong>The way I would put it is this: \u201cIf we were raising our children\u2014let\u2019s say Christian parents in the 1950s in so many communities in America\u2014we could tell them: \u2018Here\u2019s what you are going to do. You\u2019re going to be confronted with the gospel of Jesus Christ. When, as we hope, you become a believing Christian, you\u2019re going to take your place in this society, as morally-upright people; and what you\u2019re going to do is to try to preserve the moral uprightness you\u2019re going to find in society.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tEverybody in the 1950s knows what marriage is. No one is confused to think that marriage is a woman and a woman or a man and a man. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDivorce is not prevalent\u2014it\u2019s very hard to even get one. You\u2019re not going to make partner at a law firm if you\u2019re divorced \/ you\u2019re not going to make partner in a law firm if you\u2019re not a member of some recognized church; because that\u2019s what all decent human beings do, as citizens, back then. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWell, we\u2019re not raising our children for that anymore. We\u2019re raising our children to say: \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, you\u2019re going to be subversive in a culture that is moving in exactly the opposite direction. You\u2019re not going to be those who come to adulthood in order to fit in the larger society as moral examples. You\u2019re going to stand <em>out<\/em> as the great moral exception.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you believe that marriage is exclusively the union of a man and a woman\u2014not just because of culture and tradition\u2014but because God made us in His image and gave us marriage for His glory\u2014and if you believe that everything starts and ends with the question: \u201cIs there a God; and if so, what does He require of us?\u201d we\u2019ve got to raise counterrevolutionaries, Dennis. I think that\u2019s what many parents haven\u2019t thought \/ Christian parents haven\u2019t thought they were doing. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey\u2019ve got to raise gospel insurrectionists. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>I think there was a strategy\u2014that I grew up, thinking, \u201cThis was how you fight against the culture\u2014you fight with moral supremacy. You fight with self-righteousness, and you use shame, as a tactic, to try to get people back in line. All of that\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>\u2014we\u2019ve learned: \u201cThat\u2019s not how you advance the gospel in this culture.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Al: <\/strong>The closest heresy for most evangelical Christians is mere moralism. So, here is the question: \u201cWhat would buy us off?\u00a0 What would make us happy?\u201d\u00a0 There are far too many Christians who would be happy if their neighbors behaved; but behaving people are going to go to hell because \u201cAll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23].\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Behavior is important\u2014we understand that. The Christian worldview also explains you shouldn\u2019t expect people to behave better than their beliefs. So, we\u2019ve got to get back to the gospel as the <em>only<\/em> message of salvation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe <em>only<\/em> rescue we have is what God has done for us in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and call upon sinners to believe. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And Al, I think one of the mistakes we have made\u2014and I\u2019ve admitted this on this radio show before\u2014we have stood on top of the church steeple\u2014not obviously [literally]\u2014but we have thrown stones at people who don\u2019t think like us, don\u2019t believe like us, and, as you just pointed out, don\u2019t behave like us. So, we have shamed homosexuals \/ we have shamed those who struggle over issues of sexual identity. As a result, the church has not been a safe place for someone who wants redemption, for someone who wants forgiveness, for someone who wants to be reconciled to his God \/ his Redeemer. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>As a matter of fact, what is shame?\u00a0 You know, theologically, shame can be a problem; or it can be a very good thing. Shame can be just what you insinuated\u2014which is just someone feeling guilty because we fall short of our neighbor\u2019s expectations\u2014that shame didn\u2019t get us anywhere. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd you\u2019re exactly right\u2014we\u2019ve given ourselves to that calculus far too many times. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>But there is another shame that\u2019s redemptive. That\u2019s the shame of the sinner who, like Adam and Eve in the Garden, go and hide themselves. The church should be the place to say: \u201cWhat that shame is telling you is: \u2018You need a Savior. Oh, and by the way, there is not a single human being who has not felt that shame\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>\u2014\u201c\u2019or should not.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Al: <\/strong>\u201cAnd what is that shame telling us?\u00a0 That shame is telling us that, by God\u2019s grace, we come to know our need for a Savior. That\u2019s why I want to tell you about Jesus. Then, let me tell you\u2014God has a better plan for our lives than we have for ourselves. That includes our sex lives, our moral lives, our marriages, the way we raise our children, the way we respond and upbringing; and economics; and politics; and society at large.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>But you can\u2019t start <em>there<\/em> and get back to the gospel. You\u2019ve got to start with the gospel and, then, get to what Christ would require of us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Dennis has heard me share this illustration before, and it\u2019s one I heard from Tim Keller\u2014who said that, years ago in New York, a woman came forward at the end of the church service and said: \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cDr. Keller, I\u2019ve been coming here several weeks. I\u2019m interested in, maybe, becoming a member at Redeemer Presbyterian.\u201d\u00a0 She said: \u201cI\u2019m a lesbian. I\u2019m just wondering, \u2018Would I have to give up my relationship with my partner in order to join the church here?\u2019\u201d There was a crowd around, waiting to see how Tim Keller was going to answer this question. He smiled \/ he said, \u201cI think you\u2019re asking the wrong question.\u201d\u00a0 She said, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe said: \u201cI think the question you need to be asking is, \u2018Who do you think Jesus is?\u2019\u00a0 Do you believe He is who He says He is?\u00a0 If you don\u2019t think He is who He says He is, then, the other questions really don\u2019t matter; but if you think He is who He says He is, that\u2019s going to have implications\u2014not just for your relationships \/ it\u2019s going to have implications for every aspect of your life\u2014as it has for me. But if He is who He says He is, you don\u2019t have any option but to deal with those implications.\u201d\u00a0 He took her back to what must be the foundational issue\u2014the issue of the gospel. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Oh, absolutely. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd there is no other place for us to start\u2014we should have known that all along. We didn\u2019t ask for this cultural moment, but we\u2019ve got it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Dennis: <\/strong>And to that point, let\u2019s say a listener just tuned in, maybe, halfway through the show. They\u2019ve picked up that we\u2019re talking about some delicate issues here; but in the midst of it, maybe, they\u2019ve been made aware of their shame\u2014that they are broken, they are sinners, they\u2019ve fallen short of God\u2019s glorious ideal, they\u2019ve broken the Ten Commandments, they need a Savior. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAl, would you just walk somebody through that?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got to believe, right now, there are those listening who need the same Savior we\u2019ve found. And by the way, I just want to say to you, as a person, if that\u2019s you\u2014we\u2019re not a bunch of arrogant guys sitting around this studio, pointing our finger down at you. No; we\u2019ve found Christ, and He works\u2014He\u2019s <em>alive<\/em> \/ He\u2019s not dead. It\u2019s what we celebrate at Easter\u2014He defeated death, and He offers eternal life to anyone who will believe. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Al: <\/strong>Absolutely. The gospel starts with a God who \u201cso loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life [John 3:16].\u201d\u00a0 It begins with God making us in His image and God holding us accountable for our sin. The Bible is very clear\u2014it diagnoses who I am and who every listener is\u2014we are sinners: \u201cAll have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23].\u201d\u00a0 We\u2019ve done things we ought not to do. We\u2019ve not done things we ought to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou know, that\u2019s the easiest I think for us to understand in theory, but we also have to understand that what that does\u2014is create an <em>impossible<\/em> break in our relationship with the very God who made us. That\u2019s where that <em>shame<\/em> comes from\u2014it\u2019s telling us we need to be made right with God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYet, the gospel points us to the fact that God solves this problem. He reestablishes the relationship with those who have sinned against Him by sending His own Son who lived a perfect life\u2014perfectly fulfilled the Law that we broke\u2014then, who went to the cross and died in our place. He, literally, shed His blood for the payment for <em>our<\/em> penalty. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe Father recognized His sacrifice on our behalf in full by raising Him from the dead on the third day\u2014that\u2019s what we celebrate on Easter Sunday morning. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd then, God declares that salvation comes to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. So, yes; the Apostle Paul, in Romans, Chapter 10, says, \u201cIf you confess with your lips that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s why we declare the gospel, \u201cthe good news\u201d\u2014that every sinner may be forgiven his or her sin and be made right with God by what God has done for us in Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHow does that become real for us?\u00a0 We believe in Christ\u2014in His death, burial, and resurrection \/ we believe He died for us. We confess Him as Lord, and we repent of our sins. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis: <\/strong>He died for us; and as a result, we are declared, \u201cNot guilty,\u201d and we are called \u201cchildren of God.\u201d\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>You know, on our website at FamilyLifeToday.com, we\u2019ve got a link that says, \u201cTwo Ways to Live.\u201d It outlines just what we\u2019re talking about here\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014the choice that\u2019s in front of every person: \u201cHow am I going to live my life?\u00a0 Am I going to live it with <em>me<\/em> in the center and with my wisdom guiding how I live, or am I going to live it with God in the center and with <em>His<\/em> wisdom directing how I live?\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019d encourage our listeners: \u201cGo to FamilyLifeToday.com, and click that link, and look at the choice that\u2019s in front of you and ask yourself the question: \u201cHow am I living?\u00a0 Who is at the center of my life?\u201d\u00a0 There is no more important question that a listener can deal with today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd while you\u2019re on our website, get a copy of the book that Dr. Al Mohler has written, called <em>We Cannot Be Silent<\/em>. It covers a number of the themes we\u2019re talking about this week. There is, also, available on our website a video message from Dr. Mohler\u2014he spoke recently at our 40<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary celebration for FamilyLife. The message there was profound, and we wanted you to have a chance to see what he shared with us.\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI know our Legacy Partners are already aware of this message, because we sent out a special notification to them about this recently. This would be a good message for you to watch with your teenagers. Go to FamilyLifeToday.com and look for information about Dr. Mohler\u2019s book, <em>We Cannot Be Silent<\/em>, and for the link to the message that he shared with our staff recently. Let us know what you think of his message after you\u2019ve had a chance to watch it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, we have a couple of people we want to wish a special \u201cHappy anniversary!\u201d to today. One of them is my brother-in-law, David Alaback. He and my sister-in-law, Linda, live in Tulsa, Oklahoma\u2014listen to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> on KCFO. They are Legacy Partners. Dave and Linda: \u201cHappy anniversary!\u201d to you guys. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAlso, Eric and Megan Martin are celebrating seven years together on this date. Megan is just in the other room, taking notes on today\u2019s program: \u201cHappy anniversary, Megan!\u201d\u2014to you and Eric. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Megan: <\/strong>Thank you. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob: <\/strong>[Laughter] We are all about anniversaries, here at FamilyLife. We think anniversaries are a big deal and that they ought to be celebrated. This is our 40<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary as a ministry, and we\u2019ve been celebrating all year long by reflecting on how God has used this ministry so that more, and more, and more anniversaries are celebrated every year. We are The Proud Sponsor of Anniversaries<sup>\u2122<\/sup>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd you guys make that possible\u2014our Legacy Partners [and] those of you who support this ministry, from time to time. <em>You<\/em> have made everything we do possible through your financial support of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. We want to say, \u201cThank you for your partnership.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe also want to encourage you\u2014if you are not a Legacy Partner or if it\u2019s been a while since you made a contribution\u2014why don\u2019t you go to FamilyLifeToday.com and make a donation, online, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY?\u00a0 I had a friend who told me that what they were doing was in honor of their anniversary\u2014they are giving a dollar for every year they\u2019ve been married. I thought that was a nice idea; huh?\u00a0 So, you can do that today. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhatever donation you make today, we want to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by sending you our 2017 FamilyLife calendar. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s all about how you can make your home an embassy and how you can live as an ambassador for Christ. That\u2019s our gift to you when you make a donation today. Again, thanks for your financial support of this ministry. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, tomorrow, we\u2019re going to talk more about the way things are shifting in our culture and how we live, representing Christ well, in the midst of that shift. Dr. Al Mohler will be back with us tomorrow. Hope you can be here as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2016 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/304176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304176"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=304176"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=304176"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=304176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}