Where Has Our Care Gone?

Introduction

Just before I finished editing this article, I came across a video circulating on X, which you can see here. In it, you see a young boy standing in a classroom as the leader directs the group in the satanic Islamic tradition of worshipping a false god. The scene struck me deeply. It turned my thoughts back to the very charge of this article and confirmed its relevance.

There is either genuine care for what is right, or there is no concern at all. Neutrality is a myth. A lack of care is never neutral, for it carries with it a clear position. It is a position of one set in direct opposition to that which is right. To care for the Truth is good and right. To have no care for the Truth is downright evil, for it is actively fighting against the Truth.

In the video, when the other young boys bowed down, they showed what much of the culture is doing. And this meme pretty much sums that up.

So, do we really care? Do we think that our beliefs and convictions actually matter? A quick survey of the direction our society continues to bob along in would indicate the exact opposite of caring is transpiring. Does this mean we have abandoned our beliefs or simply lost confidence in our convictions?

There is a thundering noise in our society that attempts to drown out the thinking individual. It becomes easier to accept what is being said or done than to actually reveal our concern. Because the reality is, if we need to seriously think, then we may need to put our phones down.

We claim faith in Christ. We sing His praises on Sunday. Yet when we look at the direction of public life, the coordination of practices that defy God’s created order, the quiet expansion of government power, and the casual devaluing of biblical truth, we often respond with little more than a shrug. This is not a small inconsistency. It raises a concern about the true state of one’s faith, whether it is living and active or merely professed.

The Gap Between Profession and Practice

The apostle James does not allow us to dodge the issue. “What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? … Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:14, 17, LSB). I would have to say a faith that produces no care for the glory of God in the public square is no faith at all.

We profess submission to governing authorities, and Scripture requires it. “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God” (Romans 13:1). Still, submission does not mean silence in the face of evil. 

The same passage reminds us that rulers bear the sword as ministers of God for good. For good, not evil. When they wield their authority for injustice or when they promote what God condemns, the Christian who truly cares cannot treat it as neutral. The Christian must stand and fight what is wrong. The only one who would say there is nothing to fight against would be the one living under a rock. There is much evil to oppose. 

Where Indifference Shows Itself

Many professing Christians have remained largely quiet about the normalizing of the LGBTQ community, the horror of abortion, and the commodification of human life. Does our silence indicate we have accepted such evil?

We loudly claim distrust of government in the 21st century (it would be a bit strange if you did not), yet we often accept its expanding reach without any discernment. We watch the constant devaluing of biblical faith throughout society and think to ourselves, “This is just inevitable.” When politicians quote Scripture while advancing policies that contradict its clear teaching, many professing Christians accept the words at face value without careful examination or biblical discernment. Side note: Conservatism does not equal Christianity. 

Do we ever think through what is being said in the public square? Do we really consider the long-term effects on marriage, family, justice, and the next generation? Or have we quietly concluded that much of it is neutral?

Nominal Faith

I think a large part of this problem lies in a shallow desire to truly know God. Too many settle for a verse-of-the-day Christianity instead of immersing in the whole counsel of God. This is a dull way to live as a Christian.

A Reformed perspective helps here, not because I believe it makes one superior, but because it trains the mind to see distinctions and guard truth. Those who have not yet embraced such doctrinal clarity often draw from a wide variety of voices without discernment. 

The result of a lack of discernment leads to one thing: confusion. One can hardly know who stands where among professing Christians. Outsiders look on and conclude that the label “Christian” costs nothing and guarantees heaven regardless of how one lives. How wrong they are! To be a Christian will cost you everything! Maybe there is fear when it comes to this fact, and if there is fear, then let us pray that God would remove this fear of self and replace it with a proper fear of Him.

God promised through Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). A new heart leads to a new care. It cannot remain unmoved when God’s order is assaulted in the public arena.

Practical

What then does genuine care require? It begins with immersion in Scripture. It grows into the kind of love that does justice, loves kindness, and walks humbly with God (Micah 6:8). For the new believer, this means moving beyond isolated verses into a steady and consistent study of the Word. For the seasoned saint, it may mean a self-examination: Am I pointing those younger in the faith to the lordship of Christ in every sphere of life, including government and the public arena? Do I live as though the government must promote true religion and govern by Scriptural principles? Do I even believe that the government must promote Christianity as the one true religion? 

The good news is we do not fight in our own strength, nor do we fight to establish an earthly utopia. We fight because Christ is King (I am not afraid to say it, even though Ted Cruz seems to be), and every realm belongs to Him. 

The reformer, John Calvin, taught that magistrates are God’s servants and that Christians must never confuse submission with endorsement of evil. Jonathan Edwards, known as one of the last Puritans, understood that true religious affections reach outward to the good of society. 

I am convinced that the watching world needs to see the kind of Christianity that cares for what Scripture proclaims. Not loud political theater, but thoughtful, Scripture-saturated care that comes from a union with Christ. This will, in some ways, remove confusion from the nominal Christian crowd. Some may even be drawn toward the Savior who transforms both hearts and nations.

May God grant us grace to answer honestly: Yes, by His strength, we really do care.