Losing Our Lives for the Gospel

The second half of my book The Silencing of the Lambs lists many practical strategies for overcoming cancel culture. But they all come down to this principle: we must take up our crosses and deny ourselves if we are to be genuine followers of Jesus. We must lose our lives for the gospel if we want to really find our lives. It is the only way. That’s why one university professor was right in calling for Kamikaze Academics, urging his fellow professors to speak up, no matter the cost. (His own challenges to global warming theories — as a scientist himself — cost him dearly.)

Yale law professor Stephen Carter, who calls for churches to be “centers of resistance,” also warns that “one should have no illusions. All too many pastors today, black and white, are so worried about filling the seats. Clergy deliver brilliant sermons that preach up to the edge of asking people to do something, and then they will pull back. Some pastors display prophetic leadership and call for sacrifice, but their numbers are small.”

Glorifying God, No Matter What

May we have more of these courageous pastors today. May we have more believers who determine that Jesus is worth living for and dying for. May we recognize that the purpose of our lives is to glorify God, whatever the cost or consequence.

Can we justify our silence out of fear that we might lose our friends on social media when our brothers and sisters around the world are losing their lives for Him? Can we justify our cowardice (often in the guise of “wisdom”) while standing at the foot of the cross and looking into the light of eternity? In the words of the Methodist preacher W. E. Sangster (1900-1960), “How shall I feel at the judgment, if multitudes of missed opportunities pass before me in full review, and all my excuses prove to be disguises of my cowardice and pride?”

For good reason, a Catholic leader wrote in July 2023, “If we don’t stand for what we believe, then our society will be swept away, taking all of us along with it.” And after a young man was arrested for reading the Bible outside a public drag queen event, where obscene acts took place in the presence of little children, he said, “It was worth it. It’s actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and his kingdom. If the police wanted to try and set an example for others or anything like that, the only thing I’ve seen is actually the exact opposite, where more and more people are seeing the severity of what’s going on and being called to more action.”

This too is how we get our message out: nothing can intimidate us, and we are not going in the closet. We have already committed our hearts and minds and souls to the Lord, and we are determined to stand.

What are You Willing to Suffer?

It was these words, spoken in a 2016 TV interview, that helped propel University of Toronto professor Jordan Peterson to international stardom. He was asked what he was willing to suffer in defiance of a new law in Canada that would require him to use certain terminology if a trans-identified person insisted on it. He said, “If they fine me, I won’t pay it. If they put me in jail, I’ll go on a hunger strike. I’m not doing this. And that’s that. I’m not using the words that other people require me to use. Especially if they’re made up by radical left-wing ideologues.” And Peterson said this without even being a Christian at that point in his life. This was simply his moral conviction.

We can be loving toward all and compassionate and sensitive. But if we’re asked to violate our conscience or our convictions, we say with all respect, “I’m sorry, but I cannot comply. I have a higher allegiance.” May we all live lives worthy of the Lord! 

Seize the Holy Moment of Revival

Following Jesus has always been a revolutionary act, not in the sense of rebellion but in the sense of radicality, and the real gospel message has always had a revolutionary effect on the society. Will we live it out today? If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

These questions are all the more urgent during seasons of spiritual outpouring, which is why my last book (and the first in this series on moving from revival to reformation) is titled Seize the Moment: How to Fuel the Fires of Revival. Now, as the Spirit is moving afresh in the land, we must seize the holy moment of revival and build on the holy momentum of revival. We must turn the tide!

Can I Count You in?

The pushback has begun, and the long-awaited, gospel-based moral and cultural revolution has begun. It is time for us to lead the way! Can I count you in? More importantly, can our God count you in? You have come into the kingdom for such a time as this! 

The above is an excerpt from Dr. Brown’s book, Turn the Tide: How to Ignite a Cultural Awakening (2024). Republished with permission.

Dr. Michael Brown is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. He is the author of more than 40 books, including Can You be Gay and Christian?; Our Hands Are Stained With Blood; and Seize the Moment: How to Fuel the Fires of Revival. You can connect with him on Facebook, X, or YouTube.

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