"Modernity, not Christianity, seeks to return to a pre-Christian conflation of theological and political power… Whereas in Augustine’s vision of society there are two cities, the city of God and the earthly city, for modernity there must be one city to rule them all. The fusion of state and civil society is a characteristic feature of modernity."

–Dr. Christopher Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory

Cultural Commentaries

• Celebrating What Is Good - Did you see that the SAFE Act/Save Women’s Sports Act was upheld in court and is now in effect? The ACLU is appealing, which means their case against it will make its way to the Ohio Supreme Court eventually, but this was a huge step forward in protecting kids from the dangers of transgender medical practices as well as protecting girls and women from biological males on their fields and in their locker rooms. 

• Creating What Is Missing - It's time to consider how culture would change if we started incentivizing and commending marriage. In this article, Brett McCracken talks about the blessings and benefits of marriage and family life and why he wishes more people would have encouraged him to step into the roles of husband and father earlier. Modern influencers often decry marriage, with most single adults feeling little pressure to marry as parents have prioritized financial stability over marriage for their children. The reality is, though, getting married and having a family is the best indicator of happiness and financial stability.

  CCV is partnering with Brad Wilcox, author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization and director of the National Marriage Project, to roll out a joint church and state initiative in 2025 to commend a biblical perspective on marriage through the local church and to incentivize strong, healthy, life-long marriages through public policy. 

• Restoring What Is Broken - Are we secular, Christian, or pagan? After the Paris Olympics, Graham Tomlin, the Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and a former Bishop of Kensington, wonders whether a full-on secularism could veer back towards a modern paganism.

• Ending What Is Evil - Olentangy Local Schools can continue to force students to use "preferred pronouns" that do not align with the biological reality of their classmates, according to a 2-1 decision by Cincinnati's Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a US district court ruling. The two concurring judges argued that the district's policies–which dictate students must use preferred pronouns even off campus on personal devices or risk suspension and expulsion–do not violate students' First Amendment rights by compelling speech, though 17 states and 15 advocacy groups disagreed. In her dissenting opinion, Judge Batchelder argued that telling students they can omit all pronoun references still forces them to affirm a viewpoint with which they do not agree by requiring them to conform their behavior with their very silence.

Resources

We normally try to provide a range of resources on a variety of topics, but there were so many powerful articles written about Christian engagement in politics over the last few weeks that it seemed curating a few of the best might be particularly helpful for Ohio churches.

• Be Sober-Minded This Election Season - Is it possible to engage with politics and not succumb to overwhelming stress or apathy? Paul Batura believes that it is and that it's vitally important for Christians to engage thoughtfully with political matters because of the strong impact we can have on the culture if we have a balanced, sober-minded approach.

• How to Pastor a Church Through an Election Season - This election season is proving to be incredibly tumultuous. Sarah Zylstra offers practical advice for pastors so that unity can be fostered in our churches and our congregations can remain grounded in the Scripture while engaging in thoughtful, Christ-centered political activity.

• Voting: Lesser of Two Evils vs. Lessening Evil - Over the years, Christians have found less and less representation in the chosen leaders of the major political parties in the US. Yet, voting is still an important Christian duty. John Stonestreet outlines the reality that Christians should focus on "lessening evil" rather than abstaining from voting. He highlights the significant impact of state and local elections while reminding us that the Church's primary hope and mission lie in Christ, not politics.

• Where the Political Parties Stand on Social Issues in 2024 - Both the Democratic and Republican Parties have now formally adopted their party platforms. Joe Carter takes a deep dive into each of these platforms to discuss what parts of each platform matter to Christians. "Why should Christians care about a document that few non-politicians will ever read? Because of the influence the two major party platforms have on public policy. While the platform isn’t binding on the presidential nominee or any other politicians, political scientists have found that over the past 30 years, lawmakers in Congress tend to vote in line with their party platform."

• CCV's 2024 Nonpartisan Voter Guide - You can now pre-order the new and improved 2024 Voter Guide! The Voter Guide will be available beginning in September, as well as the online, personalized guide on the Buckeye Ballot homepage, and a downloadable PDF. Pre-order for yourself or your church today!

If you believe other pastors in your network would benefit from receiving The Times, please send us their name and email address and we will get them connected!

Upcoming Events

Registration for The Essential Summit is still open! As a member of the Church Ambassador Network, you have access to a 25% discount code for the Thursday, October 3, conference. One of the highlights of the conference will be a Church Leadership track which is specifically recommended for pastors, elders, deacons, and other church leaders. 

Exclusively for Pastors and Church leaders – your registration includes our annual Pastors’ Appreciation Breakfast with special guest speaker, Dr. Os Guinness, before the Ohio March for Life on Friday, October 4.

Pastor Testimony

I’ve been actively participating with CCV for the past couple of years now and I can say without a doubt that the work and efforts of this organization are essential to the protection of family values and virtue. Their support of godly virtues and family in the realms of church and politics is unwavering and strong.  They truly are the "tip of the spear" in regards to fighting for Life and Family! – Pastor Jason King, New Life Christian Center

Closing Thoughts

"Instead of obliterating the distinction between the Kingdom and the world, or on the other hand withdrawing from the world into a sort of modernized intellectual monasticism, let us go forth joyfully, enthusiastically to make the world subject to God." – J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Culture

A number of churches have decided to support CCV and the Church Ambassador Network financially through their budget. To set up a recurring monthly donation to CCV, please visit CCV.org/Donate and make sure to click the check box at the end of the form, above the comments field, before submitting your gift. 

We would be honored if you chose to invest a portion of God’s resources into our effort to serve and support churches in Ohio with resources to help them carry out the Great Commission in the spirit of The Greatest Commandments in our current cultural context.