Calling Out Wickedness in Our Culture is Biblical; Not Doing So is Sin
By Alex Murashko
There is no man-made solution to an increasingly sinful world. That was the case 2,000-plus years ago and it is the case in 2024.
Nevertheless, there is good news. God is in the solution business. Let Him prompt us to do His work for His kingdom. Afterall, He is the truth. Pray for His will, not ours.
Put aside our culture (America) for a moment. It is Him, not us, who will rescue this nation — or not. And that truth will set us free.
“When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 3:18-19)
Those of us who know the truth, who are fueled by the Holy Spirit, can not stay silent or inactive about the wickedness of today or we will, too, “die in our iniquity.” It can be a miserable time for people who know that their home, their country, is led by lies and corruption in the highest places of authority. Despite this reality, there is silence and inaction all around us.
However, a growing number of Christian leaders in the U.S. are letting followers know that to call out sin properly is biblical.
“At some point if we don’t call out and stand against the wickedness and insanity of our culture, it is a sin,” evangelist Matt Brown recently posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Brown, who explains on his post that he is a middle child and “naturally a peacemaker,” states that it’s harder for him to “break out” out of his shell and “call things out.”
“I don’t want to tell you when or how often you have to speak up, but don’t sit this time out and say nothing,” he shared. “If we are not careful we will, in the words of Eric Metaxes, make an ‘idol of evangelism.’ We will pretend like everything is fine while the world around us burns and lives are destroyed by Satan's crafty lies.”
Brown adds something very important: “Contrary to popular belief you can love people and still call out destructive beliefs and behaviors.”
He also gives this advice: “So don’t sit in silence in this important time in history. And don’t buy the lie you are only called to be nice. And don’t just say what far left people tell you is okay to say. Be brave. Stand against the tide. Be loving, but firm. Point to forgiveness in Christ but call people to repent. Explain the benefits of God’s ways, and tell the story of how God changed your heart and perspective along the way.”
Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die;
save them as they stagger to their death.
Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.”
For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.
He who guards your soul knows you knew.
He will repay all people as their actions deserve. (Proverbs 24:11-12)
Shane Pruitt, who is the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), also believes that it’s time for Christ followers to speak up.
“For way too long the world has tried to bully the church into silence by making Christians falsely believe that certain topics were too political to talk about,” Pruitt recently shared on X. He points out the fallacy of believing that hot button issues should remain untouchable inside churches.
“However, when does life begin? That’s a biblical truth. Who defines marriage? That’s a biblical truth. God determining sex and gender. That’s a biblical truth. These were biblical truths, before they were ever political statements,” he states. “The world is infringing on the Word’s territory, not vice versa.”
Pastor Matthew Maher, who leads the ministry, Truth Over Trend, implores believers in Jesus to not let the culture around them speak louder than the Christ within themselves.
“Contrary to the worldly notion of ‘do not judge,’ Christians ought to do nothing without making godly judgments. Yes, we are not to judge hypocritically, but we are to judge with biblical scrutiny. ‘But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.’ (1 Corinthians 2:15)”
Alex Murashko is a journalist and writing team leader for Think Eternity, a site for powerful faith content to help you live the fulfilled life in Jesus. Murashko is also founder of Media on Mission.
Connect on X (formerly Twitter): @AlexMurashko.