The Fighting Christian is Not a Contradiction

Writing in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, columnist Peggy Noonan appears convinced that President Donald Trump’s natural governing inclination is to fight:

“What we’ve seen the past six months is what we’ll see in the future. It will be fight, fight, fight, not only or primarily for a movement, program or platform, but because fighting is good and the natural state.”

“Of all his weaknesses that is one of his greatest, that he’d rather hurt himself than not fight. He’d rather hurt the country than not fight. The fight is all.”

Since 2016, President Trump’s critics on both the right and the left have made similar accusations. Are they right or wrong? Is this good news or bad news? Where you stand on those questions seems largely dependent on your opinion of Trump himself and how he is governing the country.

But as believers, how should Christians think about fighting the ongoing cultural battles?

Many like to point to the apostle Paul’s encouragement to members of the Church in Rome, when he urged them, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).

Taken in context, Paul is relaying to believers what true Christians look like. Earlier in the letter, he writes:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor …Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer… Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them …Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all (Romans 12:9-10, 12, 14-17).

But does that mean we can’t push back against the wickedness of the culture?

Of course not. To “abhor” or “hate” evil is to fight it, not passively watch the wicked run roughshod over the innocent. Addressing believers in Ephesus, Paul advised Christians to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11).

God can orchestrate anything with our without our assistance, but passivity is more likely to invite the status quo. 

Last week it was announced that Kaiser Permanente, a healthcare provider serving nearly 13 million people across eight states, was stopping all gender mutilation surgeries for any patients under the age of 19. 

The healthcare behemoth hasn’t really had a change of heart or “seen the light” but instead is responding to pressure and executive federal action.

They’re responding to the fight.

From an internal memo written by CEO Greg Adams:

Since January, there has been significant focus by the federal government on gender-affirming care, specifically for patients under the age of 19 … In response to these federal actions, many health systems and clinicians across the country have paused or discontinued providing gender-affirming care for adolescents … After significant deliberation and consultation with internal and external experts including our physicians, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause gender-affirming surgical treatment for patients under the age of 19 in our hospitals and surgical centers.

Notice how many times (three) they used the term “gender-affirming” – a dishonest and reckless description of a destructive act that deforms and leaves young people to manage irreversible consequences. And a “difficult decision”? It’s the only right decision after the disastrous one that has led to the maiming of sexually confused children.

It was Winston Churchill who once quipped, “I like a man who grins when he fights.”

C.S. Lewis was right. “Christianity is a fighting religion.” Christians are called to be happy warriors who fight evil with good, who defend the defenseless, and who fight based on principle not on predicted or anticipated outcomes. Loving Christians fight because they hate the evil and love their neighbor. They fight and leave the outcome to the Lord.

Image from Getty.